Last Resort of Murder (A Lacy Steele Mystery Book 9)

by Vanessa Gray Bartal

  “I don’t know,” Riley said. “I fed her, burped her, changed her, and she won’t stop crying. She does this every night. Usually Tosh takes her for a while, but his evil spawn sisters made sure that won’t happen, so I’m on my own. I’m so tired, Lacy. I’m so, so tired.”

  “Let me take her for a while,” Lacy said. She expected Riley to argue, but she didn’t. She gently thrust the baby into her arms and stumbled toward the bed.

  “She’ll need to eat again in a few hours. Come and get me.” Riley fell into bed and was almost immediately asleep.

  Baby Lucy, however, showed no signs of sleeping or of calming down. If Lacy didn’t get her to hush soon, she would wake everyone else in the room, or maybe the hotel. She grabbed a blanket and a key card and walked out of the room.

  As soon as they were in the hallway, Lucy stopped crying. The light in the hallway illuminated Lacy’s face, giving the baby something new to look at. She peered up at Lacy with rapt fascination as if trying to memorize and catalogue her features.

  “That’s right, my hair is red. Get used to it, soak it in,” Lacy whispered. She wondered if the fire was still burning in the great room and headed in that direction. No one was out and about, but that was fine by her. She was still wearing the pretty green dress from last night, only now it was crumpled and sweat stained. Her hair must be a mess, but with only a baby to see, it didn’t seem to matter so much.

  They reached the great room and, much to Lacy’s delight, found the fire still burning. No one was there to feed it, but it looked strong and healthy. Maybe Nordic fire elves sneaked in at night to keep it going.

  She chose a seat close to the fire and arranged Lucy’s blanket over them both. Even with the fire’s simmering warmth, she was chilly. Maybe because her dress was sleeveless and sweat had dried on her skin. Her stomach was feeling better, she noted with relief. The illness had passed—along with everything she had ever eaten—leaving a pleasant sort of emptiness in its place. She was thirsty, but that could wait. For now she was enjoying the bonding time with her niece.

  The baby began to drift to sleep. Lacy used the time to study her face. She saw bits of Riley and a little of Tosh and some of what was solely Lucy. “Pretty girl,” Lacy cooed. “You’re so loved.” She kissed the soft, sweet-smelling little head. Being around a baby always had a Grinch-like effect on her body—her uterus swelled two sizes that day. Her rational mind told her she was in no way ready to be a mother, but her body had other ideas and began beating out a staccato rhythm. Ba-by, ba-by, ba-by, ba-by. Whowantsababy?Whowantsababy?Whowantsababy? Ido!Ido!Ido!

  “Easy there, sister,” Lacy told herself. “We’re light years away. Enjoy this baby; you can give her back.”

  The baby-wanting hormones were flooding her body, though. She could tell because she could no longer summon the memory of Riley’s horrific labor and delivery. At the time, she had vowed to never have a baby. But why? Babies were so magical and they smelled so good.

  No, stop it. You’re not ready for a baby.

  But look at her. Smell her. That’s it, sniff the baby. Keep sniffing. Doesn’t that smell good? You want one, don’t you?

  “I’m going to need a baby-vention if this keeps up,” Lacy said. “Snap out of it, woman. It’s the devil magic working on you.”

  She took a few deep breaths, trying not to let the intoxicating aroma of sleeping baby fill her nostrils. When she opened her eyes, Jason was crouched beside her chair. Was he real or had her overheated hormones conjured his image to taunt her?

  “Were you talking to someone?” he whispered.

  “The baby,” Lacy said. She leaned forward and kissed him. He was real all right, and his timing couldn’t be worse. She had the mad desire to hold up the baby and say, “Want dis? I know how to get one.”

  “Do you want to hold the baby?” she asked.

  “I’d rather hold you,” he said. She stood. He sat. She nestled in his lap, repositioning Lucy more comfortably. The baby didn’t stir. Lacy rested her head on Jason’s chest. She was a mess, but the lights were dim. Hopefully he didn’t notice.

  “What are you doing up?” she asked.

  “I went for a run.”

  “Aren’t you skiing today?”

  “Yes,” he said.

