"Thank you. Now we can rule out Shelley, I want to talk to Lauren and Amelia again. Maybe Joe too. Until I know the identity of the woman I saw him with, and find out why he lied, we can't rule him out as Katya's murderer. He was in the right place at the right time; plus, she's still our mystery woman. She could be connected."
"I agree."
"I love it when that happens."
We rode the elevator silently, stepping out onto the top floor opposite Large and Larger. Neither moved from their usual watchful positions in front of the elevator, but Large nodded to us. As I placed my foot on the carpeted corridor, a scream pierced the air.
Solomon and I took one look at each other and broke into a sprint towards the furthest suite. Behind us lumbered Large and Larger.
Solomon burst into the suite ahead of me, his arm protectively holding me back. Naturally, I slipped under it, expecting to see a corpse. Instead, Shelley, Amelia, Lauren and Joe all stood frozen in the room and each one of them was alive and breathing.
Lauren looked up first. Holding out an envelope, she said simply, "We got another one. Another blackmail letter."
~
Solomon and I sat with Joe in Joe's suite. It took an hour to calm down B4U with each of them unable to coordinate their hysterics with the other band members. Amelia started first, flapping her hands and shrieking that she wanted to get a new hotel, then just as she calmed down, Lauren started in, claiming someone was out to get her. Finally, just as we assured her — and probably not correctly — that no one was out to get her right now, Shelley screeched, “What about me?”
Finally, we took the letter and slipped out of the room, leaving Joe to orchestrate a cool down. We huddled at the end of the corridor near the housekeeping closet.
"Let's look at the good news," said Solomon. "The blackmailer still thinks there's money to be made."
"I need to show you the dictionary definition of 'good news'," I snipped, reaching for the letter.
Solomon laughed, flashing a perfect set of white teeth. "The good news," he continued, "is that the blackmailer doesn't think the murder is a reason not to pursue the primary goal: cash."
"Um... yay?"
"Also, we can rule out Katya as the blackmailer."
"She's still dead!"
"It also tells me that the murderer and the blackmailer probably aren't the same person."
"How? Murderers need money too!"
"Look at it this way... A murderer would want to lie low. He wouldn’t want to attract attention that could bring the police to his door. This blackmailer isn't thinking that way. If he knows about Katya's murder, and I'll bet he does, he thinks that not only is everyone’s attention diverted, but also that the band will be scared enough to pay up quicker."
I took another look at the demand for fifty thousand dollars, a price tag that was far higher than any of the other demands. "It's a big payday."
"It's a final payday," decided Solomon.
"Yeah, looks that way," I agreed, "but what makes you think there's any 'if' about knowing about Katya's murder? Montgomery never had so much media attention. They know."
"Even better. While everyone is looking for the murderer, we can focus on smoking the blackmailer out."
"We?"
"We," Solomon said firmly.
I slid on a latex glove and reached for the envelope, turning it over. The three remaining band member's names were printed in computer type on the outside. It was also not postmarked. Whether there were any fingerprints was a matter for our lab guys. I returned the envelope to the plastic baggie Solomon produced and picked up the letter. The message got right to the point.
Shelley, Lauren, Amelia.
Remember, I know all your secrets.
None of you are safe.
Only Katya's secrets are safe.
$50,000 in 24 hours and you'll never hear from me again.
Ignore this and your secrets will be revealed.
The account details were printed below, but unfortunately for us, there was no return address or signature. Either was too much to hope for. Solomon was right though; this was a final blackmail note and our final opportunity to catch our perp.
"Doesn't the bit about Katya sound like a threat to you?" I asked.
"I think it's supposed to. Wouldn't it make you want to pay up?"
"Yep," I agreed, taking another look at the ominous print, "but I'll need a pay raise. Do B4U have fifty thousand dollars?"
"I think that's irrelevant. They've paid enough to keep their secrets safe. We've got twenty-four hours left before their secrets might be spilled to the world."
"Nothing like pressure to focus a person," I said and Solomon nodded slowly. "I asked the security guards if anyone came onto the floor in the couple of hours before the note was found and they both said no."
"I've been looking into your idea about secret passageways. They don't show up on the blueprints I was given, but I'm convinced the plans don't match up to the rooms. If someone else knew the passageways were there — and we go with the theory that someone else snuck onto the floor, unseen, to kill Katya — then the blackmailer could know about them too. That could be how they were able to place the letter in Shelley and Amelia's suite without being seen."
"That theory just makes it sound even more like the blackmailer and killer are the same person."
"Or it makes it sound like two people know about the secret passageways."
"If that's the case, who's to say there isn't someone standing in the walls, listening to everything we say right now?" Even as I said it, a cold chill ran down my spine. I wondered if that's how B4U felt with their every move being watched. It was a creepy thought, and made even creepier in that Solomon and I both froze. I, for one, was listening for anything in the walls, but all I could hear was my rapid heartbeat. "Can we find this passageway before I give myself a heart attack?" I asked, while trying not to chew my lip or throw myself into Solomon's lap.
