Early Check Out

by Diane Capri

  Nicole’s eyes narrowed. “That’s not how I heard it. From what Eric told me, and how messed up he was when I met him, you nearly destroyed him.”

  “Well, I can’t help what Eric may have told you in the past. What I’m telling you now is the truth. There was nothing between Eric and me back then, and there certainly isn’t anything going on now. For everyone’s sake, accept that and move on.” Then I threw in a slightly too obsequious, “Please?”

  She worried at her bottom lip as she thought about what I’d said. I could see in her eyes that she wanted to believe me. She leaned forward in her chair and was about to say something when shouting in the kitchen interrupted us.

  “What the hell?” Nicole jumped up from her chair and came around the desk to the door.

  I stopped her before she could walk out. I opened the door a crack and put my finger to my lips to tell her to be quiet. I pulled her in next to me so I could see the scene playing out.

  Colleen was in the kitchen with a tall man, who I assumed was her husband Peter. He was clearly angry. His hands were fisted at his sides, and his cheeks flushed a bit ruddy.

  “What did you do, Colleen?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Aunt Ida was right about you. You’re nothing but a money-hungry bit—”

  Colleen slapped him across the face. The crack reverberated through the kitchen. “You hated her just as much as I did. You would’ve done the same thing.”

  I came out of the office. The argument was obviously getting out of hand. “Okay, you two need to calm down. This isn’t the place.”

  “Who the hell are you?” Peter glared at me.

  “Andi Steele. I’m the concierge here. I’m also the one who found your aunt’s body.”

  His face changed then. There was still a lot of rage, but I thought I could see some regret, maybe even grief. Maybe he cared more than he let on. I didn’t think anyone could take care of another human being and not have feelings about them. Even if the woman was the most cantankerous person ever to exist, which was what I was starting to piece together from various accounts of Mrs. Walker.

  “Stay out of this, Andi,” Colleen snarled, “Mind your own business.” Like a raging bull, she actually came at me. I stood my ground. She stopped mere inches from my face. “I saw you following me the other day. Sticking your nose in where it doesn’t belong.”

  Nicole stepped out in front of me. “Stop, Colleen. Don’t make this worse. I will call the sheriff.”

  Colleen paused, maybe rethinking what she had planned to do. She seemed like a woman on the verge of something, and I really didn’t want to be on the other side of that verge.

  “Whatever,” she barked.

  “Please grab your belongings, leave this kitchen, and the hotel,” Nicole continued. “You’re fired.”

  “Oh, perfect! This is just what we need right now.” Peter threw up his hands.

  “This is crap!” She pointed at Peter. “This is your fault. If you hadn’t come here mouthing off at me…”

  Steadily, Nicole said, “I’m giving you fifteen minutes to grab your stuff and vacate the premises, Colleen. Peter, you can leave, too.”

  “Or what?” Colleen took a step toward Nicole. “What are you going to do, you uppity cow?”

  Oh no she didn’t! “Don’t say that to her,” I snapped.

  Peter grabbed her arm. “Let’s go, Colleen. Don’t make things worse.”

  She pulled out of his grasp, grabbed the closest thing to her arm, which just happened to be a big cast-iron frying pan, and rushed forward.

  I pushed Nicole out of the way just as Colleen swung the heavy skillet. I felt the air on my face as it whiffed past me.

  The momentum of the swing twisted Colleen’s body slightly, so I was able to come in close, grab her wrist holding the pan, and crank her arm. She instantly dropped the heavy pan, and it landed with a heavy thud inches from my feet. She tried to punch me in the jaw, but she didn’t make it. I ducked, grabbed her around the waist, and pulled her down to the floor onto her stomach. Not the smoothest or prettiest maneuver, but it worked. I sat on her back to keep her still while Nicole called the sheriff.

  Chapter 14

  After the sheriff arrived and contained the situation, which meant arresting Colleen and calming Nicole and the whole Park family, we were all carted down to the station so he could take statements and book Colleen for assault. It was all pretty surreal, to be honest. You’d think, after finding my second dead body, that giving witness statements would be old hat. It wasn’t.

