Aubrey giggled, and Skylar and I exchanged glances.
"Put me in that box and I will end you," Azure transmitted.
"You can't show us without the cat?" I asked.
"We don't keep urine on hand," Bryce said with a nervous laugh. "But I can show you on this card."
He pulled a chart on an easel behind him closer and went into the logistics of cat urine.
I leaned closer to Aubrey and said, "Fine, you win. Who do you think took the trophies?"
"Yes!" She yelped.
The outburst made Bryce stop and look back at her, but she waved him off. He looked between us, before going on with his speech.
"So," she started again in a quieter voice, "those ladies from San Marcos weren't at the awards, and didn't really have an alibi aside from they don't care for the show."
"Right," I whispered. "Could be them."
"And there are the ladies at the pool. Where were they from?"
"San Antonio," Skylar whispered, having leaned in closer to hear our conversation.
"Right," Aubrey said. "They were pretty laid back about it all. What was their alibi?"
"Oh rats," Skylar said. "It was me. I was their alibi. I saw them at breakfast."
We giggled, and Bryce changed charts to a new board that compared pricing.
"How much are you guys spending on lit—toilet, right, so let's pretend that you're buying . . ."
"Do you think we could just back out of the room without him noticing?" I asked.
"That would be so mean," Aubrey said.
"I'm totally down," Skylar whispered and started quietly heading for the exit.
I looked at Aubrey, then to Bryce who had his back to us as he pointed to various litters and prices on his chart, then turned and left. We were all tiptoeing out of the room, so I could not be sure that Aubrey followed, but I knew her well enough to know she would not stay in the room without us.
Once we cleared the door, we burst into giggles and walked over to the seating in the recessed area by the floor-to-ceiling windows.
"Y'all are mean," Aubrey said as we sat down at a table in the corner.
I rolled my eyes. "Bryce is mean, torturing people with his stats, just to get them to buy litter."
"Especially since your current cost is zero," Aubrey said. "I didn't know your cats were toilet trained."
Skylar gave me a grin and took a drink of her coffee. Yup, leave it to me to do the explaining. I see your game. I returned her grin with one of my own as I drank my own coffee and formulated a response.
"Yup," I said, not sure what else to say to her about the matter. When the truth was, Azure went outside to use the restroom. This weekend he had been using the toilet, so I guess it was not too far from the truth, but far enough that I did not want to discuss it. Skylar saved the conversation again, by bringing up the case.
"So, who else is on our list?"
I took another drink from my cup, letting Aubrey take lead. It was her case at this point.
"Well . . ." Aubrey said, deep in thought. "There are the ladies from the cat food room, that drove from south Texas. They did not seem to care about the awards or the missing trophies at all."
"Everyone seems guilty as tea," I said.
"Totally," Skylar said.
"Did you really see all of those ladies from San Antonio at breakfast," Aubrey asked Skylar.
"Honestly," Skylar said. "I'm not sure. I mean, I know they were there because their table was the loudest one in the room. But some of them could have shown up later. They were definitely all there when I left the dining room."
"Great." Aubrey sighed and leaned back in her chair. "That means any one of them could have stolen trophies and still made it to breakfast."
"Exactly," I said. "There is no way we're going to solve this. Everyone looks too guilty."
"I guess you're right." Aubrey frowned and leaned forward, putting her head in her hands. "Those ladies were the only ones I'm sure didn't do it, but without knowing their whereabouts it feels wrong to mark them off the list." She let out a long sigh. "They were just so laid back and fun. No way they would waste time causing drama."
"Good point," I said. "Still though, I don't think we should write anyone off as innocent."
The girls both nodded along as we took turns taking drinks from our cups.
It had to be a subconscious thing. My brain cannot help but pick up my cup when one of them does. I shook the thought out of my head and urged myself to get back to the conversation at hand. I was too burnt for this level of thinking. Three days engulfed with people, cats, and a schedule was more than I could handle.
I felt bad that we could not solve the case, but at the same time, we needed to be realistic. They were just trophies, and we should have been out of this hotel by now.
"So, who does that leave?" Skylar asked. "Did we hit all the big groups?"
"Austin," Azure transmitted as Aubrey said it aloud.
They were getting too synced for my liking. How were they always on the same page?
"Sue said at lunch that they were at the pool for breakfast," I said.
"Is there any way to verify that?" Aubrey asked.
"We could look in the pool trash," Skylar said. "She mentioned they ate parfaits."
She said parfaits in a higher pitch and held her pinky up as if sipping tea. The action caused Aubrey and I to laugh.
"I'm not touching anyone's trash," I said.
"I'll do it," Aubrey said and stood up.
"What wouldn't you do for a mystery?" I asked.
"Hmm," She pondered. "I'm not sure."
We all laughed as we walked toward the pool. I created a mystery solving monster and there was no way it would end well for me.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Sunday, May 17th, 5:00 pm
Once at the pool, we were disappointed to find that an employee was currently cleaning up the area. He had already emptied the trash bins and looked to be stocking the amenities cabinet with towels. Skylar and I set the cats down only to watch them scurry over to the sunniest spot they could find and curl up together. Living the cat life must be a good life.
