The Liberation of Alice Love(58)
Author: Abby McDonald

“Plenty,” Nathan replied, smug. “I made some calls before getting you out. That’s where they say she went.” He frowned. “Is this what you’ve been doing—running around, trying to track her down? Because you won’t find her, I told you, she’s long gone by now. A professional like this—she’d cover her tracks.”

Alice gave an impatient look. “I know that, I’m not stupid.”

“Yet still you’re here, playing Nancy Drew.”

Alice bristled. “I suppose that makes you a Hardy Boy then.” She was tempted to tell him about everything else she’d discovered: Ella’s schedule, the volunteering, and every other tiny detail she’d found in her search for answers. She’d been nothing if not thorough. But Alice caught herself just in time.

“This has been fun, but I better leave you to that schedule of yours.” She took a step to the side.

“No, you can’t.” Nathan mirrored her with a step of his own, blocking her way again.

“Come on,” Alice chided him playfully. “Even Nancy Drew managed to get around in that sports car of hers.”

He looked down at her, all humor disappearing from his brown eyes. “I’m serious, Alice. You can’t just go running down there. For all you know, she skipped out on those bills too, and you’ll get arrested all over again.”

Alice paused. She hated to admit it, but the man had a point.

“You’re right.”

Nathan nodded. “I know I am.”

“Which is why you better come with me.”

He blinked. “Me? No, Alice, I said—we have flights booked, and I need to take you—”

“Again, with the taking!” Alice sighed, before remembering that exasperation probably wasn’t her best tactic—not when she wanted him to drive her a few hundred miles or so and question local hoteliers on her behalf. She beamed at him instead. “Face it, I need you. I’m going to Positano no matter what you say, so you can either let me go get in trouble all over again or come along and make sure I don’t.”

“I could kidnap you and force you on that plane instead,” he muttered darkly.

“I wouldn’t recommend it,” Alice sidestepped him, patting him lightly on the chest as she went. “I bite.”

The desk clerk was efficient, checking her out in a matter of minutes. They offered to comp her room, as penance for the inconvenience, but Alice insisted on paying her bill, as well as Ella’s. She didn’t know what panic had made the other woman leave without paying, but she knew this much by now: Ella didn’t steal from small businesses if she could help it, and neither would Alice, whatever the expense. Thanking Pascal profusely for his attentions, she picked up her shoulder bag and strode happily for the exit and the possibilities that awaited in Positano.

Nathan followed, as she knew he would.

***

The drive was smooth and swift, and with a soundtrack of classic Motown playing low on the stereo system, Alice found herself slipping in and out of sleep, drifting through the hours as the muted green and gold tones of the countryside slipped past. In what felt like no time at all, she was being gently shaken awake—Nathan’s hand soft on her arm.

“Mmmneh,” she yawned, her voice thick with sleep. “Are we here?”

“Almost. I thought you’d want to see this part.”

Alice opened her eyes fully and looked out of the car. They were driving on a twisted road, set into the side of rocky cliffs. Above them, a jumble of whitewashed houses rose, lodged on the hillside at a perilous incline, while to her right, the cliffs fell away to a crash of blue water, patches of golden sand nestled between the rock.

“It’s beautiful,” Alice breathed, looking out at the vast stretch of ocean. The sky was powder blue, dotted with wisps of cloud, and out in the water, she could see tiny white sailboats scattered across the horizon. “No wonder Ella came here.”

Soon, the road veered inland, through the steep, winding streets of Positano town itself. It was the most charming place Alice had ever seen: red-tile roofs perched tight together, tiny gleaming cafés and stores set out on the main streets, and bougainvillea spilling from every terrace and steep, uneven wall.

“The woman at the hotel in Rome—the snooty one—”

“Carina,” Alice finished, still staring, rapt, at the contrast of white walls against the blue, blue ocean beyond.

“Right. She said she gave Ella a list of five hotels here, so it shouldn’t be too hard to work our way through them, see what they know.” Nathan glanced over. “If you’re tired, you could just nap here. It’ll probably be faster if I’m on my—”

“No. Thanks.” Alice tried to rouse herself. Never mind sleep—she had work to do. “I’m coming with you.”

“OK, but don’t get your hopes up,” Nathan warned, slowing the car as they approached what Alice assumed was the first hotel: an elegant building set back from a small square. “This town is a tourist hive in summer. It’s doubtful anyone will remember her at all.”

“They will,” Alice vowed. “We’ll find something.”

***

But Ella had clearly made an art of being forgettable, because nobody could recall even laying eyes on the woman. Desk clerks consulted with managers, who consulted with security guards, but each demurred, regretfully informing them that CCTV footage and client records were strictly confidential. Unless they had a police warrant or proof that this woman had, in fact, been a guest, well—they were sadly unable to help.

“That’s it, then.” Nathan returned from the last reception desk with a sigh. “Five strikes, and we’re out.”

Alice refused to be defeated. Casting her eye around the lobby, she thought hard. It was the most stylish of all the hotels, set on a cliff top, with sprawling white terraces and uninterrupted views of the ocean, but aside from the luxury of the airy white rooms, it had the most Ella-esque feel. It wasn’t something she could explain to Nathan, but after the weeks she’d spent picking through Ella’s every movement and purchase, Alice had developed an instinct for the other woman’s taste. With lemon trees dotted around the slim pool outside, hot-pink flowers spilling over the long balcony, and even vines twisting up the inside walls in an unexpected garden, of all the hotels they’d seen, this was the one she’d pick for Ella—and herself.