  “So, what happened after Nicole fired Colleen and asked her to leave?”

  “She got really angry, grabbed an iron skillet from the counter, and tried to hit Nicole with it.”

  “Do you think she intended to harm Nicole?”

  I thought for a moment, making sure I’d read the situation right. “Yeah. I’m sure.”

  “Okay.” He finished writing some notes in his report, then set the pen down and leaned back in his chair, eyeballing me. “I think maybe this is a record for crimes observed by one civilian witness on Frontenac Island in less than a month, Andi.”

  “Do I get a prize or something?”

  Chuckling softly, he shook his head. “Nope. Nothing as cool as that.”

  “So, after what I told you about her argument with Peter, do you think it’s likely Colleen pushed Mrs. Walker down the stairs?”

  “It’s certainly possible. She had motive and the means.”

  “What about opportunity?”

  He paused a moment, as if he was making a decision. “Yeah, she had the opportunity. We found a witness who saw her at Mrs. Walker’s house around the time of death.”

  I nodded and arched my eyebrows. “Are you going to charge her?”

  “You can wipe that smirk off your face. Yes, I already knew about Colleen before you told me. The evidence is still circumstantial, but we’ve got enough to justify some warrants,” he replied, cagey as ever.

  So I gave him another little push. “Follow the money, right? They were broke and stand to inherit everything she had. I heard Mrs. Walker invested smartly.”

  “I’ll look into it,” he replied.

  “Can I go now?”

  He gestured toward the door. “You may.”

  I stood and turned to make my exit.

  “Hey, Andi?”

  I flipped back around to look at him.

  “I don’t condone all of your actions, but…good job saving Nicole from serious harm.”

  I grinned. This was a high compliment indeed, especially from the usually stoic Sheriff Jackson. “Thank you, Luke. That means a lot.”

  His eyebrows came up at my use of his first name, but I figured we were long past formalities, at least in private. I wouldn’t dare call him that in public. People would assume things that weren’t true if I did. Frontenac Island was nothing if not a hotbed of gossip.

  I walked out of his office and into a flurry of activity in the lobby of the station. All the noise was coming from some people I knew well. Three Parks were heading right for me, talking over each other. Lois reached me first, actually nudging Ginny aside, and pulled me into a tight hug.

  “Thank God you were there. I can’t even imagine what would have happened if you hadn’t been,” she whispered in my ear. “Henry and I were so worried!”

  When she released me, Ginny took her place, squeezing me so tight I could barely breathe. “You’re like Wonder Woman. Protecting us from evildoers.”

  “I was just in the right place at the right time.” Although I felt like I had somehow done more bad than good. Saving Nicole from harm was definitely good, but maybe Colleen wouldn’t have snapped if I hadn’t been there in the first place. A lot of her rage had been directed at me.

  Eric was next to hug me, but he was a bit bumbling and awkward, probably due to the incident with Nicole that had preceded this whole thing. “Thank you.”

  “Where is Nicole?” I
looked around the lobby, noticing her absence.

  “She’s with the deputy, making her statement,” Eric said.

  “Is she okay?”

  “Yeah, she is. Just shook up a bit, but all in one piece because of you,” Eric replied.

  The most glaring absence was Samuel’s. I wondered if he didn’t know about the melee or had simply decided that golf with my rival, Casey, was more important. I hoped it was the former. I’d hate to think Casey was more important to him than his grandson’s wife.

  Ginny put her arm around me and said in a low voice, “Let’s see Casey Cushing take down a skillet-wielding maniac.” She giggled.

  “Yeah, but a skillet-wielding maniac on the staff won’t be good press for the hotel,” I said. “Samuel won’t like this at all.”

  Ginny puffed her chest. “But that’s not your fault.”

  “True.”

  And it wasn’t my fault, but that hadn’t stopped Samuel from blaming anything on me before. Why would it matter now?

