Chapter 2 #2
I’d been messaging Rose when a commotion broke out around me.
The band kept playing, but the mood changed.
Nervous glances were exchanged, and agitated whispers swept the foyer.
Rakesh pushed past me in his suit, panic written across his face, with Henry hot on his heels.
I’d stepped out in front of them, demanding to know what was happening.
But all they’d been able to tell me was that there’d been an accident near the hotel.
A bad feeling instantly took hold. I messaged Amy, but she didn’t message back.
I tried to call her, but she didn’t pick up.
I continued to wait for her, but she didn’t come.
When Henry finally approached me, his eyes filled with sorrow and pain etched across his features, I knew right away that Amy was dead.
I didn’t cry just then. I just stood there, frozen, questions swirling around my head.
It was as if my mind had gone into overdrive to keep a tidal wave of emotions at bay.
Had Amy been killed instantly? If not, what had those last seconds felt like for her?
Had she been in pain? Had she known she would die?
Had she been afraid? Or had her consciousness slipped away before her body had given up?
I squeezed my eyes shut, shutting out the questions that still haunted me—questions I would never have the answers to. But there was one question I could answer: Who killed Amy? This was why I was here: to find out who had hit Amy and left her to die. I had to focus on that.
I squared my shoulders and took a deep breath, inhaling The Darlington’s scent of woodsmoke, antique oak, and the sweetly fragranced flower arrangements adorning every corner.
Determined, I headed down the familiar corridors to Giulia’s office.
She was the head of housekeeping and had asked me to stop by.
Even behind the scenes, The Darlington was immaculate. Not a speck of lint or a single crumb marked the parquet, and no dust motes danced in the glow of the wall lights. Heavy wooden doors and old photographs of the hotel in opulent gilt frames lined both sides of the corridor.
My phone buzzed with a new message.
Kate:
Good luck today. You’ve got this!
Me:
Thanks!
Are you at the hotel?
Kate and I had met at The Darlington just over six months ago.
She was also working as a chambermaid at the time, but in January, she’d started a new job with Hope Harbour, an organisation supporting homeless people in the UK.
She was still at The Darlington all the time, though, because her boyfriend Henry was the CEO of the hotel.
Apart from my parents and Jason, Rose and Kate were the only people I’d been in contact with over the past couple months.
They had both been there for me after Amy’s death, and without them, I would be doing much worse today.
Kate:
No, I slept at mine tonight.
But I can come by before work, if you want?
Me:
Don’t be silly. It’d be really out of your way. I’ll manage. Anyway, Rose is here.
Kate:
OK, but call me if you need me!
Me:
I will. I promise.
I put my phone away when I reached Giulia’s office. The door was ajar, a silent invitation. Still, I knocked on the frame to announce myself before pushing it open. Giulia looked up from her laptop.
I closed the door behind me. “Hello, Giulia.”
“Grace, it’s so good to see you!” She pushed the glasses hanging on a chain around her neck up into her flowing black hair and stood to hug me.
I wasn’t tall, but even in comparison to me, Giulia was tiny.
And yet she had the strength of a construction worker.
Her hug knocked the air out of me. “How are you?”
“Good,” I lied, because there was no point in telling the truth: I felt shitty.
Not just a bit shitty, but really shitty—to the point where most of the time I couldn’t decide if I wanted to cry or scream.
Sometimes I also felt like punching someone.
Nobody in particular; anyone would do. My grief, pain, and rage were making me slowly lose my mind.
I was sick of feeling so bad and wanted nothing more than to feel something else—or nothing at all.
But I couldn’t say that to Giulia. I didn’t want her to worry about me or, worse yet, to send me back home.
She released me from her tight hug. “Take a seat.”
I obeyed and sat down in the chair in front of her desk.
There was a small sofa in the corner of her office, but I had no intention of staying long.
I only wanted to find out if anything had changed during my absence.
Still, when my eyes met Giulia’s, I sensed I wouldn’t get off so easily.
There was a compassionate glimmer in her eyes, and her lips were curved into a smile.
The kind you put on to hide other, more unpleasant feelings—like pity.
“How are your parents doing?”
“Fine.”
“And your brother?”
“He’s also fine.”
“Is he back at school yet?”
“Yes,” I replied mechanically, keeping it short.
Giulia let out the same sigh that my dad had given in the car, disappointed because I wasn’t pouring my heart out to her. But I couldn’t talk about Amy, not if I wanted to keep functioning.
To my relief, Giulia gave up on trying to make me open up.
“Anyway, we’re very happy to have you back.
The fourth floor is closed off right now to cut back on costs, but there’s still plenty to do.
More staff resigned in the last few weeks, and reservations are picking up again.
Which is great, but hectic without a big enough team.
Tell me if it gets to be too much. You can always reduce your hours or take more time off if you need to. ”
I ignored Giulia’s offer. It was well meant, but I didn’t need sympathy or special treatment. The only things I needed were answers about my sister’s death. And the only place I could find them was at The Darlington.