Carolyn Arnold - McKinley 02 - Vacation is Murder by Carolyn Arnold

you. Here’s another thing that’s been on my mind. In Earl’s letter, he said he saw Amelia today. He would have written that last night. I don’t think he was in the room when Catherine came up.” She dug into Amelia’s tote and pulled out a makeup bag. “Voila. Could we be so lucky?” She unzipped it and took out a few tubes of lipstick. “Looks like we have some comparisons to make.”
    “You do that, while I call in a favor.”
    “Sean? What are you thinking?”
    “You’ll see.”

 
     

     
    Shades Of Red
     
    SARA AND SEAN WENT BACK to the privacy of their room. She sat cross-legged on the bed and worked through the shades of red lipstick that Amelia had. Based on the spread, she could have stocked a cosmetic counter.
    Sean used the room phone to call Jimmy Voigt, his training officer from the early days on the force, and their sergeant before they gave notice. Voigt didn’t make for a natural desk jockey. It was more like putting a cage around a wild animal—eventually it would break free or become despondent and settle. Voigt seemed to have fallen into the latter category.
    He answered after two rings. “Sean? Why are you calling? Aren’t you two on your honeymoon? I wouldn’t be leaving Sara alone for one minute.”
    “Hey now, that’s my wife.”
    “Yes, and it wouldn’t have been appropriate to comment on her good looks when she worked for PD, but now, it’s fair game.”
    For some reason, hearing Voigt made Sean homesick—not for his house or the city, but for his brothers in blue. Ironically, he had spent days complaining, especially at the beginning and at being assigned menial tasks, but he never saw his career as anything other than a cop. And yet, here he was.
    Voigt continued. “How are things going there? Cancun, right?”
    Sean pictured him, behind his desk with his feet up and drumming his pen against his thigh.
    “Yeah. It’s beautiful here. You should find love and make your way down.”
    Voigt laughed, as he tended to, deep from the pit of his gut. The intensity traveled the thousands of miles of phone line. His marriage had fallen apart not long after he had sacrificed his gun for a desk—and she had been the cause of the transfer.
    “It’s not as easy for everyone as it is for you, my boy. So, why are you calling me? You can’t miss me this much already.”
    “You know I do, but I didn’t call to hear your voice. I need a favor.”
    There was a ten-second pause and Sean envisioned him sitting up straighter and the pen-tapping coming to a halt.
    “A favor. You’re not in any trouble down there are you? And Sara? She’s okay?”
    Sean looked over at her. “Yes, we’re both fine. Doing good.”
    “Hi, Jimmy,” Sara called out, a smile inflecting her tone of voice. “I take it I’m good to call you by your first name now?”
    “There’s my girl,” Voigt said.
    “Just watch it there. We will be returning home.” Sean laughed, but it lasted only briefly.
    “This is something serious, isn’t it?”
    “I don’t have time to get into all the details, but we’ve found ourselves in a situation.”
    “Oh, here we go. You guys are going to be the two who never truly retire. Trouble will always find you.”
    Sean had to wonder if that would always be the case, but if it were, he found it acceptable.
    The line remained silent. Sean sensed Voigt wasn’t going to be too helpful until he shared some details. So he did. “There’s been a kidnapping.”
    “And they don’t have police there?”
    “Be serious.”
    “I am. I can’t have you calling me from all over the world looking for favors. There is law enforcement set up everywhere for a reason.”
    “This favor would only take you a couple minutes.”
    A deep sigh. “Go ahead, then, give me some details.”
    Sean laid it out for him, telling him about Earl Spencer and Amelia Wolfe. “It’s her I really would like a background on.”
    “I don’t know, Sean. I have people I need to answer to.”
    “I