someone else right now, and I"m already running late. Will
you be okay?"
"Sure. Thanks for the nice flight." She picked up her
overnight bag and walked over to sit down and wait. After
several minutes, a woman walked in and sat down at a desk
in the corner. Maggie thought perhaps she should check with
her about Cohn and make sure he was actually picking her
up.
Looking for You All My Life149
"Hi," she said in friendly voice, observing that this
woman was about her age, dressed quite stylishly, and was
very pretty with long, curly auburn hair.
"h.e.l.lo," said the woman in a tone that suggested she"d
rather not be bothered.
"I was supposed to be picked u~"
"Are you waiting for a salesman?" asked the woman
sharply. "Because if you are, you"re in for a long wait-"
"No, actually I"m waiting for Cohn Byers. He was sup-
posed to pick me up."
The woman"s left brow arched with suspicion. "You"re
here to see Cohn?" Something about the way she said his
name implied a familiarity beyond just business and Maggie
wondered if this might be a girlfriend.
She hurried to explain. "Yes, I"m a reporter from Oregon,
and I"m here to see Desert Winds in order to find out more
about Mr. Byers" developments. I am covering a story in our
paper." For some reason she felt the need to make it clear to
this woman that her visit was strictly business.
"Sorry, I must"ve sounded rude," said the woman. "I"m
June Emerson." She stood and extended a hand. "I thought
you were a prospective buyer or something. And well-to
tell the truth-I"ve just quit and I came in here to clear out
some things from my daughter"s desk. She also just quit. She
used to work part-time out here."
"Oh, I"m sorry to bother you." Maggie glanced at her
watch. "It"s just that I thought Mr. Byers was supposed to
meet the plane."
"Well, why don"t I give you a lift over to the clubhouse?"
She eyed Maggie with open curiosity. "You say you re a
reporter?"
"Yes. And to tell the truth, I was really hoping to look
around a little without an escort. Do you think that"s p05-
sible?"
June laughed. "Boy, did you run into the right person.
The stories I could tell you-"
*150Melody Carlson
Maggie"s shoulder. "Oh, hi, Cohn," she called out. "This1:.
*Just then a door opened and June glanced quickly over
*woman was just telling me that she was supposed to get
*picked up by you.." Before Cohn reached them, June slipped
a card into Maggie"s hand and winked. "I was just about to