And if he found them, he would keep digging until he understood what was being hidden and why.
Ruth was right.The powerful counted on people being afraid.They counted on acceptance and silence and the slow erosion of memory.
Ben Tsosie had never been good at acceptance.And he wasn't about to start now.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Kari arrived at Elite Vision the next morning to find the agency in a state of barely contained chaos.The sleek reception area she'd visited the day before now felt tense, the atmosphere charged with something that made the receptionist's smile falter when she recognized Kari walking through the door.
"I'm sorry, we're not taking visitors today," the receptionist said, her voice pitched higher than before."There's been a...we're dealing with an internal matter."
"I'm here about Tayen Stern.I spoke with Diana Shepherd yesterday."
"Diana's not available.No one's available."The receptionist glanced toward the back offices, where Kari could hear raised voices.A door opened and closed.Someone was crying."Please, if you could just come back another time—"
"What's going on?"
Before the receptionist could answer, the door to the back offices swung open and a woman emerged.She was in her fifties, tall and striking.Her silver-blonde hair was cut in a sharp bob, and she wore a cream-colored suit that probably cost more than Kari's monthly salary.But her face was drawn, her eyes red-rimmed beneath expertly applied makeup.
"Who are you?"The woman's voice was clipped, impatient, the voice of someone accustomed to controlling every situation she entered.
"Detective Kari Blackhorse.I'm looking into the disappearance of Tayen Stern."
"A detective.Wonderful."The woman pressed her fingers to her temples."I'm Jessica Vance.I own this agency.And as you can see, we're in the middle of a crisis, so unless you have a warrant, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
"I don't have a warrant.I'm not here in any official capacity.Tayen has an aunt who's been looking for her for two years."
Vance frowned at her thoughtfully."Oh, my.I had no idea."
Kari watched Vance's reactions carefully."Ms.Vance, Tayen disappeared the same day Amanda Escalante died.I don't think that's a coincidence, and I don't think you do either."
Vance glanced back at the door she'd come through, then seemed to make a decision."Come with me.We can talk in my office."
As Kari followed her across the reception area, she noticed a young woman sitting in one of the white leather chairs near the window.The girl couldn't have been more than nineteen, with dark hair and delicate features.She was crying quietly, her shoulders shaking, mascara streaking down her cheeks.
A woman sat beside her, speaking in low, soothing tones.Kari recognized her from her previous visit: Diana Shepherd, the talent coordinator.Diana had her arm around the girl's shoulders, her posture gentle and protective.As Kari watched, Diana reached into her bag and produced a small packet of tissues, pressing them into the girl's hands with a murmured word of comfort.
There was something genuine in the gesture, Kari thought.Something that didn't match the polished corporate façade of the rest of this place.Diana looked up and caught Kari's eye, offering a small, tired smile before turning her attention back to the crying girl.
Vance's office was larger than Diana's, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Arts District.The walls were covered with framed magazine covers and photographs of famous faces, a shrine to decades of success in an industry built on youth and beauty.Vance settled behind a massive glass desk and gestured for Kari to take one of the chairs opposite.
"The girl out there," Kari said before Vance could speak."What's wrong with her?"
"She just found out about Amanda.They were friends."Vance's voice was flat, exhausted."Most of our models found out this morning.The news is spreading, and everyone's upset.Amanda was well-liked."
Kari remembered what Jade had told her, that the agency had claimed Amanda went home."When did you plan to tell them?Her roommate thought Amanda had gone back to wherever she came from."
Vance's expression tightened."That was a miscommunication.Diana spoke to the roommates before we had all the facts.She didn't know Amanda was...she was trying to protect them until we understood what had happened."
"Protect them by lying?"
"By delaying information that would cause them pain."
Kari leaned forward."Which is it, Ms.Vance?A miscommunication or a deliberate delay?"She let the question hang for a moment."Because those are two very different things."
Vance hesitated, then smiled uneasily."I misspoke.Diana didn't have all the details when she first spoke to the roommates.When she learned what had actually happened, she...she made a judgment call about how to handle it.She thought it would be easier for the girls to hear it later, once we knew more."
"A judgment call to tell them their friend had quit the industry and moved home, when in fact she was dead."