  Chapter 15

  Ginny and I walked out of the sheriff’s station, and a microphone and camera were instantly thrust into my face. My eyes bugged out just as the local reporter, Tanya Walsh, asked her first question.

  “Miss Steele, again you’re involved in a violent altercation with a person connected to the Park Hotel. Care to comment?”

  Ginny got in her face, backing her up a step or two. “Andi just saved my sister-in-law’s life. She’s a hero. The Park Hotel is proud to have her as concierge.”

  Tanya wasn’t the least bit fazed by Ginny’s defense of me. “Isn’t it true, Ms. Steele, that you’re under investigation for embezzlement?”

  “What?” I blurted. “Where did you get that information?”

  “I can’t expose my sources.”

  “Your sources are full of—”

  It was Mayor Lindsey Hamilton who cut me off. “I just heard about your heroics,” she said to me. Then she smiled at Tanya and into the camera, ever the consummate politician. “On behalf of the town, I’d like to commend you, Andi Steele, on your quick thinking and selfless defense of others.” She shook my hand. I was acutely aware that my wrist flopped like a limp noodle.

  “Thank you, Mayor,” I said, gazing into the camera and trying to look…I don’t know, Wonder Womanly.

  We stood like that for a few more moments while a photographer took a slew of video. As my smile was plastered to my face, I looked past the camera and the reporter and saw Daniel Evans standing at the bottom of the steps, beaming up at me with his megawatt smile. My belly did a few somersaults. The man had a potency level of the god of thunder himself.

  After Mayor Lindsey released me, I walked down the steps toward Daniel.

  “Hey,” I said.

  “Hey yourself. It seems you’re in the thick of things again.”

  “It’s my superpower.” I shrugged. “What are you doing in town?”

  “I had a meeting with Lindsey to discuss some mayoral things.”

  “Secret mayoral things?”

  “Are there any other kind?” He chuckled and waved toward a nearby golf cart. “I have to catch the ferry soon, but can I give you a lift back to the hotel?”

  Ginny took that moment to join us. She smiled at Daniel, then looked at me, then looked at Daniel. “Never mind.” She went up the steps to find Lois and Eric, who were still waiting for Nicole.

  I nodded toward Daniel. “Sure, you can drive me. That would be nice.”

  He led me to the golf cart parked at town hall. It was silver and sleek and suited him. I slid onto the buttery-soft leather seat. When he got in, I was stroking my fingers over the seat.

  “Nice ride.”

  “Yeah, I like it.” He started the electric engine and pulled onto the street. I imagined it killed him to only be allowed to putter along on the island. I heard he drove a bright red BMW Roadster over on the mainland which was made to hug curves at high speeds.

  “So, you haven’t called me,” he said.

  I pressed my lips together, trying to play it cool, when my heart was thumping pretty hard and fast. “Yeah, I’ve been busy. Since Samuel Park’s sudden return to the Park Hotel, he’s been running me ragged. For some reason, he blames me for any and all bad press the hotel gets.”

  Daniel’s face clouded. “I heard about what happened today. I’m sure he won’t blame you for that.”

  “Oh, I’m sure he’ll find a way.”

  Unfortunately, the ride up to the hotel only took ten minutes, and then Daniel was parking the cart. We both got out, and he walked with me into the hotel. Once in the lobby, I suddenly felt self-conscious.

  “Thank you for the ride.”

  “I’ll see you to your suite, if that’s okay.”

  I nodded that it was indeed very okay.

  As we walked, my palms actually started to sweat. I felt like I was a teenager again on my first date. This just proved how long it had been since my last date. Over a year, for sure. I was rusty at flirting, although I’d never been all that proficient at the dating game. Sometimes I just didn’t see the signals, or I misread them. When it came to business, I was a shark. Personal life—a kitten.

  “So, do you like being the mayor of Frontenac City?” I asked lamely.

  “Yeah, I do. I like working in service of my town. I’m good at it.”

  “You’re good at being humble, too,” I grinned. Maybe I had more talent for this flirting thing than I’d thought.

