Reservation with Death: A Park Hotel Mystery (The Park Hotel Mysteries Book 1)

by Diane Capri

  Ginny rushed to my side, her hands pawing at my head and face. “Oh God, are you okay? Where are you hurt?”

  “My face,” I grunted. “Which you need to stop touching.”

  “Right, sorry.” She helped me to my feet.

  Sheriff Jackson was putting handcuffs on Pamela. “You are under arrest for assault.”

  “She killed Thomas Banks as well,” I offered. “And planted all the evidence…”

  Sheriff Jackson gave me that look of his. The one that said, Shut up. Now.

  “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to have an attorney.” He glanced over at me briefly. I wondered if he thought I was going to offer to be hers or something. As if. “If you cannot afford one, one will be appointed for you by the court. Do you understand these rights?”

  She gave a barely discernable nod before she was handed over to Deputy Shawn, who took her out of the house. The sheriff walked over to me, his eyes rooted on my face.

  I pointed to the cane that was on the floor by my foot. “That’s the murder weapon. She likely cleaned it, but I imagine you’ll find traces of blood on it. Luminol will probably work.”

  His gaze didn’t falter. “Are you okay?”

  “Oh yeah, I’m good.” I wasn’t. My cheek throbbed like it was on fire and so did my scalp. I pretended I hadn’t seen a chunk of my hair in Pamela’s hand when the sheriff pulled her off me. I was afraid to put my fingers up in there in case I felt bone and/or blood.

  He gripped my chin with his fingers and turned my face this way and that. “You won’t need stitches.” His hand dropped, and he rubbed the palm along the side of his jeans. I wondered if he was rubbing off my blood.

  “Well, that’s something, I guess.”

  “I thought I told you to go back to the hotel.”

  I shrugged, and even that hurt. “You should know by now I’m no good at listening.”

  “Well, definitely not to me, anyway.”

  I laughed, I couldn’t contain it. I figured it was probably better than the sob I kind of wanted to let loose. And not a sad sob, but an angry, frustrated, I-just-got-my-butt-kicked kind of emotional release. I figured it had been building since the moment I left the conference room at my old law firm after the partners kicked me out of the only career I’d ever really wanted.

  He looked me over one more time and then nodded. “Take her home, Ginny, and patch her up.” He turned as Deputy Shawn came back into the house. “Shawn, bag this and tag it.” He pointed to the cane on the floor.

  Ginny put her arm around me and started to lead me out of the house.

  “Wait.” I swirled around. “What about Sasha? Will she be okay?”

  He nodded. “I’ll make sure she’s looked after. She’ll be interviewed, but I don’t think there’s anything to indicate she had anything to do with her brother’s death.”

  “Okay. Thanks.” We continued to the door, but I stopped again. “Call me when she’s free to go.”

  “I will.”

  “You better.”

  He shook his head and turned around to finish collecting any other evidence in the house.

  Ginny led me back to the golf cart. She wrapped a heavy jeans jacket around me after I slid into the passenger’s seat. I don’t know where she’d gotten it from, but it had just a tinge of citrus, something like the Old Spice aftershave Henry Park always wore, and all the scents belonging to a man. I had a feeling the coat belonged to Sheriff Jackson. The scent reminded me of him. A bit rough, but with just a hint of vanilla at the center. It was surprising, but not all that unpleasant. Go figure.

  Chapter 40

  When Ginny got me back to the hotel, she escorted me to my suite and proceeded to doctor me up, which consisted of excruciatingly painful astringent to disinfect the cut and scratches on my cheek, then the attaching of a Hello Kitty bandage to my wound. She offered to check my head, but I decided I didn’t really want to know right at that moment how much hair I’d lost in the fight. She assured me there was no bald spot. But the way her pert little nose crinkled when she said it, I didn’t think she was being entirely truthful. I guess nothing but a good mirror would confirm. Just not right now.

  She suggested I have a long hot bath to ease some of the stiffness I was sure to feel later, but instead I shuffled up to my bed, pulled back the covers, and climbed in. A week of exhaustion had caught up to me. The second my head hit the pillow, I was out.

