A Killer Column (24 page)

“So, there was no romance,” I said.

“Not with Cary,” he said. “Not in a million years.”

He was still chuckling as I said, “You have to realize what it looked like to me.”

“I suppose so. It’s a pretty funny image, though. Are we finished here now?”

“For the moment,” I said.

After the two of them disappeared back into Brady’s room, Jenny said, “I didn’t see that coming, did you?”

“Not if I’d had a thousand guesses. I wonder if it’s true.”

“What,” Jenny asked, “that they’re dating? They seemed comfortable enough around each other.”

“I didn’t see any sparks though, did you?”

“I’m not sure we would have,” she said. “What should we do next?”

I looked around, and realized that there was one more guest in this hotel who was involved in our case. “Let’s see if Mindi is in her room. She’s in one-nine-one-eight.”

“What are we going to talk to her about?”

“I’m not sure yet, but I will be by the time she comes to the door.”

Jenny laughed. “That’s what I like to see, confidence.”

 

 

M
INDI WASN’T IN HER ROOM, THOUGH. WE FOUND A housekeeping cart in front of it, and I tapped on the open door as one of the maids came out.

“Excuse me, but do you know if Mindi Mills is still staying here?”

The maid frowned as she said, “There’s nothing here. I got a note to clean this room and that the previous guest had checked out.”

“Any idea when she left?”

She checked her list again, and then said, “Three hours ago. Can I help you with something?”

“No, thanks,” I said. “I’ll catch up with her later.”

We walked back to the elevator, and after I hit the down button, I asked Jenny, “Where do you suppose she went?”

“Back to Richmond?” she asked.

“I guess so, but I thought Murphy asked everyone involved with the case to stay in town.”

“He couldn’t order them to, though, not without more reason than he had. If he let her go, then I guess we’ll have to mark her off our suspect list, too.”

“Are you kidding? I just moved her up near the top. Running away is the worst thing she could have done. It just makes her look guilty.”

“I suppose it could at that,” Jenny said. “What should we do now?”

“Let’s go back to the lobby and collect Zach. I’m dying to tell him what we’ve found out so far.”

 

 

T
HE SECOND WE GOT BACK IN THE LOBBY, I SCANNED THE room for Zach, to no avail. I knew his promise to sit quietly and wait for us had been too good to be true.

“Where’s that husband of yours?” Jenny asked me.

“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out.” I started to take my cell phone out of my bag when she put a hand on my arm.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“Don’t call him.”

“Why not?”

Pointing toward the restaurant, she said, “Because there’s no need to. He’s right there.”

I followed her gesture and saw my husband in deep conversation with Frank Lassiter.

“I thought he was going to stay on the sidelines,” Jenny said.

I smiled. “I’m willing to bet Lassiter came through the lobby, so Zach decided to brace him while he had the chance.”

“Should we join them, then?” Jenny asked.

I looked over at them and saw that my husband appeared to have things in hand. “No, I got tough with Lassiter the last time we questioned him. Zach probably has a better chance of getting something from him on his own. I’ve got another idea about what we can do next.”

I glanced at the desk and saw that there was a man on duty I hadn’t seen before. “I need you to do me a favor,” I said.

“All you have to do is ask.”

“Go to the front desk and ask for Benjamin Lowe.” I didn’t see him anywhere nearby, and if I started by asking for him, it would ruin the rest of my plan to get the information I wanted.

“I’ll be right back.”

In thirty seconds, she was as good as her word. “Benjamin’s not here. He’s gone for the night, and they won’t call him.”

“Then I’ll have to do something myself. Would you mind hanging back here while I talk to the clerk at the front desk?”

“Are you going to ask him about Mindi?”

“Sure, I’ll tack that onto what I had in mind, too.”

“Savannah, what are you up to?”

I shrugged. “I’m trying to get some information.” I pointed to a newspaper rack beside the front desk. “If you want to eavesdrop, there’s the perfect spot. Go ahead; I’ll wait for you to get settled.”

