Metro Girl (Alex Barnaby 1)

“It’s important to get the right name,” Rosa said, trying to maneuver her ass onto the seat. “They all have their own personality.”

Judey was trying to make himself very small in the backseat. “It should have something to do with NASCAR.”

I slid a look at Hooker. “Speedy?”

“Sometimes,” Hooker said.

Rosa was wedged into the back with one leg hanging outside the car and one foot on the console. “I’m ready,” she said. “Take me to South Beach.”

Maria lived a couple blocks from Bill on Jefferson. The building was similar but larger. Tan stucco. Six floors. Small balconies opening off each apartment. A small front foyer with two elevators. Not totally decrepit, but it looked like it had the potential to be home to the cow-size cockroach. The ever-present lizards skittered away from us as we approached the foyer door.

“Maria has a roommate,” Rosa said, punching the button for the second floor. “She’s a waitress working the dinner shift, so she should be home now getting ready to go to work.”

There were six apartments to the floor. Maria lived in 2B. Rosa rang th

e doorbell and the chain slid back on the inside and the door was opened.

Maria’s roommate was young. Twenty, maybe. She had long straight blond hair and lips so pumped up with collagen I took a step back in case they exploded. She had a tiny waist, and a tiny nose, and big boobs with big nipples jutting out of a tiny white T-shirt. She was pretty in a painful, manufactured generic sort of way.

“Rosa!” she said. “Omigod, this isn’t bad news, is it? Tell me they didn’t find her dead. She’s okay, right?”

“Nobody’s heard from her,” Rosa said.

“That’s good. I mean, at least she’s not dead or maimed. I mean, not that we know of.”

“These are friends of mine,” Rosa said. “We’re all looking for her. And this is Barbie,” Rosa said by way of introduction.

Barbie. Judey, Hooker, and I went momentarily speechless.

Barbie’s eyes opened wide at the sight of Brian. “Look at the cute doggie. And hello handsome,” she said to Hooker.

“I’m handsome,” Judey said.

“Yes, but your complexion is flawless, you’re perfectly shaved, and you have two eyebrows. Gay, gay, gay.”

Hooker did another eyebrow feel. “I’m starting to really worry about this eyebrow thing.”

“We were hoping you’d have some ideas about Maria,” Rosa said to Barbie. “Were you clubbing with her the night she disappeared?”

“Yeah, sort of. We went together, but then we got separated. You know how that is. I’m breaking into modeling so I try to work a room.”

“Do you think she hooked up with anyone?”

“Don’t know. I lost sight of her. She called me on my cell and told me she was leaving. That was around twelve. We had only just gotten there.”

“What about before that?” I asked. “Did she talk about going away? Was she upset? Was she scared? Was she excited?”

“No, no, no. And yeah, sort of. She was working on some project. Some dive thing. I don’t know anything about diving. Hello. Don’t care either. Boring. But Maria was into that stuff. She had a bunch of maps in her room. Water maps.”

“Charts?” Hooker said.

“Yeah. Charts. But they got stolen. Or maybe she took them. Or maybe someone took Maria and the charts. The apartment was trashed the night she disappeared, and so far as I can see the only things missing are the charts from her room. And I know this is really weird but the apartment got broken into and trashed a second time two days later. How’s that for shitty luck?”

“Do you mind if we look at her room?” I asked.

“Knock yourself out. I have to get ready for work. I’m waiting tables until I get my big break into modeling. Don’t mind her room. I tried to put it back together the first time, but I haven’t gotten to cleaning up the second time.”

Barbie disappeared into her bedroom and we all trooped into Maria’s room.