"Dragon," Azure transmitted.
I sent him a mental image of an eye roll and me loving on his cat form. He did not respond. The day was getting to him way more than I initially thought.
"Well then," I said aloud. "Guess that idea is out."
"Hardly," Aubrey said with a mischievous grin and walked over to the man.
I looked at Skylar with raised eyebrows and mouthed, "oh my." She shook her head and shrugged. Slowly, we walked toward Aubrey who was deep in conversation with an employee.
"I can't say I'm surprised," I whispered.
"Totally," Skylar whispered back. "If anything, I'm a little surprised it took her this long to start questioning random people."
I giggled. "Should we save him, or let her work some magic?"
"I just want to get close enough to hear what they are talking about."
"Sounds like a plan," I said.
As we got closer, I was able to read his name tag, Mark Poor.
Poor Mark. You drew the short straw today.
He looked to be in his early twenties, maybe a college student with a decent sense of style, as his brown hair was better kept than Aubrey's—that was saying a lot, since she rarely left the house with a strand out of place.
"Wouldn't believe the mess that happens out here," Mark said as we walked up on their conversation.
"I bet I can top any mess you've seen," Aubrey said with a smile. "In the cafe I work in, people are so inconsiderate."
Mark shook his head, "They just don't realize that we're people too. This weekend has been exceptionally bad. But anytime groups come in for events, they aren't here for the hotel. From treating it as a dumping ground for their adventures to acting like the staff are here just to serve them. It's so gross."
"Do tell," Aubrey said.
She had a look in her eye that I only e
ver saw during her PTA gossip sessions. Should I be proud, or scared, with where this conversation was headed? Maybe I should have brought popcorn?
"One of my coworkers told me she asked a guest to stop spraying her perfume in the lobby this morning. The lady looked them dead in the face and said, why, no one is down here. Like hello, she was down there. She counts as a someone!"
"Oh no," Aubrey said. "We get our fair share of tourists that come into the cafe, and it's pretty much the same nonsense. They think the cafe should carry whatever their city place has. And if the order isn't out within their personal time allotment, they act like waiting is going to kill them. Business depends on them, but man would it be better if it was only regulars."
"Ain't that the truth," I said.
"I sure hope none of our group has been acting like that this weekend," Aubrey said.
"No kidding," I said. "They'd find themselves without a group real quick. I can tolerate a lot of malarkey, but treating customer service workers like less than people is too far."
Everyone in the group nodded as Mark continued to stack the cabinet.
"I don't know who all is in your group, but I haven't seen any of my worst guests with you."
"Good," I said.
"Care to share a pool area horror story from this weekend?" Aubrey asked.
She was prying a bit more than I would have been comfortable with, but hopefully Mark was down to gossip. So far, he seemed excited to find a group of people that worked in customer service to trade horror stories with. Did Aubrey cross a line by asking for details so directly? He did not flinch at the question, so I relaxed into his answer as if I enjoyed the drama of it all.
"Well, I'm not going to name names," Mark said, getting quieter as he spoke, causing us all to lean in to hear him. "But this one group of ladies eats breakfast out here every morning and trashes the table they use. It's such a sticky mess to have to clean up. Sunbaked yogurt is horrid. I dare you to top that."
Aubrey held her hands up in defeat. "There is nothing that happens at the cafe worse than that. Yogurt and oatmeal have to be the two worst things to scrub off of surfaces."
Mark raised his eyebrows in question, surprised she had experienced the horror of yogurt.
"Kids," Aubrey said with a laugh. "The ultimate mess makers."
"Oh yeah," Mark said. "I have none of those, being an uncle is about as close as I want to get right now."
"Here, here," I said, automatically putting my hand up for a high-five which he accepted with more enthusiasm than I anticipated.
"Come on, y'all," Aubrey said. "They aren't all bad."
"That's why I'm glad you have them," I said. "Here for the spoiling, not the rearing."
I gave her a wink and looked over at the cats laying beneath a lounge chair.
"Besides," I said. "I have Azure, and he is moody enough for me."
"I've got a huskie," Mark said. "He has enough energy for a couple of kids."
We all laughed, and I realized he had finished with his work.
"You wouldn't happen to know if those ladies were here this morning from six to nine, would you?" Aubrey asked.
With each question she asked him, I was blown away by the nonchalant tone in her voice. Like she was talking to a coworker, or a friend.
"I did my first round when I got here at eight, and they were at that table," he pointed to the one furthest from the door, "So I would bet before seven based on how far into their food they were. They were gone by the time I came back around to clean up at nine."
"Well, it was great to meet you, Mark," I said. "Stay strong, the weekend's almost over."
"Enjoy the rest of your stay," he said with a smile. "Hope they find those trophies."
"Oh right, sorry to take you away from your work," Aubrey said.
"No worries," Mark said and waved her off. "Thanks for the laugh."
