Page 364 of The Romance Adventure

But I’ve made promises. Those differ from vows, and I can’t reconcile which to keep. One will have to go, but not right now.

“You still look like you have something on your mind,” Jolie says, accepting the tray.

I sit down on the edge of the bed. “The map at the ice cream parlor was marked with all the places Lorena sent postcards to her brother from. And the map in Glandman’s office designated various places, seemingly at random. Could they have been places he’d searched, but she wasn’t there?”

Jolie inhales audibly. “If so, through the process of elimination, you can figure out where she is. But that means we have to go back to Glandman’s office.” She’s on her feet as if ready for the challenge.

I smooth my hand into hers, feeling the warm weight of it. “I don’t think we need to go that far. At least not yet. Isla painted that mural, so maybe she has the design or a copy. She might know something useful.”

And I have a copy of the final piece of the map we’ve been seeking, but first things first.

Sure enough, Isla has a few sketches of the mural and we meet her at the Driftwood to take a look.

“Did Glandman tell you anything about why he wanted labels on these islands?”

“He lorded over me while I painted, giving direction like I was restoring the ceiling at the Sistine Chapel.”

“Did these islands, cities, and towns mean anything to him?” I point at the sketch.

“He said he’d been to them all long ago.” She shrugs. “I gathered he doesn’t leave Platinum Shores much these days.”

Isla and Royal agree to meet us at the Sip & Scoop after lunch. Jolie and I take the sketches there to study the map and see if there are commonalities.

Magnus and Lally meet us with the dogs. Ryan and Harley are already at the shop with Luke, who’s all too happy to see Uncle Dino.

I do my usual dinosaur sounds and tickles routine. The kid’s laughter never gets old. I catch Jolie looking at me with her Mona Lisa smile. With Luke in my arms, we approach, both of us making dinosaur roars. We reach out to her with T-Rex arms and tickling fingers. Her smile turns into laughter and I almost, but not quite, forget about the map in her jewelry case.

Between the eight of us, we determine that it’s most likely Lorena must’ve settled in Martinique. There’s a postcard to Chip, but not a visit from Glandman.

Waggling my eyebrows, I say, “Shall we take the Big Boat?”

Royal doesn’t hesitate. “No.”

“It’s rather luxurious,” Jolie purrs, if only because she’s on my team and knows it’ll annoy him.

“Flying would be faster,” Magnus says.

“Do you think Lorena is there?” Ryan points to the map.

Harley and Isla exchange a look. “We think we’ll sit this one out.”

“Lally is a nurse. In case there are any health problems, she can assess,” Magnus offers, going into military mode.

“I thought you were a veterinarian,” Harley says.

“She led a double life.” Magnus winks at his wife.

“Don’t we all,” I mutter.

“Hardly, I was a military nurse before going back to school to learn how to take care of animals.”

In short order, Magnus, Lally, Jolie, and I take a short flight to Guadeloupe and hop a ferry to Martinique. The ride is smooth, and the sun is high. The four of us make a good team—likely having all done variations on a drop-and-go—what my agency calls a quick trip to a place to collect intel rather than a prolonged period where an officer would embed themselves.

Lally and Magnus certainly flew in and out of locations for brief periods while in the military. Jolie’s background is unknown, but she keeps alert and seems less captivated by the sailboats and beaches than by our objective.

If Isla and Harley were here, they’d want to stop at all the tourist traps, get smoothies, and ask the locals about the best restaurants in the town. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but the crushed shell paths and signs for paddleboard rentals are a novelty that we don’t have time to appreciate.

After leaving the resort area, we approach a nondescript cottage with a low roof and window boxes. Voices carry from an open window as we march down a paved pathway to the main door located on the side of the house.