  “Oh,” Lacy said. She kept a careful debit system of her calorie intake and output each day. She did exactly as much as it took to burn off the calories and never more. Doing two athletic events in a day on purpose had never occurred to her.

  “How are you feeling?” he asked.

  “Great,” she said. “Much better than yesterday. I’m definitely up for skiing.”

  They sat in cozy silence for a while, the only sound coming from the pop and crackle of the fire.

  “This is all I wanted from this weekend. You and me and time,” Jason said. “I feel like we never see each other, not really. Between your job and my job and everything that pops up between. It’s crazy.”

  “I’m sorry,” Lacy said.

  “I wasn’t blaming you,” he said.

  “But it’s my family, they’re the ‘everything that pops up between.’ They’re the crazy ones.”

  “This one’s not crazy,” Jason said. He rested his hand lightly on Lucy’s head, dwarfing it.

  “No, she’s perfect,” Lacy said. They stared at the baby, admiring her flawlessness. It was easy to pretend they were a family, that Lucy was their baby. Lacy wondered what Jason was thinking. Was he freaking out? Did he feel pressured?

  “Riley is exhausted. I don’t think you sleep much when you have a baby. We’re seeing the highlights,” Lacy said to dispel any notion that she was getting ideas.

  “Hmm,” Jason said, giving away none of his thoughts or feelings.

  When it came down to it, when she actually thought of moving forward with Jason, of taking the next step, of marriage and children, she did feel those little bubbles of panic in her gut, as if she had swallowed an un-dissolved Alka-Seltzer.

  “She smells good. Or is that you?”

  “Definitely not me,” Lacy said.

  “Okay, I’m ready to hold her,” he said.

  Lacy shifted the baby to him. He held her with one arm, and the baby still looked tiny. His other arm was around Lacy. She was pressed close against him, within easy reach of his neck. She pressed her lips to it.

  “Are you actively trying to torture me now?” he asked.

  “Mm,” Lacy said and continued her advance.

  “Lacy,” he said warningly. Her hands were free. How best to use them?

  “Lacy, the baby peed through her diaper, and my shirt is soaked.”

  “Well, that’s one way to dampen the mood. Do you want to take a shower?”

  “Yes, but I don’t think your parents would approve.”

  “Do you want to shower in your room, and I’ll shower in my room and we’ll meet up after?”

  “Yes.” He handed her the baby who was beginning to stir. She yawned and one tiny fist rose high in the air.

  “Look at her. Makes you think, doesn’t it?” Jason said.

  “Makes you think what?” Lacy asked.

  They paused outside her door. He looked caught, as if he hadn’t expected her to expound on anything. “Uh, that babies are people who, uh…”

  The baby squealed. Riley opened the door, bleary eyed, and reached for the baby. “Breakfast time.”

  Lacy handed her over. Riley disappeared inside and the door closed. “Now, what were you saying?” She turned back to Jason.

  “That I think you’re swell, and I’ll meet you back here in twenty minutes. Is that enough time?”

  “Sounds perfect,” Lacy said. All she had to do was shower and rub salt on her armpits. Her hair she wound into a loose bun. She would deal with it later. Her stomach rumbled, alerting her to the fact that she hadn’t eaten anything but green swill since yesterday morning.

  “You look cute,” Jason said when they met up in the hallway a short time later. “How hung
ry are you? Because I was thinking that we never got around to finishing our conversation from earlier.”

  “Which conversation?”

  “The one that started with your lips on my neck,” Jason said.

  The door opened and Frannie poked her head out. “I thought I heard voices. You kids going to breakfast?”

  “We’re going to tour the resort first,” Jason said. He took Lacy’s hand and led her away before Frannie could offer to tag along.

  “We’re touring the resort?” Lacy said.

  “This place is huge. There has to be an unused supply closet somewhere.”

  “A supply closet? Fancy.”

  “Desperation can make a man do crazy things, Lacy.”

  “What kinds of crazy things?” Lacy asked.

  “I’d be happy to show you,” Jason said. He tried a door. It led to a conference room. He closed the door and backed out.

  “What was wrong with that place?”

  “Security camera in the corner.”