"You got it," said Solomon in a low voice. I wondered if he wanted to throw himself in my lap. I wouldn't have said no. Well, not for a while. "Let's get the access route to the suites closed off as a matter of priority."
"If you want, we could hold hands," I suggested.
Solomon gave me a doubtful look. "Scaredy-cat."
"That's got nothing to do with it!"
"Really?"
"Hardly anything to do with it," I muttered.
"Are you sure?"
"Mmm-hmph," I whimpered as I sidled up, almost pressing myself against him. He stuffed the blackmail letter and envelope into his jacket's inside pocket. There was a lot to be said for being brave, but I preferred to be honest enough to admit the idea of someone creeping around behind the walls was pretty scary.
"Let's start in Shelley and Amelia's suite since we can be sure the blackmailer got in through the tunnel there."
"Yeah, and Shelley definitely got out of her room somehow when they locked me in."
Shelley and Amelia had already vacated the suite by the time we got there, along with Joe and Lauren. That made it a lot easier to crawl on the floors of the living room on our hands and knees looking for openings. I could just imagine their faces if they watched. As I plucked a thick shard of glass from under the credenza, I could quite easily imagine, had Katya been alive, what fragile object she would be using to throw at us at that moment. I could easily imagine her stepping over me, or even on me, to get to Solomon who currently lay prostrate, next to the wall, sectioning Shelley's room from the living room.
"I don't know why I'm lying here," he said after a long moment of me frowning at him. "I know there's no secret passageway in this wall because the doorway is too thin."
"I did wonder."
"You didn't say anything."
"I was enjoying a moment of superiority."
"Do you want to enjoy some filing later?"
"Only if that's a euphemism."
"Let's check inside the bedroom."
I winked as Solomon
rose. "I knew that was a euphemism but... in someone else's bedroom? Solomon!"
Solomon laughed. Wrapping an arm around my shoulders, he guided me into the bedroom and over to the bed, pressing lightly so I sat. "Take it easy. I'll crawl around the floor."
"Mind the..." I started, but Solomon had already tripped over a stray shoe before righting himself.
"What a dump," he said, shaking his head. "Where's housekeeping?"
I looked around the room, noting the smaller number of items draped over the furniture and strewn across the floor. All the drawers were shut and the bed was made. "I think they've made up the room already. This is clean compared to when they locked me in here."
"If I ever have a daughter, I'll make sure she knows how to tidy her room." Solomon moved over to the doorway and ran his hands gently across the wall.
"A daughter?"
Glancing towards me, he shrugged. "Or a son. I don't mind."
"So long as they're tidy?"
"Tidiness is important. Kids need boundaries and discipline."
I planted both hands on the bed as I fixed him with a confused look. "Huh."
Solomon stopped. He ran his hands down the wall towards the floor, then began to move them around, pausing as his fingertips drummed back and forth across a vertical portion of the wall. "I think I found something. A concealed doorway. This the right place for one too."
I crossed the few paces towards the wall and crouched next to him. "The pile of the carpet is ruffled here, and again here," I said, pointing to where the carpet met the baseboards.
"That's consistent with a door opening. I don't see any obvious handles. Maybe the entry mechanism is concealed." Solomon got to his feet, moving toward the lamp on the credenza. "Look for any kind of lever or..."
I leaned against the panel and pushed. The doorway slid backwards on well-oiled hinges.
"...Or feel under the furniture for a button or a trigger of some kind. Maybe there's a... oh! How did you get that open?"
"I pushed." I concealed my smug smile by biting the insides of my cheeks.
"Cool." Solomon stepped through the doorway, turning back to face me. Just as he did, the door began to close. He shifted his shoulder against it and pushed back. Seconds later, a light flickered on. "There's a light switch here," he said, "and the door is on a timer. Must be so housekeeping won't forget to close it behind them."
"So where does it go?" I asked.
"Let's find out." Solomon took my hand and led us forwards as the overhead lights flickered on ahead of us. Behind me, the door closed.
"There's a little hole in the door," I said, stopping to peer at it. "Like a spy hole."
"Must be so housekeeping can check the room is empty before they enter."
"Or so they can spy and hear secrets," I countered.
"If all the blackmail notes arrived here, I would agree with that theory and start looking at hotel employees, but the blackmail started way before the band got here. Look, here's another spy hole. I'm guessing, but I think this is Katya's room. Put your gloves back on." Solomon pulled on a pair of latex gloves before pushing on the door, which slid backwards. We stepped into the room and Solomon pressed something on the electronic panel inside the passage. "There's an option to keep the door open until it's manually canceled," he explained. "I've seen this model before."
