Orchid Blues (Holly Barker 2)

"Now, look over there at the platform-that's what we call it- that's where the bank's officers sit."

"Right."

"Frank is at the third desk on the right."

Holly found him, a slender, rather handsome man with dark hair and a mustache.

"And Emily is in the fourth teller's cage over there."

Holly saw the woman, and she was as Vicky had described her: plump and pretty. "Was she at that cage during the robbery?"

"I believe so; that's her regular position."

"Thank you, Joy. You've been a big help."

"Do you think that either one of them was somehow involved in the robbery?"

"Oh, no, Joy, nothing like that. We just always look at the newer employees in a case like this. I'm sure they're both fine people."

"I'm relieved to hear that," Williams said.

Holly thanked her for her help and left the bank. Outside, she sat in her car and waited. The bank closed in a few minutes, and she wanted to see where Emily Harston went when she left work.

11

Emily Harston left the bank five minutes after closing time and went to her car, an older, but presentable, pale blue Ford Escort. She got in, fastened her seat belt, backed out of her space and drove away. Holly, parked on the street nearby, followed her.

Holly stayed four or five cars back, even though she was driving her usual unmarked car. If Emily Harston was connected in some way to the bank robbery, this was no time to spook her.

Emily drove to a strip shopping center on the west side of Orchid Beach, parked her car and went into the supermarket. Twenty-five minutes later, Holly watched through a window as she paid for her groceries in cash. She emerged from the store pushing a heavily laden cart and went back to her car. She loaded the groceries, returned the cart to the place provided and drove out of the parking lot, turning west again.

Holly followed at an even more discreet distance as Emily proceeded across the South Bridge and headed west toward the interior of the state. Twenty minutes later, she signaled left, made the turn and disappeared from sight. Holly slowed as she approached the turnoff and was surprised to see that there were no street signs or signposts at the turn, just a dirt road headed straight south. Holly could see down it about a quarter of a mile, and the blue Escort was no longer visible.

Holly turned into the road and drove slowly down it. After a quarter of a mile, the road turned southwest, and there followed another straight stretch. Half a mile later, the road turned south again, and this time, Holly stopped her car, got out, walked

to the turn and peered down the road. Another straight stretch lay ahead.

She got back into her car and drove until she came to another turn in the road, then She got out and looked again. This time she found herself looking down what appeared to be the main street of an old Florida town, no more than two hundred yards away. The street continued past a number of storefronts on both sides until it seemed to disappear into the lake. She went back to her car and got out a large-scale Florida atlas and found the correct page. The lake was there, but the town was not. She looked at the publication date of the atlas and found that it was less than a year old.

Holly sat and thought about this for a moment. She had found what appeared to be a town that did not appear on a recent map, which was very unusual. New towns did not pop up all that suddenly in Florida or anywhere else. She was reluctant to proceed into the little town until she knew more, so she turned her car around and drove back toward the highway. She passed no other cars, and she noted that there were no other roads turning off this one.

Daisy, who had been sleeping soundly in the rear seat, woke up and put her muzzle on Holly's shoulder. "You have a nice nap, girl?" Holly asked, scratching her under the chin, a favorite place. Daisy sighed sleepily. Holly punched the speed-dial button on her cell phone for Ham's number.

"It's Ham here," he said.

"Hey, good dinner last night."

"Glad you liked it."

"You want to go fishing tomorrow?"

"Sure, what time you want to come over?"

"Not there. I want to make a little expedition."

"To where?"

"If you'll get out a map and look very closely, you'll find a lake called Winachobee, about twenty-five or thirty miles west of Orchid Beach." She heard a rustling of papers.