She was clearly confused by what I was about to do, and I didn’t really want to explain it to her. It called for a bold move, and I had to work myself up to do it. It would have made life a lot easier if Benjamin were still there, but I couldn’t wait until morning to ask him what I needed to.

After thirty seconds, I was ready.

I stormed to the front desk and slapped my hand down on the counter. It sounded like a gunshot as it echoed through the lobby, and I noticed a few people look up at the impact.

“I demand an explanation,” I said loudly.

“How may I help you?” the man asked timidly.

“I want to know why there were duplicate food service items billed to my room yesterday.”

He frowned. “I’m sure we can straighten it out. May I have your room number?”

I gave him Sylvia’s room number, and then said, “The name is Sylvia Peters.”

He tapped a few keys, studied the screen, and then said, “There appears to be a single charge yesterday.”

“That’s not what I was told,” I said, again raising my voice. I saw Jenny flinch, and it took me a second to realize that she was trying to keep from laughing out loud. “Let me see that.”

He complied by turning the screen around, and I saw that Sylvia had indeed ordered a salad when she said she had.

“Very well, but that doesn’t explain why it was so late in arriving to my room.”

He lowered his head instantly. “We had a miscommunication,” he said. “All of our room service orders were delayed by over an hour because of a computer glitch.”

“And that is my fault how, exactly?”

I saw the man bite his lip, and then he said, “Again, we apologize for the inconvenience. If you’ll allow us, we’d like to treat you to dinner for two at our restaurant as a way to make up for it.” He slid a voucher toward me, and I took it quickly.

“Thank you,” I said, easing the harsh tone of my voice. “You’ve been very kind.”

He nodded, clearly relieved to be done with me.

The only problem was, he wasn’t, though he didn’t know it yet.

I started to go, and then turned back to him. “My friend, Mindi Mills, seems to have checked out before she had a chance to let me know where she was going.”

“Sorry, but I have no idea where she went,” he said.

“Can’t you find out?”

“No, ma’am. Again, I’m sorry.” Funny, he didn’t seem the least bit remorseful, though I really couldn’t blame him.

“Very well,” I said.

I walked toward the restaurant, and Jenny joined me.

“I can’t believe you got him to show you that Sylvia’s alibi for the attempt on Kelsey’s life was valid.”

“It just took a little bluster,” I said. “But we still don’t know where Mindi went.”

“Perhaps I can help,” a man’s voice behind me said.

It was Benjamin Lowe, and I had some fast talking to do.

 

 

“
I
SUPPOSE YOU’RE WONDERING WHAT JUST HAPPENED,” I said.

“On the contrary,” he said with a smile, “I’d rather not know at all. Garrett warned me that your behavior could be eccentric at times, but that you were to be indulged whenever possible.”

“Remind me to thank him the next time I see him,” I said. “Did you hear everything? You weren’t supposed to be here.”

“Officially, I’m not, but I had some paperwork to do in back, and when I heard you claiming to be Sylvia Peters, I couldn’t help eavesdropping as long as I didn’t spoil the show.”

“I hope the clerk isn’t going to get into trouble because of me,” I said. “It wasn’t his fault.”

“He didn’t do anything wrong, given the way you presented yourself,” Benjamin said. “By the way, I hope you and your husband enjoy your meal at our restaurant.”

I started to hand the voucher to him when he held his palms up. “I wouldn’t dream of taking that back. You earned it.”

“Thanks,” I said, adding a grin. “Since you’re here, maybe you can help us find Mindi Mills.”

“That’s why I came out here. I happened to check her out myself, so I know exactly where she went.”

“Go on, I’m listening.”

“She wanted me to order her a limousine to take her to the Brunswick Hotel from here,” he said.

“A limo? Really? I was under the impression she couldn’t afford anything that nice.”

Benjamin shrugged slightly. “If you’d like to speak with the car service, I used Evans Livery.”

“Thanks, but I think I’ll go by the Brunswick and ask her myself.”

He nodded, and then retrieved a card from his breast pocket. After jotting something down on the back, Benjamin said, “To save you from further deceit, here’s my personal cell phone number. I am at your disposal around the clock, so don’t hesitate to call.”

