Cohn. Like I said, some R and R sounds just wonderful to
me." But perhaps, she told herself, the "R and R" might
actually stand for reconnaissance and research...
5 soon as Maggie was settled into her luxurious
suite across from the clubhouse, she called the
woman she'd met at the airstrip.
"This is June," came a crisp reply.
"Hello, this is Maggie Carpenter," she began tentatively.
"I met you today at the little airport." Suddenly she won-
dered if this woman 5 offer had been in earnest or not. And
furthermore, whether or not she could trust her. Still, what
did she have to lose?
"Oh, I was just telli~ng my daughter about you, Maggie.
What can I do for you?"
She explained a little more about the nature of her mis-
sion, how she was now stuck at the clubhouse for the
remainder of the day without a car, and how she really
wanted to see more of the community without being under
the watchful surveillance of Cohn Byers.
June laughed. "Yes, you can be certain, Cohn will only
show you what he wants you to see. And without a doubt,
he's brought you to one of his best-developed communities,
hoping to impress you, I'm sure."
"Does that mean there's nothing here that's really out of
line?"
153.
154Melody Carlson
June laughed even louder now. "Oh, don't kid yourself.
Desert Winds may be better than the other developments,
but believe me, it has its share of problems. That's exactly
why I can't stand to stick around for one more day. It's really
ironic that I ran into you Out at the airport today, but
somehow I think there's a reason for it. Anyway, my
daughter and I are sick of the greed and deception that goes
on here. I tried to convince myself when I first came out that
this place was different, and in some ways it is. But to be
honest, I know it was only the lure of big money that made
me look the other way all this time."
"So there's quite a bit to be made in these developments?"
Maggie was already taking vigorous notes.
"Oh, yeah, if you're into easy money, it's here for the
making. They say there's a new sucker born every minute,"
she made a groaning sound, "but I've had enough-I'm fed
up with the whole biz. I mean, once I realized how it was
affecting my daughter, I decided it was time to split. I'm
sorry to go on and on about this-I guess it's because I've
kept it all bottled up inside for so long. Anyway, we're all
packed up over here, and I can spare you an hour or two.
Would you like me to pick you up right now?"
"Do you mind? I mean, I know you're in the middle of
moving and everything. I hate to take your time-"