Rizzoli & Isles 8-Book Set

The Dinosaur Museum in Thermopolis. Grubb’s General Store in Sublette County. Eating dinner at the Irma Hotel in Cody. A dozen different places, all around the state. At the moment, I’m not sure what more I can do. Now, I don’t know your missing friend here. I don’t know what kind of woman she is. But I’m thinking that she met some guy, maybe one of those other doctors here. She packs her suitcase, checks out a day early, and they decide to drive off somewhere together. Don’t you agree that’s the most likely explanation? That she’s holed up in some hotel room with this guy, and they’re having such hot sex that she’s lost track of the calendar?”
    Painfully aware that Daniel was standing beside her, Jane said: “She wouldn’t do that.”
    “I can’t count the number of times people have said that to me, or some variation on those words.
He’s a good husband. He’d never do that
. Or:
She’d never leave her kids
. The point is, people surprise you. They do something crazy, and suddenly you realize you never really knew them. You must’ve dealt with that situation yourself, Detective.”
    Jane could not deny it; were their roles reversed, she would probably be giving the same little speech. How people are not who you think they are, not even people you’ve loved all your life. She thought of her own parents, whose thirty-five-year marriage had disintegrated after her father’s affair with another woman. She thought of her mother’s startling transformation from dowdy housewife into a lusty divorcée in low-cut dresses. No, people are too often not who you think they are. Sometimes they do foolish and inexplicable things.
    Sometimes, they fall in love with Catholic priests.
    “The point is, we haven’t seen evidence of a crime yet,” said Queenan, pulling on his winter jacket. “No blood, nothing to suggest that anyone forced her to do anything.”
    “There was that man. The one the hotel clerk saw with Maura.”
    “What about him?”
    “If Maura went off with this guy, I’d like to know who he is. Shouldn’t we at least check the videos from Thursday night?”
    Queenan stood scowling as he debated whether to pull off his jacket again. At last he sighed. “Okay. Let’s look at Thursday night. The clerk said they were headed out to dinner, so we can start the recording around five PM.”
    This time, it was easier to spot their target. According to Michelle, the couple had come up to the reception desk to ask for directions to the restaurant. They fast-forwarded through the video, pausing only when someone approached the desk. Passersby jittered back and forth across the screen. The time stamp advanced toward six PM and the crowd grew larger as guests headed toward dinner, the women now adorned in earrings and necklaces, the men in coats and ties.
    At six fifteen, a blond man appeared, facing across the desk.
    “There,” said Jane.
    For a moment, there was silence as everyone focused on the dark-haired woman standing beside the man. There was no doubt about her identity.
    It was Maura, and she was smiling.
    “That’s your gal, I take it?” asked Queenan.
    “Yes,” said Jane softly.
    “She doesn’t seem particularly distressed. That looks like a woman who’s headed out to a nice restaurant, wouldn’t you say?”
    Jane stared at the image of Maura and the nameless man. Queenan’s right, she thought. Maura looked happy. She could not remember the last time she’d seen such a smile on her friend’s face. Over the past months, Maura had grown wan and increasingly private, as though, by avoiding Jane’s questions, she could also avoid confronting the truth: that love had made her unhappier than ever.
    And the reason for that unhappiness now stood beside Jane, staring at the video of that smiling pair. They were a startlingly attractive couple. The man was tall and lean, with boyishly tousled blond hair. Even though it was not a high-resolution image, Jane imagined she could see a twinkle in his eye, and she knew why the clerk would remember this encounter. Whoever the man was, he knew how to attract a woman’s attention.
    Abruptly Daniel walked out of the room.
    That sudden departure made Queenan stare after him thoughtfully. “Was it something I said?” he asked.
    “He’s taking it hard,” said Jane. “We were all hoping for answers.”
    “I think this video may be your answer.” Once again, Queenan stood and reached for his jacket. “We’ll continue to field