The Silence of the Chihuahuas Read Free Page B

privacy is very important to us. Our tours are comprehensive and well worth your time. Just a moment.”
    He put out his hands for Pepe, who backed away. I bent down to pick him up. “Now, don’t bite the nice man,” I said, hoisting him into the air. I hoped that would make Justin reconsider, but he didn’t. He just picked up Pepe, holding him away from his body like people do when they don’t want to touch something, and set him down on the floor behind the desk.
    Then he hit a button for a walkie-talkie device that was pinned to his lapel. “Carlos,” he said, “are you free to come to reception and guide a tour? Good.” He turned to me. “You’ll like Carlos. He is highly knowledgeable of our program, but quite respectful and discreet regarding individual needs.”
    As if by magic, Carlos appeared, emerging from a hallway off to my right. He was accompanied by a striking, raven-haired young woman. Both were dressed in the same blue polo-shirts and white slacks as the receptionist.
    Carlos, who had caramel-colored skin and dark eyes, came up and offered me his hand.
    â€œI am Carlos,” he said, gazing deep into my eyes. “I’ll be your guide today.”
    His grip was firm and he smelled like a warm, tropical night.
    â€œAnd this is Lacey,” he told me, introducing his female companion. “Lacey is one of our newer associates—she’s in training to be one of our guides. I hope you don’t mind if she accompanies us on the tour.”
    I nodded, although I was thinking it would be even harder to break away and do any investigating. Pepe would be disappointed in me.
    â€œShall we?” said Carlos, waving at the door.
    â€œEnjoy your tour,” Justin told me.
    Pepe gave a muffled bark from behind the heavy oak desk.
    After mentioning that the upper floors of the main building were devoted to office space for the fourteen doctors and twenty-two therapists on staff, Carlos explained that the west wing of the main building contained the spa whereas the east wing offered a pool and complete gym. “We can’t disturb the people using the spa,” he said, as he opened the glass door to the west wing to reveal a gleaming corridor. At the far end, a woman in a plush white bathrobe and fluffy slippers was just turning into a doorway, accompanied by an attendant, also in a blue polo shirt and white pants. I could see, even from a distance, that she was not Teri. She had the hunched back and shuffling gait of an older person.
    â€œThat guest is entering our salt scrub room,” Carlos said. “We also have a mud room, a steam room, a sauna, several hot pools, a float chamber and, of course, as you would expect, rooms for massage and facials, waxing and mani-pedis.”
    â€œOf course,” I said, weakly, having never had a mani-pedi. Maybe it was time.
    Carlos swept back across the foyer to the other wing and ushered me into the large glassed-in room that contained a huge indoor pool. The pool was empty. The water glowed with a blue-green color, lit by underwater lights. The scent of chlorine filled the air.
    At the far end of the pool, through a glass window, I could see a room full of exercise equipment. Carlos ticked off their various purposes as my mind wandered. I didn’t think Teri would be working out, but what did I know about her life? She had run away from home when she was only seventeen and disappeared altogether when she was twenty. I had only seen her once in the intervening ten years, and then only briefly.
    We left the main building by a back door and went out into the misty day. Carlos led me down a meandering path, pointing out the various buildings. “That one is Tranquility,” he said, pointing to a two-story stucco building to our right. “And over there by the lily pond, you will find Harmony. Each is set up like a family home, with a dedicated kitchen and dining area, a lounge and