Chapter 12
Morgan hustled up the stairs, not slowing until she reached the grand suite at the end of the long hall. She rapped sharply on the door. No one answered.
Wyatt slipped in next to her. “I know you’re upset, but you need to take a deep breath.”
“I don’t like sneaky, snake-y people. The least these two could have done is fess up to who they are and asked me to show them around.”
“What would you have said?”
Morgan thought about it. “I’m not sure. I suppose it would depend on how they posed the question.”
“In their defense.” He lifted both hands. “And I’m by no means defending them; they would have risked you telling them no. Remember the saying…it’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission.”
“I get it. I just don’t like underhanded people sneaking around under my roof.”
“Are you going to throw them out?”
“No, but I will triple, quadruple lock the door and booby-trap it.”
He laughed out loud. “I almost feel sorry for them.”
Morgan briefly closed her eyes. “I’ll remain calm. I promise.”
“Good girl.”
She knocked again, this time harder.
Thud. A dull thud echoed. The door opened a crack. “Yes?”
“It’s Morgan Easton. I need to talk to you.”
“Now?”
“Now.”
Tiff swung the door open, standing in a way that partially blocked their view. Her eyes flitted from Morgan to Wyatt, who was still wearing his police uniform. “D-did…uh…something happen?” she stammered.
“Officer Dawson is a friend of mine,” Morgan said. “We were outside and noticed lights coming from the attic windows.”
“Lights?” Tiff blinked rapidly. “Where’s the attic?”
Morgan ignored the question. The woman was playing dumb, and she wasn’t buying it. Not for a second. “I would like to take a look around.”
“Austin is in the bathroom showering.”
“I found your website. You and Austin are vloggers who travel around the Great Lakes, posting videos about mysteries. You know about the Shifting Sands Medallion. Greg, my employee, noticed your recording equipment.”
“So?” she answered defensively. “It’s not illegal to record.”
“On private property?” Morgan pinned her with a pointed stare.
“I know the laws. I can record on private property if it’s a business, which this is.”
Wyatt shook his head. “Except for areas that are off-limits to visitors.”
Morgan caught a flit of movement behind the woman. Seizing her opportunity, she nudged Tiff aside and strode into the bedroom. Austin stood near the window, quietly watching the confrontation unfold.
Without slowing, she strolled into the main bathroom and walk-in shower. Sure enough, the door leading to the attic was open. A quick check revealed that the shower walls and floor were dry, meaning Tiff had lied.
Wyatt, along with the vlogging couple, caught up with her.
Morgan could feel the tips of her ears burn. She ran her hand along the glass enclosure. “If Austin was taking a shower, he’s some sort of magician, drying the walls, the glass enclosure and even the floor. There’s not a drop of water.”
“I…uh…guess I was wrong,” Tiff muttered.
Gritting her teeth, Morgan stepped into the shower and climbed the stairs to the attic. Confirming her suspicions, she found the lock dangling from the padlock eyelet. She spun around and looked down.
The couple hovered at the bottom of the stairs, watching her.
Not trusting herself to speak, Morgan made a beeline for the room where she and Wyatt had found the medallion. A small flashlight sat on the windowsill. On closer inspection she noticed the boards where they’d found the ancient artifact stacked off to the side.
Muttering under her breath, Morgan grabbed the flashlight and beamed it into the opening.
Confirming it was empty, she slid the floorboards back in place.
With a quick check to make sure nothing else had been disturbed, she returned to the top of the stairs.
She pulled the door shut and removed the padlock on her way down.
“Would you like to revise your version of what you were doing?” Morgan held up the lock and the flashlight.
“We booked this suite to sneak into the attic and film a video about the medallion,” Austin said. “We were wrong not to ask for your permission, and we’re sorry.”
Tiff twined her fingers. “We’ve heard you rarely allow tours of the attic.”
Wyatt crossed his arms. “So you thought it would be easier to ask for forgiveness instead of permission in the event you got busted.”
“We knew Morgan didn’t live here, so we figured by the time we started recording, she would have gone home,” Tiff confessed. “What we really wanted, and should have done in the first place, was ask for an inside scoop. Would you have done that?”
“I’m not sure. I guess it would depend on how you asked, but this?” Morgan clenched the padlock in her fist. “Is unacceptable.”
“You’re right.” Tiff stepped out of the shower and hung her head. “We’ll pack up and leave.”
The couple shuffled out of the bathroom. After they left, Morgan climbed the stairs and placed the padlock in the eyelet before snapping it into place. She tugged on the base, making sure it was secure.
Wyatt stood waiting for her at the bottom. “They feel bad.”
“For good reason.” Morgan glanced at her watch. “I’m not kicking them out. It’s late, and they’ll miss the last ferry, if they haven’t already.”
“We all make mistakes.”
“We do,” she agreed. “I just wish they would have asked.”
“What’s done is done. Besides, there’s a good chance they’ve already recorded their video,” Wyatt pointed out.
“They’ll post the video and probably paint me as an evil, awful witch who threw them out.”
“It’s possible,” he agreed. “Do you want to risk negative publicity?”
“No. Let’s go talk to them.”
Chester, who had trotted into the room during the confrontation, sat on the floor, watching the couple pack their suitcases.
“You have a cute pup,” Tiff said. “He’s very curious.”
“And too smart for his britches,” Morgan said. “I accept your apology. You don’t have to leave.”
“Are you sure?” Austin stopped packing. “I mean, we deserve to be thrown out.”
“It’s late. By the time you reach the harbor, the last ferry will have left for the day. You paid for the stay. I’m guessing you got the video you needed, so there’s no point in asking you to leave now.”
Tiff stared in disbelief. “You’ll let us release the recording about Locke Pointe and the medallion even though we sneaked up there without your permission?”
Morgan tucked her hands behind her back. “You apologized. I accepted. You got your video. It appears you have a lot of followers. Maybe a few of them will want to book a stay at Locke Pointe.”
“It will drum up business for sure,” Austin said. “We’re growing our channel every day.”
“A subscriber of ours was the one who suggested we do a story on the medallion,” Tiff said. “This might be pressing our luck, but can we interview you?”
Morgan was on the fence. On the one hand, free publicity was always welcome, especially considering Legends of the Great Lakes had a strong following. On the other hand, she didn’t like the thought of rewarding bad behavior. “You won’t sneak back into the attic?”
Tiff made an “x” on her chest. “Cross our hearts.”
“Then I would be honored to do an interview and introduce Locke Pointe Bed-and-Breakfast to your viewers.”
Austin whooped loudly. He gave Tiff a gentle shove. “See? I told you we should have asked.”
“This is a win-win for everyone,” Wyatt said.
Morgan held up her finger. “I have a favor to ask.”
“Yes. Whatever you want,” Austin said.
“Please stress to viewers that staying here does not give them access to the attic.”
“One hundred percent,” Tiff said. “In fact, we’ll send you a preview of the video before we post it.”
“Thank you.” Morgan and the couple scheduled a time for a sit-down interview the following day.
Having promised again that they wouldn’t sneak into the attic, Morgan checked the padlocked door, confirming it was secure. She and Wyatt returned to the main floor where Chester, who had scampered ahead, stood waiting.
“I think you handled it the right way,” Wyatt said.
“Me too.” Morgan pulled her cell phone from her pocket and tapped out a quick text message to Greg.
Curious to find out what his girlfriend was up to, Wyatt leaned over her shoulder. “What are you doing?”
“Texting Greg. I’m asking him to install a keyless entry door keypad along with a deadbolt to make sure this never happens again.”