  Ten minutes later, on the other side of the resort, after trying more than a dozen doors and finding most of them locked, they found an unlocked supply closet, but it wasn’t empty.

  When they opened the door and turned on the light, a body lay sprawled on the floor.

  Chapter 7

  “It’s Jill.”

  “Who is Jill?”

  “The mean trainer. Do you think she’s asleep?” Lacy went toward her, hand outstretched.

  “Stop,” Jason called.

  Lacy froze, her arm reaching toward Jill who was obviously dead. “She’s smiling.” At least she died happy, Lacy thought. She was also bright red. It looked like she had died laughing.

  “That’s not a smile,” Jason said. “Do you smell that?”

  Lacy surreptitiously sniffed one of her armpits. Had the salt failed so quickly?

  “Almonds,” Jason supplied. “Do you smell almonds?”

  “Sort of,” Lacy said, although her nostrils were still filled with the scent of Lucy and all the untimely hopes and dreams of motherhood.

  “I think she was poisoned. Do you want to stay with the body or do you want to go for help?”

  “Go for help,” Lacy said. There was no way she wanted to remain with the grimacing corpse of Jill any longer than she had to. She shuddered thinking about it.

  She jogged to the front desk, trying to push the image of Jill’s grinning red visage from her mind. Though she hadn’t smelled any almonds, she knew the scent indicated poisoning.

  When she rounded the corner, she came face to face with the employee who had found her in the bathroom the night before. Flustered, she blurted the first thing that came to mind.

  “There’s a woman on the floor.”

  His well-manicured eyebrows arched. “There’s a woman on the floor,” he repeated, although his words were slower and more defined. It was clear to Lacy that he thought she was playing some sort of game wherein she relived their meeting from the night before.

  Yes, come see! She’s in the bathroom with her fanny in the air. Remember how we did it last night? So fun! Let’s recreate the magic, only this time bring a camera. She forced herself to take a steadying breath and begin again.

  “Jill, the trainer, has expired in the storage closet. She’s bright red and smiling.”

  If possible, the brows rose even higher.

  “Jill is bright red and smiling,” he said.

  “Stop repeating the things I say. I’m trying to tell you a woman is dead.”

  “I see,” he said. His hand slid stealthily toward what Lacy assumed was a panic button.

  “You don’t have to push that. Come with me, and I’ll show you,” she said.

  “I’m going to stay right here,” he said, enunciating each word for the benefit of what he assumed was her deranged mind. “Will you stay right here with me for just a minute? That’s a good girl.”

  Lacy leaned against the counter, suddenly weary. She would say that the men in white jackets were coming for her, but here everyone wore white. She gave up trying to explain to the desk clerk and waited instead for his backup. A minute later two bulky men in white t-shirts showed up.

  “What seems to be the problem, ma’am?” one of them said. He kept a safe distance and one hand on his hip. There was no gun, Lacy noted with relief, but she glimpsed a spray can she assumed contained pepper or mace.

  “Jill, the trainer, is dead.”

  The men looked at her, then at each other, then the guy behind the counter who, Lacy had finally learned, was named Derek. Derek shrugged and tilted his head at her, the fancy resort way of winding one’s finger around one’s ear.

  “My boyfriend is waiting with her,” Lacy said.

  “Your boyfriend,” Derek said, making sure she knew there should be air quotes around the word “boyfriend.”

  “Please, if you’ll come with me this will all be cleared up. What do you have to lose by following me?” she said.

  “We’ll follow you,” one of the men said, his tone irritatingly placating.

  Lacy stalked in front of them, leading the way. Pettiness was coming at a terrible time, a woman was dead after all, but she couldn’t wait to show them what for and prove she wasn’t crazy.

  They reached the storage closet. She paused dramatically, reached for the handle, and threw open the door, barely resisting the urge to say, “So there!”

  She was turned to face the men, so it took her a minute to process their non-reaction. Finally she spun toward the room and saw an ordinary, if somewhat dusty, supply closet. A bucket was in the middle of the room, the mop lying perpendicular across the floor.

  “That’s a mop, ma’am,” one of the men said.

