Death’s Excellent Vacation (Sookie Stackhouse #9.5)(33)
Author: Charlaine Harris

"So. She believes what she saw, but we can find no evidence. " Nora thought Peert didn’t know his place; he was ruining the story’s next phase of life. "Or you simply can’t find what might be right in front of your eyes. What police academy did you attend again, sir?" One useful weapon in her arsenal was to make people justify themselves. It never failed. "What journalism school did you attend, madame?" Nora blinked, and for a moment the head tilt wavered. She’d never experienced anyone successfully biting back. Her lips narrowed into a slash. "I attended law school, which makes me uniquely qualified to report on cases regarding justice. " The cameras were still live; that idiot Molly hadn’t cut off Peert. "I will hold you to that promise to expand the search, Inspector. Let’s go to Jason’s parents . . . " In her earpiece she heard Molly hiss: "They backed out. They’re too upset. They want you to quit hammering Peert. " "I’m told we’ve got satellite difficulties in Los Angeles, where the Kirks live, so we’ll wrap it up for this evening. " And then she ended the Jason Kirk segments as she always did: "Jason, I will never stop searching for the truth, and I hope we can bring you home, safe and sound. " And she held her noble, dignified stance–she was justice without the blindfold–letting the viewers drink her in as they cut to her theme song and logo.

THE post-broadcast tantrum was a thing of beauty: Nora raged at the ingratitude of the Kirks, at the unwelcome (and unprofessional) steeliness of Peert, at the stupid hotel maid who probably hadn’t seen anything at all and now had thrown Nora’s show into a tailspin, at the fates. When she was done, Molly got her a glass of water and a sedative. Nora gulped both. "Peert wasn’t supposed to be all uppity, " Nora said. "He got tired of being your whipping boy, " Molly crossed her arms. "Did you think he’d dance to your tune forever? He’s fighting back. He’s tired of the abuse. " "Abuse? I think you meant to say my investigation. " "Nora, maybe it’s time to find a new case for you to . . . Investigate. Maybe Jason didn’t vanish on vacation. " That phrase had been Nora’s lead for the first two months of Jason’s disappearance. "He could be in hiding. He could be shacked up with a woman. He could have been smoking weed in the mountains of Sint Pieter for the past three months, watching his face on the news. This one is getting ugly. " "No. This one is getting good. Maybe this is all, like, you know, The Bourne Identity, " Nora said. "What?" Molly said. "Maybe he got hurt and he doesn’t know who he is, " Nora said. She sounded like a woman awakening from a dream. "Oh, yes. Wouldn’t that be great? That would be a story. Then I could bring him home. Get me a doctor who knows a lot about amnesia. " "Amnesia. Please be kidding. " "I don’t kid. Humor and justice are not friends, Molly. " She crossed her arms. She was going to get control of this story back; November sweeps were imminent. "We’re going to Sint Pieter. Make the arrangements. " "Sint Pieter?" Molly stared at her. Honestly, Nora thought, she did see two ears on the sides of Molly’s head. If only a brain nestled between them. "Yes, hon. Peert’s dragging his feet; we have a legitimate witness, it seems. And the day after tomorrow is the three-month anniversary of the night Jason vanished. I feel the story demands my presence. Go get the travel booked. Me, the film crew, makeup, and"–feeling magnanimous, and realizing someone would have to deal with the front desk and the security escorts and the autograph seekers–"you for director. " "Should we let Jason’s family know you’re doing this broadcast?" Nora’s eyes glittered. "I want them there. Get them in the same room they stayed in when Jason vanished. And me the penthouse. " "Um, I know the Kirks are having money problems. They’ve been away from work, you know, spending so much time in Sint Pieter looking for their son . . . I don’t know if they can afford another trip back. " "They told you this?" It had not occurred to Nora that anyone on her staff might have developed a friendship with the Kirks. Nora thought Molly simply told them when and where to be for their satellite interviews with Nora. "Yes. " "Hmmm. All right. Given that it’s the anniversary, we can pay for them to go. Book coach for all but you and me. We’ll have work to do on the way down. I want every bit of dirt we can find on the good Inspector Peert and on this Annie Van Dorn. " "All right, Nora. But if you can spare me during the flight, I think I’ll sit in coach with the Kirks. " "No. It’s not appropriate for you to get too close, too emotionally involved with the story. " Molly stared at her. "I just feel so sorry for them. " "And I don’t?" Molly’s face paled. "Of course not. I never meant to suggest . . . " Nora’s voice was a drip of acid. "On second thought, put the Kirks in first class with me. We can talk. You can ride in coach with the film crew. " Nora waved fingers at Molly. "Go. Book tickets; find an amnesia expert who wants a little attention. Maybe one with a book to promote?"