  Later, Ginny told me that I had mumbled in my sleep, barking out orders to Sheriff Jackson, and that Jem and Scout had curled up around my head and stayed with me the entire night, alternating grooming styles. Jem would lick my face, and Scout would knead my hair. I guess Ginny had stayed with me as well, falling asleep on the sofa and then getting up at ten o’clock to go take care of some business. She told me I hadn’t moved a muscle all night and morning.

  So it was no surprise when I did finally wake, at noon, that my entire body groaned, especially my right hip and arm, since I had slept on that side, unmoving, for twelve hours. I rolled over onto my back and blinked at the ceiling, trying to figure out if I had dreamed the whole thing. Did I really just catch a killer and almost get beaned in the head for my efforts?

  A knock at my door roused me, and I shuffled across the room to open it. It was Lois.

  “I really hope you’re not here to ask me to do you another favor. Because the last one I did nearly killed me.”

  She shook her head, stepped in, and wrapped me in her arms. I tried not to squeak in pain. I appreciated her hug, even if I had to bite down on my lip to stop from crying out. “Ginny told me everything that happened. You poor girl.” She released me, thank God, and came into the suite to sit on the edge of the sofa. “What can I do for you?”

  I followed her in and sat next to her. Scout immediately jumped up into my lap and started to purr. “Well, the next couple of days off would be nice.”

  “Done,” she said.

  “A spa day?”

  “Done.”

  “A raise?”

  Lois’s eyes narrowed. “You’ve been here a week, Andi. Let’s not go overboard.” She stood, having completed the business she came to do, and made her way to the door. I followed her.

  “Thanks, Lois, for checking in on me.”

  “Of course.” She smiled and patted my undamaged cheek. “Oh, while you have those days off, it will give you a chance to get those cats boarded somewhere else.”

  I shut the door and padded back to the sofa to sit. For every minute that passed, one muscle in my body stiffened. In an hour, it was going to be like rigor mortis had settled in. Happy that I didn’t have to move for the rest of the day if I didn’t want to, I reached for my phone and checked my messages. Surprise, surprise. In addition to the message from my mother that I’d forgotten about, I had two missed calls from Sheriff Jackson.

  I checked my voice mail. The first message was from my mother. It wasn’t going to get any better if I kept ignoring her. I pushed the button to hear what she had to say.

  “We received your message, dear. We’re sorry about your job, but it’s perfect timing. You know you’re expected to take your place here, in Hong Kong. Call me when you get this message, and we’ll make the arrangements.”

  Second message: “It’s Sheriff Jackson. I’m calling to let you know that Sasha Wilkes was released from custody. I told you I would call.”

  Third message: “It’s Sheriff Jackson. Again. I hope you are feeling…okay. Better I mean. You don’t need to call me back.”

  I ignored my mother. No way was I going to Hong Kong. I’d told them that repeatedly in the years since they’d left me here with Miss Charlotte and moved to the other side of the world. The mere idea was a non-starter. The sooner they accepted my decision, the better.

  As for the sheriff, I chuckled and proceeded to dial his number.

  “I said you didn’t need to call me back,” he said after pic
king up on the second ring.

  “Well, you could’ve just let it go to voice mail.”

  “Right. So, how’s your face?”

  “It’s fine. It will heal.” I gently patted my cheek. It was still sore.

  “Good.”

  “So…”

  “Andi, I’m not going to discuss the case with you.”

  “Why not? I essentially solved it for you.”

  His sigh was loud, and I had to suppress a chuckle. It wouldn’t do me any good to make him cranky. Crankier, I mean.

  “Okay, just tell me this…how did she get into the spa? It was locked, and there was no back door.”

  “With a key.”

  I frowned, and then it hit me. “Mick, the maintenance guy, gave her a key. He also was the one that set out the sign that the pool was closed.”

  “Yeah. Looks like she paid him pretty good. Found him on a bender on the mainland. Turns out he used to work for her dad years ago.” He cleared his throat. “I have to hang up now. Take care of yourself, Andi.”

