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 fooled by a big d**k and a clever pair of hands?"
Leslie sipped from the tiny cup of hot tea. "You aren't alone in that, kiddo. I think we all lay claim to that failing."
"You know," Miranda went on, "that pearl was supposed to be his gift to me. That perfect pearl on a fine gold chain. Except he pulled that old trick of forgetting
