Bikinis in Paradise (Tj Jensen Pardise Lake Mysteries)

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places
, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2014 by Katherine Daley

Version 1.0

All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.

Th
is book is dedicated to Betty, Marijo, Mary and Kelly; old friends who have become new friends.

Special thanks to all my Facebook friends who show their support by sharing their opinions and encouragement. I also want to thank my team of advance readers for taking time out of their busy lives to help me launch each new book.

And, as always, love and thanks to my sister Christy for her time, encouragement, unwavering support, and valuable feedback. I also want to thank Carrie, Cristin, and Danny for the Facebook shares, Ricky for the webpage, Randy Ladenheim-Gil for the editing, and, last but not least, my super-husband Ken for allowing me time to write by taking care of everything else.

“In all your life have you ever seen so many butts?” Amber Walton, Maggie’s Hideaway’s newest employee, commented as twenty
-five scantily dressed models gathered on the lawn in front of the lodge. The Tropical Tan Corporation, which had been selling tanning lotion for the past fifty years, took selecting Ms. Tropical Tan seriously. Not only was each contestant physically fit and genetically blessed but each model was tasked with proving her overall intelligence as well as her ability to speak articulately in front of a variety of people.

“It does seem like the suits get smaller every year,” Tj Jensen agreed.
She watched as the fans lined up to talk to their favorite model. Each and every one of the finalists for the spokesmodel contest were darkly tanned and exceptionally beautiful. The judges were going to have a difficult time picking one winner out of the group.

“When the girl with the skin
-colored thong showed up, I had to take a second look to make sure she had on anything at all,” Amber added. “I know it’s not polite to stare and I tried to look away, but my eyes keep driftin’ back.”

Tj laughed. “They don’t have bikinis where you come from?”

“Not like the ones these girls are wearin’.”

“The m
odels are all eager to make a good first impression,” Tj explained as the models greeted the group of men and women who had gathered to meet them. “Popularity is an important factor to the judges when deciding who will make the best spokesmodel, so the girl with the biggest following from the crowd usually wins.”

“If my mama was here
, she’d be runnin’ around prayin’ for these girls’ salvation while wrappin’ every one of them in one of the towels housekeepin’ has stacked by the pool.”

Tj laughed. “
I need to get everyone registered. Will you be okay?”

“Yes
, Miss Tj. Just point me in the right direction.”

“Just Tj,” she reminded the girl
.

“Sorry
, ma’am. I’ll try to remember.”

“Why don’t you go help get the bar set up for the orientation
?” Tj suggested. “Logan knows what needs to be done, so just do whatever he asks.”

“Yes
, Miss Tj. I’ll do that right away.”

Amber was a nice enough girl and a hard worker
, but she’d been
so
isolated from everyday life that she was awkward and unsure in everyday situations. Hiring her had been activity director Julie Sorenson’s idea, and Tj trusted Julie’s instincts. Tj had been skeptical at first, but after a few weeks on the job, she had to admit that Amber was a bright girl with a curious mind who could very well do great things if given the chance.

“Can I have everyone’s attention
?” Tj yelled into the megaphone she was holding as Amber scurried away. All twenty-five models had prospered in the months of regional competitions leading up to this point, and every one of the girls, aged eighteen to twenty-four, was determined to win the title, as well as the prize money. To say that there was an element of competition in the air was putting it mildly.

“I’d like to welcome you all to the final weekend
of the Ms. Tropical Tan spokesmodel competition. The staff from Tropical Tan Deep Tanning Lotion has planned a fast-paced few days. The winner will be crowned during the farewell festivities on Sunday afternoon.”

Tj waited for the drone of conversation to die dow
n. Who knew that being a spokesmodel for a popular brand of tanning lotion could be such a competitive process? Every one of the twenty-five beautiful women left in the mix could easily sell tankers of the popular tan enhancer to the multitudes of men who followed the contest from town to town. The Tropical Tan folks had booked the entire resort for the long weekend, but Tj knew that the lodging properties in Serenity, to the north of the resort, and Indulgence, to the south, were booked with spectators waiting to root for their favorite contestant.

“If I could direct your attention to the tables behind me
, we have room assignments and calendars for everyone,” Tj continued.

“The first station is being manned by our
lodging manager, Leiani Pope.” Leiani, a native Hawaiian, looked like she could be a competitor herself, with her bronze skin, flawless complexion, and long black hair. “Leiani will provide you with your room assignment and meal card,” Tj added.

“After you receive your room assignment
, you can make your way over to the table to your left, where our activities director, Julie Sorenson, will give you your schedule for the weekend.” Julie was as blond and bubbly as Leiani was dark and serious. “As most of you know, the Tropical Tan committee will be on-site tomorrow to begin judging the various competitions. Today is unscheduled, so feel free to enjoy our white sand beach, heated pool, the Lakeside Bar and Grill, or any of the other amenities we provide.”

