Chapter 15
They had a very good point. For any employee to be sabotaging Haven Corp this way would risk all their jobs, which wouldn’t benefit anyone financially.
My head spun as I made my way back to our suite. Were these random murders to make Haven Corp look bad? What did poor Margery have to do with any of this? I didn’t know enough about any of these people to make a fair judgment.
Pamphlets, prototypes, plans, and schedules cluttered the coffee table in our suite.
But a beautifully packaged delivery sat in the center of the sofa.
My dress. I’d nearly forgotten about the gala.
I lifted the lid and ran my fingers over the light, silky fabric, hoping I’d still be able to attend that evening.
I flopped down into a large wingback chair and frowned. There had to be some clue we were missing. I’d uploaded all of my camera photos to my phone. I flipped through them, hoping for some answers.
A selfie of Charles and me made me smile.
I’d forgotten I’d asked him to text me any photos he took.
I flipped through the images and found another selfie of Charles and me laughing at lunch.
If our relationship lasted, I’d want to frame it and hang it on our wall. I had to show Lizzy. I texted her.
Well, your meddling may have worked. For now, anyway.
Sorry I didn’t tell you it was Charles’s company. I was afraid you’d back out. Seriously, Jane. You’re so going to marry that boy.
I mean, that’s not the worst idea.
That's what I'm saying…
You know I forgive you… but next time, give me a heads up.
Fair enough. Look in the background. You just have to crop out the guy in the corner—haha.
I paused for a moment and looked back at the photo. In the shadows near the buffet, Armond and Lance were standing together. Armond stared at us with a slack jaw. He looked drugged. Maybe someone gave him something at lunch. I shivered.
Uh, yeah. I’ll have some stories to tell when I get back.
I couldn’t let her know I was investigating a murder. Knowing Lizzy, she’d drive straight down here and put herself in danger.
I took a closer look at Armond. Lance stood next to him, watching out of the corner of his eye, though his body faced forward. He seemed aware of something unknown to the rest of the group.
Further down the table, Catalina and Owen were in a deep conversation and oblivious to everyone else. Catalina looked a bit concerned about something, but she helped the convention run smoothly. I zoomed in a little closer. Owen rested a hand on the small of her back.
So I clicked back through the series of photos. In a second photo, Owen’s hand is still on her back, and in another, she’s whispering in his ear. In yet another, when no one appears to be looking, she kissed his cheek. They were a couple.
In one of the photos, Ashley appeared to be popping a pill into her mouth—probably an aspirin. She complained of frequent headaches. In another, she’s glancing at Charles with a shy grin. She obviously liked him, most girls did.
In most of the photos, Kyle looked bored but unremarkable. But in the photo of Ashley looking at Charles, Kyle is looking at her with his brows furrowed. Jealousy? Maybe he was interested in her.
I sifted through extra pamphlets, business cards, and documents. SaferLoc was already being heavily marketed. The dozens of business cards were from potential buyers, which would benefit the entire company.
I jumped when someone knocked on the door.
“Housekeeping,” a woman’s voice called as the door opened. I took a slow breath.
“Oh, come on in.” I waved to the middle-aged woman wearing a simple gray dress.
She raised her eyebrows and looked around the room. “Is this a bad time? I can come back later.”
Her heavy French accent reminded me of my graduation trip to Paris. I smiled. “It’s a perfect time. In fact, I was wondering if I could chat with you?” I asked, recognizing her from the smokescreen spell’s recording.
She nodded, concern in her expression. “Yes, I suppose you’re looking into the incident yesterday?”
“Yes, we’re trying to figure out what’s going on.” I prayed I wouldn’t scare her off. “Please have a seat. I’m hoping to protect anyone else from getting hurt.”
The brunette woman, probably in her mid-fifties, had streaks of silver at her temples.
Her expression relaxed. No longer hesitant, she nodded and sat in an armchair next to me.
“You know, there’s not much that goes on in a hotel that housekeeping doesn’t know about.
And what we don’t know, room service tells us,” she said, sighing and resting her forehead against her palm.
“I figured that was the case. I’m concerned because they took my friend in for questioning this morning.”
Her mouth formed a tight line. “You’re sure he’s innocent?” she asked. “Many times, nice girls think their guys are innocent.”