We waved as he pushed his cart back inside, and we headed over to the chairs the cats chose. It was unfortunate that two of the five chairs they laid next to were occupied by women sunning themselves. It would be nice to not be able to discuss the missing trophies, if only for a little while. I took a seat closest to the ladies, while Skylar and Aubrey laid in the other two open chairs.
It felt weird being away from the cafe for an entire weekend. I could not remember the last time I took a legitimate vacation. Had to have been well before Tona died. Living without her was probably the hardest thing I had faced yet in my short thirty-two years.
Was I making her proud? Is this the path she wanted for me, and the cafe?
What I would give for just one more conversation with her. She would have loved the drama of the trophy theft, and thrilled to be knee-deep in the gossip of it all. Not because she loved gossiping. But due to the way her extroverted personality shined in moments of strife. The way she took control of situations inspired me daily. I could only dream of being as strong-willed and assertive as she was.
"All I am saying is the next time you decide to pull a stunt like that, you need to let us know. We shouldn't be expected to cover for you because you're trying to prove a point."
The woman next to me spoke out of nowhere bringing me out of my thoughts. I peaked at her, and neither of them moved. Sunglasses still covered their eyes, while they soaked up the sun. She sounded livid, and I was a tad curious if she knew we had laid down next to her. None of us had spoken a word since sitting down.
Could this be about the trophies?
"I'm sorry, okay," the other woman said. "I wasn't thinking. I apologized, let's just drop it."
The sass was strong with this one.
"If only it was that easy." The first woman took a long pause that left me feeling like they were done talking before continuing. "What you don't seem to comprehend is the fact that you have embarrassed us. Possibly tarnished our name, and all you can think about still, is yourself. This isn't going to be dropped until the whole story comes out, and everyone is satisfied with the punishment."
"Punishment," the second woman cackled. "Oh please, you are too much. What, am I going to be banned from a few meetings? Big deal, Joy. Maybe pull that stick—"
"Hadley! Watch your mouth," Joy said. "This is bigger than a few missed meetings. You stole from us, the organization, and who knows who else. I'm going to have to report you. Don't you get that?"
"You do you," Hadley said. "Everything I did was for a reason. Just because you don't understand it, doesn't make it wrong."
"It's not about understanding. There is nothing to understand about theft."
This had to be about the trophies. What else could it be? What kind of protector would steal from their tribe mates? What tribe did these ladies belong to?
So many questions raced through my mind. It was hard to keep still. But I was almost positive they had no idea we were here, so if I wanted any chance at solving this case, I needed to stay silent.
"Whatever," Hadley said.
"Maybe you should consult with Raine before you continue to dig yourself a deeper hole," Joy said.
Hadley cackled again. "That's rich, like he isn't well aware of what's going on? How do you know he isn't involved too?"
"Thank you for letting me know where to start my investigation at," Joy said.
Her calm demeanor freaked me out. She must have thought she had this woman right where she wanted her. It reminded me so much of my own problem child. Eventually, that was going to come to a head I was not ready to face it.
I heard one of the ladies sit up in a huff and assumed it was Hadley. After what felt like minutes of her shuffling around, gathering her things, she stood and noticed us lounging next to them. With as silent as Aubrey and Skylar had been throughout the argument, I guessed their eyes were closed, same as mine.
"Oh," she said, and cleared her throat. "I'm done discussing this with you, I'll see you at the next meeting. Don't think for a second that I'm going down and not taking you with me."
She stormed off in front of us as Joy
sat up. I assumed she purposely did not alert Joy to our presence in hopes that she would say something incriminating in front of us.
"This is far from over, Hadley!" she shouted. Her volume lowered as she spoke the sentence. I assumed that meant she too had turned to find us relaxing beside her.
Hadley did not respond, but we all heard her attempt to slam the hotel door as she left the pool area. I was not sure if we should wait until we heard the other woman leave, or lay back down, before moving, but I opted for the safest option of staying as still as possible—grateful the other ladies with me decided to do the same. Thankfully, what felt like thirty minutes, but was probably five, passed with Joy gathering her belongings.
"Guess you ladies got a show with your pool time, sorry about that."
Skylar and Aubrey remained silent as I waved off her words. I held up my badge to let her see the bat pin and heard her let out a sigh of relief. I was not about to open my eyes and make it more awkward by involving eye contact.
"I can assure you, it's not about the missing trophies," she added before storming off.
As soon as the door shut, we all sat up and exchanged glances.
"Do you know what tribe that was?" I transmitted to Azure.
"San Marcos," he transmitted back in an alert tone.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Sunday, May 17th, 5:35pm
After moving out of the evening sun, and to a table, we reconvened over what we knew about the case, and the ladies that might have just given us the clue we needed to solve it.
"Didn't we speak to that lady already today?" Aubrey asked.
"Yeah," I said. "Those were the ladies that missed the awards this morning."
She mouthed "oh," and we sat in silence as we pondered over the ramifications of what we just heard. I found it hard to believe that a tribe leader would harbor a thief, knowing we were all paying for the consequences of her actions by being stuck in the hotel. If they were the tribe behind the trophy theft, knowing that we knew what they did should have the effect of someone turning themselves in, no?
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