  “I will.”

  “And stay out of trouble.” He ended the call.

  Chuckling, I set my phone down. The cats jumped up onto the sofa to get my attention. They likely sensed I needed the extra love.

  “So, what should we do today?”

  They both meowed.

  “You’re right. We should eat. I’m starving.” I got up and went to the little kitchenette. I put food into two bowls for the cats and then opened the refrigerator to find something for me. The shelves were basically empty. My stomach growled, reminding me I hadn’t eaten anything substantial in almost twenty-four hours. My options were to order room service or go down to the lobby and get something from the Lady Slipper Tea Room.

  A lot had happened in the past few days. I started a new job, found a dead body, and basically solved the murder. I’d been busy. I looked around at the emptiness of my suite and decided a walk down to the lobby would do me some good. I got changed, carefully combed my hair—my scalp throbbed something fierce—put it into a messy bun, then headed to the lobby.

  I passed the Chamber Crew along the way. They all stopped what they were doing and gave me a hug. Well, Nancy didn’t, but I figured she wasn’t much of a hugger.

  “We heard what you did,” Tina said. “You’re kind of a hero.”

  “Not a hero. Just doing—” I’d almost said “my job,” but instead I said, “what I thought was right.”

  “My dad said you’re not that bright, running into danger like that.” Megan snapped her gum. “But I think you’re cool.”

  “Well, thanks.” Was it stupid that my pride swelled at that a bit?

  I continued to the lobby and imagined that Nicole was manning the concierge desk. She’d probably give me the stink eye the moment she saw me. As I rounded the corner, I was delighted to see Lane standing behind the big desk. He smiled and waved at me. I waved back. He looked overjoyed to be doing the job, and I wondered if I was going to have to worry about that. It was bad enough that I had to worry about the illustrious Casey Cushing.

  Maybe I shouldn’t have asked for those days off. Lois wouldn’t do that to me, would she? She was turning out to be more cutthroat than I remembered her to be. What happened to the affable, loving mother from Kalamazoo who gave me silk pajamas with little puppies on them for Christmas one year? I was going to have to watch my butt around here. The hotel business was a lot more competitive than I’d assumed it would be.

  I went into the tea house and ordered two paninis, a small garden salad, and some Kombucha to go. As I waited, I opened the bottle of tea and turned around. It sloshed over the rim again, but this time, it missed the pair of shiny black shoes behind me.

  “You really should keep the lid on until you turn around.” Daniel gave a little chuckle, although the humor didn’t quite reach his eyes.

  “Good advice. I’ll take it into consideration for next time.”

  “I heard what happened.” He became somber as he regarded me. His gaze took in the scratches to my face. I’d forgotten to look in a mirror before I left the room. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I’m good. All in a day’s work.”

  He smiled. “Well, you’re one hell of a concierge.”

  “I like to think so.”

  “I’m heading back to the mainland. I saw you from across the lobby and thought I’d come say goodbye.”

  “I hope you enjoyed your stay at the Park Hotel.” I did a little curtsy. Which was really silly and over the top, but I was too tired and worn out to care much.

  He reached into his inner suit jacket pocket and pulled out a business card. He handed it to me. “If you’re ever on the mainland, give me a call.”

  “Sure.” I slid the business card into the front pocket of my pants.

  “Well, goodbye, Andi Steele.”

  “Goodbye, Daniel Evans.”

  He turned and left the shop just as my order was ready. Sighing, I grabbed my bag of food and went back to my room, shuffling my feet as I walked. I passed the corridor to the pool and spa and wondered if they’d opened both yet. I couldn’t imagine Lois would keep them shut now that everything had been cleaned and the murderer arrested. Maybe I would just go take a peek and make sure. Maybe there was something I could help with.

  Just as I was about to veer off in that direction, Ginny came around the opposite corner. “Andi? What are you doing up? I’d thought you would’ve slept all day.”

  “I got in twelve hours. That’s enough.” I lifted the food bag. “And I was hungry.”