“He’s innocent,” I repeated.
“Mmm, well then he has nothing to worry about. It will be sorted out,” she said, shrugging her shoulders and flinging her wrist.
“You seem to know something, and you’re not obligated to tell me. But it would really help.” I paused for a moment because the housekeeper looked around nervously. “I’m sorry. What’s your name? I’m Jane Bennet.”
“I’m Rose. You’re a sweet girl. I can tell you what I’ve already told the police.
” She released a deep breath, clapped her hands on her knees, and leaned back.
“A man and a woman from this company have been sneaking around together, especially at night. One of them is very rude to the staff and left an enormous mess in their room last night. I also know the woman in charge argued about her bill with a concierge because she didn’t want to pay for her room service and said to bill Haven Corp. She’s probably broke.”
I blinked. “Wait, which two people? I’m so confused. Do you have names?”
“Well, keeping names straight is a bit more difficult. There are so many guests, you see. But the two sneaking around-—how do I say this politely? The heavy-set blond man whose hairline is receding a bit, and the woman in charge with dark hair—really professional looking, I guess.”
There were actually several people fitting those definitions, but I suspected she meant Owen and Catalina since I’d also seen them together frequently. “I’ve seen them together. My impression was they kind of liked each other or were at least good friends.”
“Friends are usually more open about their relationships. These two are hiding something.” Rose gestured with her hands as she spoke and raised her palms. “But what’s worse is the other man. A group came to the hotel and threatened him.”
“What do you mean?” I stared at this woman, who apparently knew more than any of us.
“We can tell when people are involved in shady activities. A couple of men came and harassed him in the middle of the first night he stayed here. The night before the first murder. They weren’t guests of the hotel, and they looked very rough.
Those kinds only ever show up for one reason.
They wanted money. And apparently the man didn’t have it. ”
“You’re talking about the blond man?” I asked.
“No, similar build, but this man was dark-haired, has a mustache.” She shrugged.
That must’ve been Kyle. I rubbed my forehead. “They came to his hotel room?”
“Well, you have to have a key card in the elevator to access the guest floors. I think they posed as friends or something, and the concierge called the guy down. Security kicked them out when it became clear it wasn’t a friendly visit,” she answered.
I blinked. “I’m hoping you’ve shared all of this with the police?”
“Of course, but I don’t know if they’re taking us seriously.” Rose glanced at the ceiling, as if she dealt with problems like this daily but had given up trying to solve them.
“Thank you for talking to me. You know, you and your coworkers should double as undercover officers or spies.” I smiled.
“Who’s to say we don’t?” A wry smile spread across her face, and she stood up to get back to work. “I jest. We’ve also noticed you and the gentleman who’s staying in this suite make a lovely couple.”
I smiled. “I have to agree there.”
My phone rang, and Charles’s name showed up on my phone. I breathed a sigh of relief and gestured to Rose that I needed to take the call.
“Hi Charles, how’s it going?” I asked.
“Well, I’m free… for now. But I can tell they’re going to be watching me. I don’t exactly know why, but I’m sure I’m a suspect. The questions they were asking were really direct.” Charles’s steady voice didn’t carry its usual upbeat tone.
“How awful. I’m so sorry. So… don’t be mad, but I’m back at the hotel.” I chewed my bottom lip.
The line went silent for a minute.
“Charles?”
“Uh, yeah. I… are you okay? That makes me nervous.” His breath was heavy, and traffic sounded in the background.
“Yes, and I had a very interesting conversation with a housekeeper just now. She said some people came and hassled Kyle for money. Also, Catalina and Owen are probably dating.”
“Oh… I don’t see how killing Armond is related. You sure you’re safe? Someone got into our suite yesterday,” Charles reminded me.
“Well, there’s a very sweet housekeeper with me right now. I’ll be careful.” Guilt washed over me. I probably should have waited for him, but sometimes I got things done better on my own.
“Good, I’ll be there soon. Just catching a cab.” Charles was a little out of breath, and the traffic got louder.
I hung up the phone and glanced around the beautiful suite I hadn’t slept in.
It looked so peaceful during the day in the spacious room with big, bright windows and polished high-end furniture.
Rose’s presence gave me a sense of security as she mopped the kitchen floor.