SINT Pieter was, to Nora’s mind, a strip of lousy dirt that South America had hawked up from its throat and spat out its mouth. A hundred miles off the continent’s northeast coast, Sint Pieter was narrow and twenty miles long. It had achieved independence from the Netherlands in 1970 and, in Nora’s view, had done little since then except misplace Jason Kirk. It was warm and wooded with stubby trees and studded with stunted little towns. The main town, called Willemstadt, boasted a half dozen luxury hotels, sparkling beaches, and fine restaurants. Tourism had made Sint Pieter rich until it lost Jason Kirk. Now that the island had been branded by Nora as dangerous, business was down fifty percent. They were staying at the same Willemstadt hotel that Jason and his parents had been staying in when he vanished. Molly had pulled strings to get the Kirks the same room they’d had before, and they’d reluctantly agreed. "Welcome, Ms. Dare, " the Hotel Sint Pieter’s manager said through a tight smile. "Thank you. I sincerely hope you have beefed up your security since Jason Kirk vanished, " she said. The first two weeks of the disappearance she’d regularly suggested the hotel had inadequate security, before it became a boring drumbeat and she could blame the Sint Pieter police. "We have, " the manager said. "We certainly want to keep you safe. " "Naturally, " Nora said. She grew conscious of the simmering stares from the staff. The nerve of these people, she thought. She begrudgingly waited for Molly to finish the check- in and then bolted halfway across the lobby, heading for the elevators. Molly followed, rushing, tossing multicolored Sint Pieter currency at the bellhop. "I have a real vision for tonight’s show, Molly, " Nora said. "We start with the family in the suite where they stayed . . . Are they here yet?" The Kirks had decided not to fly with Nora and the news crew, much to Nora’s annoyance. "Yes. They arrived yesterday. They went and scoured the countryside near Annie Van Dorn’s house, " Molly said quietly. "Hmmmm, " Nora said. "Without me? How odd. Did they find anything?" "No. " "I wish you’d sent a local camera crew with them. " "Nora, they want their privacy sometimes. " "Privacy doesn’t find the missing. " Honestly, she thought, she was doing everything to find Jason; couldn’t his parents just cooperate? "Okay, for tonight’s show, we retrace the steps Jason made on that fateful night. " "I would suggest you not call it by that term in front of his parents. " "Someone went shopping at the unsolicited opinion store. " "I’ve expressed only one opinion, " Molly said mildly. "I guess my second one is that you seem on edge. " "Do I? What an odd thing to say. I’m not nervous. I’m motivated. " "Nora, " Molly said. "It will be fine. Do the story, remember this boy. But I think it would be best if we moved on to a new case for you to focus on. I think you’ve done all the good you can do for Jason Kirk. " "If I’d found him, I would have done all the good. I need to find him, Molly. " Nora’s voice went low, and Molly looked surprised at the grit in her boss’s voice. "That girl who vanished hiking in Vancouver, well, we never found her. That couple from Illinois who went missing in Hungary. Never found them. This is a small island; I should be able to find out what happened to Jason Kirk. " Molly opened her mouth to point out that the small island was surrounded by a vast ocean, and that the police were actually in charge of searches, not Nora Dare, but instead she simply closed her mouth and nodded.