Read Online The Summer of Last Resort by J. A. Browning - Free Book Online Page A

let’s just see what happens. Meanwhile there’s still a dead guy in your morgue.”
    “Right.”
    “Listen, Jake. Don’t go poking your nose around Johnny’s house or the club. You steer clear of those, you hear? That’s nothing but asking for trouble – and I don’t just mean with the feds.”
    Three days later Jake found himself on a dark night, flying in to Seattle Tacoma airport. Sandy had warned him that the FBI investigators had already talked to most of Shane’s friends, teachers, and school mates. But they didn’t have the diaries.
    The next morning Jake stopped by the college where Shane and Maria had had the class together, but that was pretty useless; people tended not to know each other that well for summer classes. Shane’s apartment had already been gone over by the FBI; nothing more there that wasn’t already either squirreled away in some FBI office or on one of the dozens of reports that Jake had already waded through. That afternoon, as he drove out through the gathering darkness, he struggled to know what he would say, but at the same time he had to admit to a little tingle of thrill thinking about the woman who had seduced this young man. At least that was something that they didn’t have. He knew she was bad, but he admitted that he liked it.
    Maria Rodriguez had lived in a rambler on a cul-de-sac of a nondescript suburban street. An alley ran along the back of the property, and Jake could see the little turn-out spot on one side where Shane had probably parked his truck as he described in the diary. Jake thought for a moment about going over there to poke around, but just then Maria’s mom, Joan, pulled into the driveway, stepped out, and went to open the door as Jake walked briskly towards her.
    “Missus Rodriguez? Missus Joan Rodriguez?” Jake puffed from running, catching her at the front door.
    “Miss Rodriguez. Who are you?”
    “Jake. Jake Sullivan. I’m a detective from New Mexico.”
    “New Mexico? What are you doing here? Is this about Maria?”
    Jake nodded.
    “Is she all right? Do you know where she is?”
    “No, ma’am. I mean, Miss.”
    “Well, then I don’t know if I can help you. I already told the FBI and the state patrol and everyone else everything there is to know,” she scowled and turned her back to him.
    “We have one of her friends.”
    “Shane. Yes, I know.”
    “Do you know him?” Jake asked, producing a small photo from inside his jacket pocket.
    “Oh, not very well. He was just a boy that Maria hung out with,” she lied.
    “I see. Did the FBI tell you why he’s a person of interest?”
    “Sure. But they’ve already been here. You’re too late. There isn’t anything more… nothing more to say only you need to get my baby back, do you hear?” She turned and almost poked Jake in the chest with her finger, but hesitated. Just then a man’s voice called her from within the house, asking what’s going on. “There’s nothing more for you here, and don’t even think about coming in… Good day, detective,” she said, swinging the door into his face, but he wedged a toe in, and grabbed her wrist, and pulled her close.
    “I think you knew that Shane boy pretty well,” Jake whispered. “In fact, I think you knew him about as good as a woman can.” He could feel her face turn red, just for a moment, but she didn’t turn and look at him yet. Jake knew that this was his moment. “Joan, I don’t care about that. I want to help you, I want to help Maria, and I think this Shane kid is innocent.” That shocked her; she hadn’t considered that Shane might be a suspect for murder. “Do you know a friend of Maria’s named Kim?” Joan shook her head and whispered, “I don’t know her full name, but yes, I think she was one of the other kids they hung out with.” Then she continued in a loud stage voice, “Look, you’ll just have to go, see?” and then she pointed to the brown Chevy in the driveway and whispered, “ come back when