  “I know that’s a mop,” Lacy snapped. “I’m not insane.” Although it this point sanity was looking like a dim memory. She took a step back and mentally retraced her steps. “Wait a minute, I think I took a wrong turn. It’s down that hallway. I have a terrible sense of direction.”

  “Sure, that’s what’s wrong here,” one of the men couldn’t resist saying.

  Lacy suppressed a sigh, retraced her steps, and tried another hallway. This time she found the right room. When she opened the door, Jason stood against the wall writing something on a small piece of paper.

  “Whoa, geez,” one of the men said. Though there was clearly no point to it, he knelt beside Jill and pressed his fingers to her neck. He would have done more, but Jason held him back.

  “Don’t touch anything else. Did you call the police?”

  “No, we thought, uh…” He broke off, glancing at Lacy.

  “He thought I was crazy,” Lacy couldn’t help volunteering. Since the resort had a strict no cell phone policy, they had to wait while one of the men radioed the front desk and asked Derek to call the police.

  “Is she giving you that much trouble?” Derek’s voice sliced through the stillness.

  The man turned away to answer, but Lacy could still hear him. “No, there really is a dead body. Just call the police, Derek, and then call the manager on duty.”

  After finally being summoned, the police arrived quickly. Jason and Lacy stood aside to give statements, both verbal and written.

  “Why did you open the door to the supply closet?” one of the officers asked.

  “A self-guided tour of the facility,” Jason said.

  The officer nodded as if this made perfect sense and wasn’t suspicious at all. Now that Jason was doing the talking, people were treating them with respect. She knew for certain that if she had given the same answer, she would have been scrutinized and probably laughed at. Was it because she was a woman? Or did she give off an air of instability? She chose to believe the former.

  At last they were released to eat breakfast. The rush was on now, and they had to wait for a table. Just as they were seated, Sven rushed up to them, arm outstretched.

  “There you are, Joan. I’ve been looking for you.” He turned to Jason, obviously waiting for an introductio
n.

  “Sven, this is my boyfriend, Rick,” Lacy said. Jason blinked at her in surprise. Wait for it, she tried to tell him with her expression.

  “Nithe to meet you. You know the old thaying: any friend of Joan’th ith a friend of mine.”

  Jason nodded as he shook Sven’s hand, and Lacy knew the nod was for her benefit.

  “I don’t know if I want to drink this,” Lacy said. She stared at the concoction still in Sven’s hand. “Last night I felt a little bit unwell.” And Gigli was a little bit of a bad movie.

  “Thith ith thomething different. Bethideth, what did I thay? You’re thuppothed to trutht me, no quethtionth.”

  Lacy took the drink and downed it. It tasted like chalk. Her gaze fell longingly on the menu. “What am I allowed to eat this morning?”

  “You jutht ate it,” Sven said. “If you’ll exthcuthe me, I have to go find Jill for our morning meeting.”

  “Uh, Sven,” Lacy called before he could go too far. He paused. What did she say now? They hadn’t seemed close, but it couldn’t be easy to learn your coworker was dead, especially when she had been murdered.

  “Yeth?”

  “I don’t know how to say this, but Jill is gone.”

  “Gone where?”

  Lacy licked her lips and glanced at Jason, willing him to jump in anytime. He was busy staring intently as Sven, though. He was wearing his cop face, and that was when Lacy realized he viewed Sven as a suspect. Sweet Sven who was like a giant, blond, lisping teddy bear. Surely Jason didn’t suspect him.

  “Jill died,” Lacy said.

  Sven gripped the edge of the table. “What? How?”

  “The police are looking into it,” Jason said. “What time did you get off last night?”

  Lacy wanted to kick his shin for the abrupt question, but Sven didn’t seem to notice.

  “Right after I finithed with Joan,” Sven said. He sounded distracted. “I can’t believe thith. Jill wath tho young and had tho much to live for.”

  “Can you think of anyone who might have had reason to harm her?” Jason asked.

  “What? No. Thee wath a wonderful perthon,” Sven said. “Exthcuthe me, I need a minute.”

  He walked away from the table and Lacy turned to Jason. “What was that about? Have you been drafted onto this police department?”