I pulled my little gray notebook from my bag and scaled the spiral staircase to the bedrooms. There were two upstairs: a main bedroom with a balcony, and a guest bedroom with its own luxury bathroom.
Nothing stood out. We hadn’t spent the night, so the beds were all still made.
I’d chosen the main bedroom for myself before realizing Charles would join me.
Apparently, I’d left the drapes open and left a tube of lip balm in the bathroom.
I wondered how someone got into our suite to leave the note.
Charles had contacted the hotel security, but they didn’t see anyone come in through the main door yesterday.
I meandered into the room where Charles had intended to spend the night.
Apart from a few papers on the desk, the room was tidy.
A few of his shirts still hung in the closet, and a razor sat on the bathroom counter.
In the bathroom, I caught a faint whiff of his aftershave.
He must’ve freshened up while we were at the spa.
The third bedroom seemed unremarkable. The blinds were closed, and nothing was touched.
But when I went to open one of the closets, it didn’t budge.
It must be another set of double doors which connected this suite to Charles’s old suite next door.
My heart rate picked up. I’d heard a slam the day before. This had to be that door.
Chills ran down my spine. I needed to get out of that room. I scurried down the spiral staircase and nearly crashed into Charles.
“Oh, wow! That was fast!” I stopped and placed my hand over my heart. “You startled me.”
“Sorry, the police station handling this case is very close to the hotel. It’s a five-minute cab ride.” Charles cupped my shoulder with his hand. “I wish you’d waited for me to come here.”
“I know, but I used my glamour. No one from the company noticed me. Charles, I’m going to be honest. I’m really not okay with the police hounding you about a murder you didn’t commit. You’re not all right with that, are you?”
“Not at all. But I’m also not okay with you getting hurt, either.”
“Thank you. But at least we’re learning some things. I need to show you what I found upstairs.” I wanted to believe we’d discovered a few clues, and we’d quickly resolve all of this. But the more I learned, the more confused I got.
As Rose pulled her cleaning cart to the front door, an idea hit me. “Rose, how do you get your cart upstairs with this spiral staircase?”
Charles and Rose looked at each other.
I’d forgotten my manners. “Oh sorry, Charles, this is Rose, Rose… Charles.”
A knowing smile formed on Rose’s lips. “Nice to meet you, Monsieur Charles.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Likewise.”
“To answer your question, I can’t bring this cart up those stairs, so I enter through the eighteenth floor.” She shrugged her shoulders. “But that isn’t a guest floor. I need to use my housekeeping key to access it on the elevator.”
Charles’s eyes opened wide, and I clapped my hands together.
“Can we please see it?”
“Well…” Rose paused for a moment. “Yes, I suppose so.”
Charles helped Rose push her cart to the elevator, and we all boarded together.
“I thought the hotel only had seventeen floors, but I guess it makes sense that there are eighteen if the penthouse suites are two stories each.” Charles smiled at me. “Good work, Jane.”
“Well, it still proves nothing. But at least it gives us some options.” I shrugged.
Rose used her keycard and pushed a button labeled “Service Floor.” The eighteenth floor looked more like a hospital hallway than a lavish hotel.
“Here we have closets to store things like extra linens, little soaps, shampoo, cleaning solutions, and towels. We leave our cleaning carts here at the end of our shifts.” She gestured to the left side of the hallway, which was lined with several industrial-style doors.
“Then on the right, we can access the second floor of the penthouse suites. As you know, our hotel has four penthouses.”
“Wait.” Charles stopped and looked at her. “I thought there were only three penthouse suites.”
“No, there are four. It’s been the talk of the hotel that your company booked all of them. I thought you would know that?” Rose looked between me and Charles.
“Rose, you’ve been incredibly helpful. I think we need to go down and speak with the management now.” I tugged on Charles’s arm.
“Well then, good luck.” Rose waved to us as we made our way back to the elevator.
“Charles, you realize what this means, right?” I asked as we descended to the lobby.
“Well, I know what it might mean. Someone booked the fourth penthouse. This enabled them to access our suites through the connected doors, or the doors the housekeepers use, and kill Armond undetected.” His mouth tightened. “I hope they have security footage of the eighteenth floor.”