Chapter 18
“Kyle, Armond, Margery, what do the three of them have in common aside from all working for Haven Corp?” I asked as Charles and I climbed out of the cab in front of Aunt Penny’s place. It was after midnight, so we used the spare key she’d left with me to get into the apartment.
“I’m trying to remember things people have said. You’ve taken some notes, right?” Charles loosened his black bow tie.
I kicked off my high heels and relished the plush sitting room carpet. Being back at Aunt Penny’s house, with the scent of fresh-baked bread and the family photos on the walls, soothed my soul. Charles and I dropped onto the sofa and sat in silence by the light of a single lamp.
Keeping my voice quiet so as not to wake anyone, I pulled my notebook and camera from my bag. “We have a lot of information, but sorting between what applies to these cases versus what doesn’t is a challenge.”
“Mind if I look?” Charles eyed my camera.
“Please do.” I opened my notebook and thumbed through the pages. “Maybe I can use Aunt Penny’s glasses again.”
“They’re right here.” Charles took the glasses from the side table to his left and handed them to me.
Armed with a bright pink highlighter, I put on the glasses, ready to mark any words that stood out.
Armond flirted with Margery, but she wasn’t interested.
Armond booked the third suite. A group harassed Kyle for money. But David, the concierge, said the group had asked for the person in room 519—and someone had changed Kyle’s room number. Who had the room before him?
Ashley is angry about something.
Owen and Catalina have a romantic relationship, but they’re keeping it hidden.
Everyone liked Margery.
Lance is worried about money.
“I can’t exactly make sense of this list, but it’s what the glasses are telling me to look at.” Kyle changed hotel rooms for some reason? Owen and Catalina are a couple? They didn’t seem to be connected.
“Well, tomorrow we can ask about the room switch at the hotel and see if they have a record of it.” Charles looked over the sections I’d highlighted.
“Weird idea,” I muttered to Charles and tapped his arm. “You don’t think Armond killed Margery, do you? She rejected him.”
Charles frowned and rubbed his brow. “I doubt that. But, well…”
“I know you want to think the best of everyone because I’m the same way. But I also think your gut is telling you something,” I pushed.
“Well, Armond called in sick the day of Margery’s accident. I thought nothing of it at the time.” He shook his head. “Killing Margery would be such an extreme measure for being humiliated.”
“Hmm, but then someone killed Armond. So maybe he’s been working with someone?” I tried to push my fixation on Lance from my mind because I needed to consider everything.
“And what would any of that have to do with Kyle?” Charles continued, flipping through the photos of the evening. “We need to find the killer before anyone else gets hurt.”
“Agreed.”
“It’s not realistic. But part of me hoped they would find Armond died naturally.” He shook his head.
I stopped to look at Charles and took off the ridiculous glasses. “Your company means a lot to you—and you care about your employees.”
Charles nodded and sighed. “There’s one possibility in my mind still. Though I doubt it. You know how the housekeeper told you about the ‘thugs’ looking for Kyle? Maybe there’s a mob connection we don’t know about. Maybe Armond was involved?”
I shook my head. “Everyone who came to the gala had to be invited, and the catering staff were all already employed by the hotel. Well, I guess it’s possible that someone could fall into both categories.
” I scrolled through my phone since I’d downloaded the photos from my camera for convenience and pulled in a sharp breath. “Look at this.”
Charles inspected the image on the screen. Kyle stood among a few colleagues. His eyes looked glazed over, and his arms dangled at his sides. The image looked similar to the photo of Armond at lunch. It was the same glazed-over expression as if he’d taken a sedative.
“It looks like someone drugged him here. What time did you take this?” Charles clicked on the timestamp of the photo. “It says about 9:30. Let’s see if there are any others around then. We’ll need to share this with the police. Look at everyone standing near him. Any of them could be the murderer.”
In the photo, Lance, Catalina, Owen, Charles, Darcy, and Ashley all stood close. “This isn’t good though, Charles. You and Darcy are also in the photo. But people were walking all over the room, so maybe it’s irrelevant.”
“I’m not worried about that,” Charles said. “I’m sure they will clear my name soon enough.”
My mind spun with possibilities, but none of them made sense. Part of me must have taken after Aunt Penny, because her words echoed in my mind. Even with magic, the only actual way to tell if something was true was to test it out. Do an experiment.
Of course, she’d been referring to her research at the time, but the same principle still applied. “Charles, I have an idea that might help us figure this out. But it is a little risky, and we’d need police backup.”
He raised his eyebrows and looked at me curiously, but he didn’t immediately say no.
“We need to do another little test. What would you think about gathering everyone together for lunch? We might elicit a confession if we play our cards right,” I said.
“Aunt Penny has a dishonesty inhibitor. It’s not the same as a truth serum because those can backfire easily.
But it will stop anyone from being able to lie.
I know people can remain silent, but maybe we can get them talking. ”
“Are there any downsides to using a dishonesty inhibitor?” Charles asked.
“Yes. People can often figure out they were 'drugged,' which can cause aggression. Mostly though, it’s a breach of trust. Giving someone any sort of potion without their consent can permanently damage the relationship. So I guess as CEO, you have to decide if it’s worth it.”
“I don’t like it, but to protect innocent people, I think you’re right. We should do it. Are you always so brave, Jane?” Charles reached for and squeezed my hand.
“I’m not always brave.” My heart wanted to take this in as a tender moment between us, but all I could think about was Georgiana. Everyone, including me, loved Charles. But the only person I’d ever heard him mention anything about having a possible relationship with was her.
“Well, you seem brave to me.” Charles tilted his chin, shrugged, and grinned. I could have kissed him. But I didn’t. Georgiana popped into my mind. So instead, I leaned back in my chair and pulled my hand away.
“I guess I’d better ask Aunt Penny about the dishonesty inhibitor.” I stood and left the room, tears unexpectedly welling in my eyes. The sooner this was over, the better. My heart couldn’t take much more.