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Chapter One
My gut told me not to trust the call. It had come in on my cell phone, a full 41 days after Miki Yamuri had last posted a message at the Sissykiss Story Center and Book Emporium.
41 days...I remembered that Miss Yamuri loved riddles...and especially puns. She had even been known to throw in some obscure Biblical references into her online chat sessions and stories.
41...forty days in the wilderness, plus 1?
41...forty days of temptation, plus the Evil One?
Hmmmm....
Then there were the words themselves: a Villa...Palms...a reference to WILD PALMS, the cult ABC show? And why would Lisa "suddenly" whisk her away? Was Yamuri's life in danger? Or was this standard behavior for her partner?
Most importantly, my cell phone has an unregistered number. How the hell did the alleged Miki get a hold of it?
Too many thoughts were going through my caffeine-deprived brain...
And there was another problem: according to my partner, Detective LJ, there were no less than four "Miki Yamuri" impersonators within five blocks of the Sissykiss Story Center. Perhaps impersonator is the wrong word. But how else could I interpret names like "Ami", "Pet Baby Amy" and "Aimee Michelle"?
Amanda Michelle Yamuri. The missing author's real name.
Ami. Pet Baby Amy. Aimee Michelle. Babygirl Yamuri. Persons of interest in the dark city of Sissykiss.
It was time to interview each of them...
Could any of them be responsible for Yamuri's sudden disappearance?
I had to find out.
LJ was nowhere to be found in the office. Probably had gone home to her husband and kids.
I grabbed my hat and duster and headed out...it was almost midnight. The Story Center would be open for a few more hours.
There was a storm coming. I could feel it in my bones.
(to be continued...)