Chapter Nine
The girls joined the others at the pool and told them about their progress.
Rick said, "Hey, you might end up catching this guy and getting your stuff back before you go home on Sunday!"
"That would be great," Ava said, "But finding this guy won't be easy since he kept his face away from the security cameras. All we have is a profile from the top."
"It's a start," Emma said.
They spent the afternoon at the pool, and then the girls took Josh and Rick on a tour of the hotel and the beach. They played some volleyball and then went back to the girls' room to cool off.
As they sat around drinking soft drinks and chatting, they talked about their plans for the weekend.
"Tomorrow is Thursday," Rick said, "So let's go to Disney World and spend the day there. Then Friday we can go to the beach and do a little surfing."
"You might want to take lessons first," Emma said, "These girls are pretty good on their surf boards."
"Really?" Josh said dubiously, "I think we'll do fine. It's a lot like snowboarding, so I don't need a lesson. How about you, Rick?"
"Nah! I can handle it."
"All right then," Emma declared, "We'll have a surfing contest to see who's the best. The first surfer to get up on the board and ride it into the shallow water without falling is the winner."
"You're on!" Rick exclaimed.
Josh asked, "What do I get when I win?"
Everyone laughed and Rick insisted, "You mean, when I win!"
Emma exclaimed, "The winner gets free ice cream at our favorite burger place!"
Ava received the photo of the young man as promised, and showed it to Emma.
"Does he look familiar?" Ava asked her.
Emma studied the photo and frowned.
"It's hard to tell. You can't really see his face in this picture. He does look a little familiar, though. Maybe I've seen him around the hotel somewhere."
Ava nodded, "Yeah, that's what I thought. I'll ask around at the restaurant tonight to see if anyone knows him.
The girls changed their clothes and took the guys to dinner at one of the hotel restaurants. After they finished eating, Ava showed the photo to a few waitresses, but none of them recognized the young man.
After dinner, the group drove to Disney Springs to stroll through the streets and visit the shops and restaurants that featured live music. They decided to go bowling at the bowling alley there, and had fun competing with each other. Rick and Ava had the highest scores, and were deemed the winners.
As the group strolled by a camera shop, Ava went to look in the shop window.
"Hey! I just had an idea! We should ask Tanya if she knows the guy in the security photo. Maybe she has seen him around the hotel."
"Good idea," Kacey agreed. She looked at her watch and said, "Why don't we call her now? That is, if you guys don't mind."
Rick and Josh shrugged and agreed that was a good idea.
Kacey called Tanya, who was at her apartment watching TV.
"Sure, you can come over here now," Tanya said. She gave them the directions.
They drove to the apartment and knocked on her door.
Tanya opened the door, smiling with pleasure at the sight of her new friends.
After introductions were made for Rick and Josh, Ava took out her phone and showed the photo of the suspect to Tanya.
"Do you recognize this guy?" she asked.
Tanya studied the photo carefully, and said, "I think he looks familiar, but I don't remember his name or anything. Why do you ask?"
"This was taken from the security camera in the hallway. He was seen going into our room at the time of the robbery. No one has been able to identify him yet."
"Wow! You found a suspect? That's great!"
Ava nodded, "Although it's frustrating that we didn't get a better photo of him. I think he knew about the security cameras and avoided showing his face."
"That's too bad," Tanya said.
The group thanked Tanya and promised to let her know if they learned anything more. As they headed back to the car, Ava shook her head.
"Someone has to know this guy. But who? I've already asked several people in Housekeeping and down in the restaurants. He's like a ghost."
Rick got inside the car and Ava slid in next to him.
He said, "You know, there's a good chance he doesn't work at the hotel at all."
Emma leaned over to ask, "Then how did he get a waiter's uniform?"
"Good question," Ava replied, looking at Rick.
"You need to think like a thief to catch one," Rick said smugly.
Ava reluctantly agreed, and the group headed back to their hotel.
"Disney Springs was really fun!" Ava commented later in the evening as she got into bed.
"Yeah!" Emma replied, "Too bad Dave wasn't here to enjoy it. I'm sending him a photo of us bowling together to show him what he's missing."
"Aren't you being a little hard on Dave? I mean, he has to work, and his boss wouldn't let him have the time off," Ava said.
"Yeah, I know. But I'm still mad at him for not coming, even if it's not his fault. I know it's stupid, but I just can't help it," Emma admitted.
"Well, maybe he'll call tomorrow or something."
"Yeah, maybe," Emma said doubtfully, and turned out the light.