She’d seen the mug shot before, but once again Letty was struck by Declan Rooney’s impossible-to-ignore appeal. The dark hair that flopped over his forehead, the sullen, glaring deep blue eyes with their impossibly thick, long, dark lashes, the high cheekbones and prominent hawklike nose. Tanya’s daughter shared her mother’s round face, pointed chin, Kewpie-doll lips, and fair coloring, but Maya’s eyes were unmistakably Rooney’s.

“One thing,” Letty said. “Now that I think about it, the guy I saw in the store had a beard. He was sort of scruffy-looking.”

Joe took a pen and began drawing facial hair on the photo, starting with the suggestion of a narrow mustache and neatly trimmed goatee.

“Like this?”

“Mmm, the beard was a little fuller than that. Not really hipster scruff, more like hobo.”

He sketched in more hair. “That’s it,” Letty said.

She tapped Declan Rooney’s photo. “I can see why Tanya fell for him. He looks—dangerous and unpredictable, and okay, sexy.”

“Like your sister?”

“Yeah,” Letty said softly. “I still wonder where and how they met.”

“I’ll be sure and ask when I arrest him,” Joe said. “I’m going back to Publix, to show this to some of the cashiers, and then I thought I’d hit some of the other nearby motels and restaurants, to see if anybody has seen him.”

Letty bit her lower lip. “So you really think that was Rooney? And he’s watching me—and Maya?”

“Now that we know what we do about Chuck, I’m afraid it’s safe to assume that Rooney could be in the area,” Joe said.

“Here’s a thought,” Letty said. “The Surf is part of a LISTSERV of motels and hotels from Clearwater south to St. Pete Beach. Managers put out advisories and alerts, you know, like if they want to warn the other motels about someone stealing from cars, or whatever. I can post a message to the list with Rooney’s photo, asking people to contact you if he’s staying there or if he’s spotted.”

“Perfect,” Joe said. “I’ll email you the photo with the beard drawn on. I’d forgotten about the LISTSERV. The good news is, Rooney probably won’t come near the Murmuring Surf. Too many people know him here. Still, it’d be best if you don’t leave again without letting one of us know where you’re going.”

Ava emerged from the back office area with her car keys in hand. “Yes, please. I don’t need another panic like we experienced this morning. I’m off for now.”

Isabelle and Maya pushed through the office door. “Letty, Letty!” Maya cried. “We found Midnight’s kittens.”

“Where were they?” Ava asked.

“You know that big concrete pipe, at the edge of the parking lot?” Isabelle asked.

“That old drainage culvert?” Joe asked.