Read California Schemin': Book One in the Malibu Mayhem Trilogy for Free Online

had too much sun , I thought, why is he so pale?
    As I made my way back to the waiting room, I felt the color drain from my own face. If Brad was at this retreat, then that scary Inge probably was too.
    “Well, it’s about time,” George said when I joined them. What a waiting room: low lights, soft music, and water cascading gently down one wall.
    Luna handed me a white terry-cloth robe and matching slippers. “You and your friends can change behind any of the screens,” she said, and then left us alone.
    We talked to one another over the partitions as we changed into our robes.
    “So was that guy Brad?” George asked.
    “Not only was he Brad,” I said, “he seemed annoyed when I asked him how he felt. He said he was much better, even though he still looked pretty sick.”
    “He was walking kind of like a zombie,” Bess remembered.
    “He spoke like one too,” I said. “Which makes the whole thing even weirder.”
    The three of us stepped out from behind the screens at practically the same moment. The sight of us in those plushy white robes and slippers made me smile.
    “Nancy, I just thought of something,” Bess said. “If Brad is here, I bet crazy-lady Inge is too.”
    “I thought that too, Bess. But we don’t know why she wanted Brad to leave the hospital,” I said.
    “Maybe Brad got sick from a spa treatment and they want to cover it up,” Bess gasped.
    “I think we should look for Inge and ask her some questions,” I said.
    “No way!” George was furious. “Nancy, didn’t you say we should take a break from mysteries while on vacation? You don’t even know who these people are!”
    “But how can we not get involved after what happened to you on the beach?” Bess asked.
    “ You said we need to come here to relax,” George said. “So let’s just relax!”
    Bess and I looked at each other. George was right. Taking a deep breath, I poured myself a glass of pomegranate juice, secretly hoping it wouldn’t make me sick.
    We sat quietly, sipping juice and listening to the gentle gurgling of the waterfall. As amped up as Iwas, the room did have a relaxing effect on me.
    “Ladies?” Luna said softly as she stepped into the room. “Your hand specialists are ready for you now.”
    “Hand specialists?” George asked. “Are you sure we’re getting manicures?”
    We followed Luna into the hall. She opened a door and held it as we filed through. Three women dressed in white suits with the yellow starburst logo stood behind neatly arranged manicure tables.
    “Come right in,” one said cheerily.
    “You bet.” I smiled as I walked to a table.
    Here I was in Malachite Beach, about to get a pampering spa treatment. Life was good, even if it was a little crazy sometimes.
    After we were seated, the manicurists introduced themselves: Lotus, Ivy, and Cinnamon. NO kidding.
    Ivy studied George’s nails and asked, “When was the last time you had a manicure?”
    Bess and I traded looks that said, Uh-oh .
    “The last time,” George said slowly. “Let’s see…it was…about…never.”
    “No problem,” Ivy said perkily. “We’re not here to judge at Roland’s Renewal Retreat and Spa.”
    Lotus gently placed my fingertips in two bowls filled with soothing warm water. “Ivy is right,” she said. “This retreat is not only about outer beauty but inner beauty as well.”
    “I never saw myself on the inside,” George said.
    I felt the stress of the last two days slowly melt away. Instead of focusing on dirty hypodermic needles, drama queen sisters, and crazy ladies in white suits, I focused on the scent of the rose water. Leave it to Bess to ask, “Is there a woman named Inge working at this spa? A tall blond woman with a European accent?”
    “Oh, I’m so sorry,” Cinnamon said. “But we can’t talk about other employees.”
    But Bess wouldn’t give up. “Do you know Mia? Mia Casabian? I heard she’s a guest here.”
    “We can’t talk about the guests, either. But we can tell you