“Is the pool area clothing optional?” An anorexic
-looking woman with long legs, black hair, and a deep tan asked.

“No. This is a family resort and we require that proper swim attire be worn at all times,” Tj answered.

“I thought Tropical Tan booked the entire resort for the weekend,” the woman argued.

“They have
, but the sand that borders Maggie’s Hideaway is a public beach, and the pool area is clearly visible from the beach.”

“Do you have a spa?” An even taller woman with dark skin, long blond hair, and
2 percent body fat asked. “I’m going to need a daily facial in this dry climate.”

“The Tropical Tan people ha
ve arranged for their personnel to be on-site,” Tj answered.

Tj really wasn’t one to obsess about her looks, but every year when this particular group of guests showed up
, she couldn’t help but compare her petite frame, frizzy auburn hair, and freckled nose with these women, who made a career out of looking perfect in every situation. Not that Tj would want to go to all the effort they put into their appearance. She had been raised in an all-male household and was considered by most to be a tomboy.

“Are there any other questions?” Tj asked.

Luckily, no one replied. Tj set down the megaphone as the women lined up and began checking in. “I thought someone from Tropical Tan was supposed to be here to help with the orientation,” Tj said to Leiani, who had turned her station over to one of the desk clerks.

“
A woman by the name of Tonya Overton was supposed to accompany the models from the airport. I don’t know what happened to her,” Leiani replied.

Tj remembe
red Tonya from the planning meeting she and her father had attended with the Tropical Tan staff a couple of months earlier. She knew the woman had been in the area a couple of weeks ago as well. “Maybe her flight was delayed,” Tj supposed. “Why don’t you call the Tropical Tan folks and see if they’ve heard from her?”

“Okay
. I’ll head inside and make the call,” Leiani agreed.

Tj looked out toward the lake as she waited. It was a beautiful
early summer day. The snow in the alpine basin had melted completely, leaving miles of white sand beach as a buffer between the evergreen forest and the crystal-clear but cold mountain lake. Tj loved this time of year. The brightly colored umbrellas the resort stored each winter had been set up on the deck of the Lakeside Bar and Grill, providing diners with a beachfront view as they enjoyed the variety of offerings their chef cooked up each day. While Tropical Tan Week was a moneymaker for the resort, Tj preferred the atmosphere when the campground was filled with families who came to the area each summer to swim in the water and hike the isolated trails winding through the desolate forest. Many of the regulars who returned year after year felt more like family than customers.

“We only had twenty
-four models check in,” the desk clerk who had taken over for Leiani informed Tj after the last model had made it through the first line.

“Twenty
-four? Who’s missing?”

“Kiara Boswell.”

Tj picked up the megaphone she’d been using. “Has anyone seen Kiara Boswell?” she yelled.

“She was on the bus,” the tall blond
e who’d asked about the spa answered. “There was a man waiting for her when we pulled up. They headed toward the beach.”

Tj frowned. The models knew that they
were to show up for registration. The last thing Tj needed this week was to babysit a model wannabe who was more interested in boys than bikinis. While Tj didn’t consider herself to be an old woman at twenty-eight, the average age of the Tropical Tan contestant was nineteen. This was the third year that the resort had hosted the event, and every year there had been one model who had caused Tj a significant amount of angst. To make matters worse, this year Tj’s father was out of town, leaving her in charge of the resort.

“I’ll go
to look for her,” Tj offered. “Do we have a photo of our missing model?”

“I think Leiani has one
,” the desk clerk offered.

Tj went into the lodge
, where Leiani was still on the phone. She checked her messages while she waited for her lodging manager to complete her conversation. The lodge had undergone a facelift over the winter, and the wall of windows that looked out over the lake was now framed with log poles that looked like tree trunks. Tj felt that they gave the illusion that the forest continued inside the structure. Several overstuffed sofas were arranged around the floor-to-ceiling river-rock fireplace that served as the focal point for the mountain-themed room. The reception area was open to the second floor, where artfully decorated rooms were provided for those preferring a less expensive alternative to the cabins that were normally booked from June through October.

Tj snagged a freshly baked cookie
from the sideboard, where coffee, tea, and pastries were kept ready for their guests during the day. Most times the cookie offerings needed to be replenished every few hours, but Tj bet that dust would gather on the double chocolate chews the chef had provided while the models were in residence as their only guests.

“Okay
, thanks,” Tj heard Leiani say before she hung up.

“Tonya was on the flight from Miami but didn’t show
up at the bus,” Leiani informed Tj. “The Tropical Tan people are going to look into it. They asked that we just handle the orientation the best we can. They assured me that they’d send Tonya up the hill as soon as they located her and promised that the rest of the crew would be here tomorrow, as planned.”

“It seems we have another problem,” Tj informed Leiani. “One of the models didn’t check in.”