  He chuckled. “I think a person should be confident in what they do well. I’m sure you would agree.”

  “I do. I was a really, really good lawyer.” I was surprised to hear the wistfulness in my voice.

  “I believe you,” he said. “I’d heard you had to leave it. Do you mind me asking why?”

  I licked my lips nervously. I didn’t want to scare him away. But if he couldn’t handle the truth, he wasn’t worth the time anyway. He’d find out sooner or later, and it might as well come here and now and from me. “My boss was embezzling from our clients. My firm suspended me to protect themselves because of how many cases I had worked on with him.”

  He winced. “Ouch. That must’ve hurt.”

  I cleared my throat. “It did. Does. More than I want to admit.”

  “How did you end up here? Not that ‘here’ is such a bad place.” He smiled warmly, and I nearly melted.

  “Ginny is my best friend. We went to college together. I’ve known the Parks for years. So when I told her what happened, she just said, ‘Get your butt out here.’ So I put my stuff in storage and hopped on a plane. Just me and my two cats.”

  “Ginny sounds like a brilliant friend.”

  “She is. I don’t think we truly know who is supposed to be in our lives until trouble hits. That’s when the wheat gets separated from the chaff, as my nanny used to say.”

  “Very true,” he agreed, nodding. “How did you end up being the concierge of the hotel?”

  “Serendipity. Casey, who was the concierge, had to take time off when his mother had surgery, so Ginny pushed Lois to hire me.”

  “I appreciate serendipity.”

  I met his gaze and smiled. “As do I.”

  We arrived at the door of my suite, and I suddenly wished that the corridor had been twice as long. “Thank you for walking me.”

  “Any time.” He took a moment to really look into my eyes. His gaze also flitted over my mouth, and I had to suppress the urge to lick my lips. Then he took a tiny step back. “Remember, if you ever get to the mainland, call me, and we’ll have lunch or dinner or whatever.”

  “Sounds good. And same for you when you’re back in town.”

  He smiled. “I would call, but you never gave me your number.”

  “Oh. Crap. I’m sorry.”

  “No worries. You can make it up to me.” He took out his phone and passed it over. I entered my name and number, then gave it back to him. He slid it into his pocket. “I will now bid you a good day.” He tipped his head to m
e as he would have tipped a hat in a bygone era when the Park Hotel was new.

  I watched him walk away for a moment and then blurted, “Did you send me flowers yesterday?”

  “Ah, no, I did not.”

  “Okay, sorry. I was just wondering. I got this gorgeous bouquet with a note but no signature.”

  “Hmm, do I need to worry about competition?”

  I blushed. “I don’t know, do you?”

  “Maybe it was Sheriff Jackson.” He chuckled.

  “Why is everyone saying that? Why on earth would the sheriff send me flowers? We don’t even really get along.”

  “I was just joking. The man is the definition of stoic, and I can’t imagine him sending flowers to anyone.”

  “Right?” I took out my keycard to my room. “Okay, I won’t detain you any longer. Be gone with you. Back to the mainland.”

  He gave me a little salute and walked away down the corridor.

  I went into my suite, dumped my keycard and purse on the little foyer table, then collapsed onto the sofa in the living room. After kicking off my shoes, I leaned my head back on the cushions and closed my eyes with a sigh. What a day. All I wanted to do now was to get some food and just sit here and read a book. If I didn’t have to talk to anyone again until tomorrow morning, I would be a very happy woman.

  A knock came at the door. Smiling, I went to open it. Maybe Daniel forgot to tell me something, or maybe he returned for a kiss. Could have been wishful thinking, but I had a sense that he had wanted to kiss me.

  I threw open the door. “Did you forget something?”

  Except it wasn’t Daniel standing there.

  Peter Walker shuffled from foot to foot as he looked down at me. “I need your help.”

  Chapter 16

  I was startled to see Peter shadowing my doorway. He wasn’t a big man, but he was tall and had an imposing manner about him. He didn’t seem like a pleasant sort at all. “I’m not sure what I can do for you, Peter.”