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Chapter Eight
Prince August
The Next Morning …
I had just gotten out of the shower and was in the process of pulling a shirt over my head when Caleb rushed into our tent suite, out of breath.
“You won’t believe what I just found out,” he said, looking frazzled.
“What’s going on?” I asked as I sat on the edge of the bed to put on my socks and shoes.
“Veronica and Daphne—they’re gone,” Caleb revealed.
“Did they go on the morning game drive again?” I asked.
“No—I mean they are gone, as in, they checked out!” he exclaimed.
I felt a jolt of shock. “Tell me everything you know.”
“On my morning walk, I noticed housekeeping cleaning their tent suite much earlier than usual. Curious, I asked what was happening. They told me Veronica and Daphne checked out last night during dinner.”
That revelation hit me harder than I expected. They hadn’t just skipped dinner to avoid me; they had been orchestrating their escape. How had I missed the signs? I should have seen it coming, especially after Veronica’s reaction during our silly game at the bar.
“Did anyone mention where they went?” I asked, hoping for some clue.
Caleb shook his head, disappointment lining his face. “Nothing. I even texted Daphne, hoping she’d spill something, but no luck. She read my message but didn’t reply.” He blew out a frustrated breath. “We need to find them. This was the most time I have ever spent with Daphne, and it was the best! She could deny it all she wants, but we were really connecting. I felt it.”
“Looks like it’s time for some sleuthing,” I muttered, a mix of frustration and intrigue stirring within me. “Let’s try to find the driver from last night. We need to find out if she returned to Kastonia, and if not, where they went. She could be anywhere, and they had a big head start since they left last night.”
“Good point, Mr. Watson. We can interview our limo driver for clues.”
I gave Caleb a quizzical look. “What’s this Mr. Watson business? Did you have some crazy dawa dreams?”
“I’ve always wanted to be a detective and ruled the house when we played Clue,” Caleb said as we headed to the reception desk. “And I know I’d be at least as good as Sherlock Holmes, so you’ll be my relatively smart side-kick John Watson.”
As we approached, a cheerful staff member looked up from her computer. “Good morning, gentlemen! How is your stay with us so far?”
“Good morning to you!” Caleb said. “This place is spectacular.”
“I agree—we couldn’t be happier,” I said.
“That is wonderful to hear. How can I be of service to you today?”
“I had a question about your transportation services. Could you tell me who the driver was last night? We’ve heard such good things about him and would like to book a ride with him.”
“That would be Fergus, and yes, our guests certainly love him,” she said with a smile. “However, Fergus is not available today, unfortunately.”
“Oh—I’m sorry to hear that,” I said, hoping to get more information out of her. “I hope he’s okay.”
“I’m guessing he is more than okay since he’s on his way to Europe,” she said with a laugh. “It’s his first day of vacation.”
“Lucky him!” I said, trying to muster some enthusiasm. “But too bad for us. Our friends Daphne and Veronica used him last night.”
“Yes—for the airport run,” she said with a frown. “We were so sad to see them leave unexpectedly. I’d be happy to book you a ride with Keno. I can assure you he is also an excellent driver and can get you where you need to go.”
“That sounds great, but let me get back to you on that,” I said. “I just realized I need to find out exactly what time we have to leave.”
“Of course. I’ll be here.”