  She had that knowing look in her eye, and I tried not to acknowledge it. I looked everywhere but at her. “You don’t know what to do with yourself, do you?”

  I shook my head. “No. I was just hungry.”

  “You could’ve ordered room service.”

  “Yeah but—”

  She swung her arm around my shoulders. “Tell you what. You can help me cook the family meal tonight at Mom’s cottage.” She steered me away from the pool corridor and back toward my room. “Every Tuesday night, we all get together and eat and check in with each other. It was something my dad started, so we continue the tradition.”

  “Would I be welcome?”

  “Yes. You’re like family. You always have been.”

  “Okay. I’ll be there.”

  Chapter 41

  At four o’clock, I arrived at Lois’s cottage. It was a picturesque white house with green trim. Flowers of all colors and varieties grew in abundance around the whole place. Before I went to the door, I turned and looked out at the view over the cliff. I took in a deep breath of fresh air and smiled.

  Despite the chaos of the past week, I was finally starting to feel at home here. I was still a fish out of water. But not quite so much the outsider. Maybe it was because of the chaos. Not sure. Ginny was likely right about me—I always had to be “into something.”

  As I thought about feeling at home, I remembered that I needed to write again to Miss Charlotte, give her the latest scoop—or at least parts of it. She wasn’t my nanny anymore, but I still felt closer to her than my own mother.

  The door behind me opened, and Lois stepped out. “Andi. I’m so glad Ginny thought to invite you.”

  “Are you sure it’s okay?”

  She opened her arms to me. “Of course. C’mon inside.”

  Ginny and I managed to put together a pretty decent meal of grilled whitefish, mashed potatoes, and side vegetables. My solo contribution was a blueberry pie, from a recipe I’d gotten from Miss Charlotte. Ginny set the table—Lois at the head, me and Ginny on one side, Eric and Nicole on the other. There was another place setting at the end of the table opposite Lois. It was where Henry had sat, and Lois insisted on putting a plate there to honor him. Ginny told me she did it at every meal.

  When we all came to the table, Nicole gave me a quick smile, and I could feel the animosity radiating from her across the fine linen and the serving plate of whitefish. As Lois passed t
he dishes around, she talked about how the week went at the hotel. Of course, the biggest topic of conversation was the murder of Thomas Banks and the arrest of Pamela Bower.

  Lois lifted her wineglass in a toast. “To Andi. If it hadn’t been for you, they would’ve arrested the wrong person for the murder.”

  Everyone lifted their glasses. Even Nicole, except hers was barely off the tablecloth. As she took a sip of the red wine, she mumbled around the rim. I heard her plain as day, “Yeah, by bumbling across evidence. Doesn’t take a genius to do that.”

  I smiled at her and resisted the urge to kick her under the table right in the shin with my pointy-toed shoes. “I’d like to thank all of you for opening your arms to me.” I looked over at Ginny. “Not sure what I would’ve done if Ginny hadn’t invited me to the island.”

  Nicole mumbled again with tight lips, “Get a job like everyone else.”

  “Well, we’re very glad you’re here,” Eric said and raised his glass.

  Nicole’s head snapped to the side, and she gave him the deadliest of looks. I suspected there was going to be a grand old fight in their future. I felt bad for Eric. He was definitely woefully unprepared for Nicole’s wrath.

  I put my attention back on my food, not wanting to be a part of that squabble. The food was delicious, the company, for the most part, warm and inviting, and finally my shoulders drooped, and I was able to relax. I was still going for that promised spa day, though. A good massage was just what I needed to knead away the rest of my anxiety. I looked around at my new “family” and thought everything was going to be fine. I would make this work. I would learn to be happy here and make a go at being a fantastic concierge. Thinking of Daniel, maybe I’d even spark a new relationship. A girl could do a lot worse than the handsome mayor of Frontenac City.

  While I was cutting the pie and putting pieces on plates, the door to the cottage opened, and an elderly man in a brown fedora walked in. He had a full head of white hair and trimmed white beard. His face had the familiar pert nose and full lips that Ginny possessed.