“You have no idea what you’re opening yourself up to,” Jenny said.

Benjamin replied, “I have some idea. Now, if there’s nothing else, I have work to do.”

“Thank you,” I said.

“My pleasure.”

After he was gone, I said, “I can’t imagine what Garrett did for him, but it must have been huge.”

“Let’s not question it,” Jenny said. “Are we headed to the Brunswick Hotel now?”

I glanced over at my husband in time to see him push away from the table and point one lone finger at Lassiter, who looked visibly shaken by the gesture. Zach walked out of the restaurant scowling, which lasted until he saw me. His wink told me that his fit of anger was merely a ruse to shake Lassiter, and from the expression on the man’s face, it had worked.

Zach headed out the door to the parking garage, and Jenny and I followed. It appeared that we all had a lot to talk about.

 

 

“
W
HAT WAS THAT ABOUT?” I ASKED HIM AS SOON AS WE got out of sight.

Zach grinned. “I put a little righteous fear in him.” He broke his smile for a moment. “That’s okay with you, isn’t it? I know I said I wouldn’t interview any suspects, but he’s getting ready to leave town. I caught him checking out, so I made an executive decision.”

“You did great,” I said. “Did you have any luck with him?”

“You won’t believe it.”

Noticing that Jenny and I had started walking toward my car, Zach asked, “Are we going somewhere?”

“We’re heading over to the Brunswick Hotel,” I said.

“What’s Cary done now?”

“It’s not Cary,” I said. “Mindi just moved there, and we need to find out how she’s suddenly able to afford it.”

“Let’s go, then. We can talk on the way.”

Jenny said, “I’ve got a feeling we’re going to need more than the few minutes it’s going to take to drive over there. Why don’t we grab some hot dogs from the Grill and then get some dessert. Does anyone feel like pie?”

Zach smiled broadly at her. “I always feel like pie.” He turned to me. “Savannah, I knew there was a reason I liked her.”

After we ate our fill of hot dogs at the Grill, it was time for dessert.

“Just take a left out of the parking lot,” Jenny said. “I’ll tell you where to turn next.”

Six minutes later, we were in front of a diner that looked as though it had seen better days, say in the 1950s. The brick exterior had been painted white a decade ago if the peeling paint was any indication, and the “H” in the “Hot Food” sign was burned out. In other words, it was exactly my husband’s kind of dining establishment.

We got out and went inside, and Jenny grabbed a table by the window, smiling and greeting a few folks on her way inside.

“You should run for mayor,” I said. “Everywhere we go, you know somebody.”

“I like it here, and they like me,” she said.

A white man in his late fifties sporting a grizzled salt-and-pepper beard walked out wearing an apron that was clean, though tattered around the edges. “If it isn’t Jenny Blake herself,” he said as he smiled broadly at her.

“Hi, Clayton,” she said.

“Sherrie, get out here.”

A black woman who appeared to be around the same age came out, her cheeks dusted with flour. “Clayton, I can’t keep making pies if you don’t leave me to it, and then what are you going to sell?” Her expression lit up as she saw Jenny. “Jenny, it’s wonderful to see you. Where have you been hiding yourself, young lady?”

“I’ve been working,” she said. “I’d like you to meet my friends. This is Savannah Stone, and this is her husband, Zach.”

Clayton offered a hand to my husband. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Zach nodded, and then smiled broadly at Sherrie. “I hear you make the best pie in the world. That makes me an instant fan of yours.”

Sherrie looked pleased by the compliment, though she tried not to show it. “Jenny, have you been spreading lies about me again?”

“Nothing but the truth,” Jenny said.

“Well, it’s good to see you. Can I bring you something?”

“Some coffee would be nice,” she said, “and three slices of pie.”

Sherrie looked at Zach. “Any kind in particular?”

“What would you say if I told you I wanted to taste one of each?”

She laughed. “I’d say your eyes were too big for your stomach.”

“Then bring me a slice of your favorite,” Zach said.

“And how do you know you’ll like it?”

“If it’s good enough for you, I’m sure it will be perfect for me,” my husband replied.