Part Two: Journey to the Pearl

"I can't believe the asshole took it with him."

Miranda Fox stabbed a piece of sweet and sour shrimp with a vicious jab of her fork and popped it into her mouth.

Her friend, Leslie Keller, looked at her across the table in the Chinese restaurant in amazement. "I don't know why not. It's exactly the kind of thing Raoul would do."

"Raoul." Miranda said it as if it was a nasty word. "The name's as phony as he is. Why am I always ...