I walked around the room, being extra careful not to touch anything. As far as I knew, it was still a crime scene, and having never had any cause to be in Katya's bedroom, I didn't want to add the notion that I was in it. I figured that was why Solomon prepared us with latex gloves. "This is Katya's room. These framed photos are hers and I recognize that leather jacket. And those heels. They aren't even in stores yet."
"How'd Katya get them?"
"Could only have been a gift from the designer."
"Why would they do that?"
"B4U are huge. If they're seen wearing something new, it sells out in hours."
Solomon frowned. "Really?"
"That's celebrity. If B4U wears it, their fans want it. Katya might even have been paid to wear the brand in an endorsement deal."
"How much is that worth?"
"The sky's the limit."
"We're in the wrong business."
"You want to be paid to wear a high heels? There are definitely people who will pay for that," I said, barely holding back my laughter.
"I like those cute ballet pumps you wear sometimes."
"They don't come in your size."
"Would you like another pair? In another color?"
"Yes, in all the colors."
"Show me the ones you want and I'll get them for you. They look comfortable and easy to balance in."
"Said no women ever when picking shoes." I reached for the door handle and pulled the door open only to find myself at eye level with a gun barrel. I slammed the door shut. "Solomon! Gun!"
The door was flung open and the gun poked through. Solomon grabbed his gun and aimed. "Put down your weapon!" he yelled.
"Put your weapon down!" yelled the other man.
"Maddox?" I yelled over them.
"Lexi?" Maddox sighed. "Solomon?" He holstered his weapon and rolled his head back. "I could have shot you."
"Unlikely," said Solomon, lowering his own gun.
"I feel left out. Should I point at something when I stop hyperventilating? Maybe my finger while I shout at you?" I asked Maddox.
He looked chagrined. "Sorry."
"What are you doing here anyway?"
"I just got here and was looking over the crime scene when I heard someone moving around in Katya's room. Since I just left her room, I knew no one was in there. You two spooked me! How did you get in there anyway?"
"Secret tunnel," said Solomon casually, like he used one every day.
"You'd better show me."
Solomon inclined his head as he turned away. "This way."
We trooped after Solomon, the three of us entering the tunnel. "That way is Amelia and Shelley's suite, where we entered," Solomon said, pointing back the way we came.
"What about this way?" asked Maddox.
"We haven't gone that far yet."
"Let's go."
The passageway continued for several meters before we stopped. "Here's another exit," said Solomon, his voice soft. "I can see Joe Carter in his suite and the band."
"Keep going," replied Maddox equally softly.
We continued silently, reaching a dead end. "Let's go all the way back," Solomon said.
Without space to pass each other, we turned around. Now that I was in front, I could see the long tunnel stretching ahead of me. The lights flickered out and my heart pumped faster until I was sure it must have been audible to the two large men behind me. The lights popped back on, revealing no assailants, which was fortunate since I was the only one without a gun. I decided I'd just duck if it came to a shooting match.
"Sorry about the lights. They must be on timer or some kind of sensor too," said Solomon. "Lexi, go all the way to the end, past Katya's suite."
We retraced our steps along the length of the passageway, counting the exits to Joe's suite, Katya's room, past Shelley's, and finally exiting into the housekeeping closet. "This tunnel could conceal anyone who wants to move around this floor unseen," I said.
"And all they have to do is get into that elevator and leave," said Maddox. "Why did no one tell me about this? I spoke to the hotel manager and the security team."
"We only just found out," I told him, deciding to skip over the moment my suspicions started. "I suspected there was a secret door somewhere, but not as extensive as this. That could explain how Katya was killed and no one saw a thing after Lauren left the room."
"It also doesn't rule out any member of the band, or their manager as the blackmailer. Or anyone who could have found out about the passage," said Solomon as he pulled out his cell phone and hit a button. "Delgado, get someone up to the band's floor. I need a guy to monitor a secret door. Yeah, a sec
ret door. Now."
"I'm going to fingerprint," said Maddox, grabbing a kit from his pocket.
"You just happen to keep that on you?" I asked.
"I have all kinds of emergency stuff in my pockets. Penknife, string, notepad and pencil, gum..."
"You're a regular Boy Scout."
"What do you have in your pocket?" he asked.
"A manicure loyalty card."
"Solomon?" Maddox asked.
"Yeah?"
"What do you have in your pocket?"
"Seriously?" Solomon faced Maddox, his face impassive. That, I knew by now, was his version of stony.
"Seriously."
"Get fingerprinting."
Maddox gave me a little eye roll and stepped back into the passageway, reaching for the lights. A moment later, the door slid shut behind him. I ran my hand around the doorway, impressed at how well concealed it was. I couldn't even see the lights that I knew must be on the other side.
"We should get the band's fingerprints for comparison with anything Maddox finds," I said. "Perhaps you could ask him when you're feeling politer?"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"The way you just spoke to him!"
"How?"
"He was just making a joke, and you cut him down."
"We're here to solve a blackmailer running into tens of thousands of dollars that ended in a murder."
"That's not Maddox's fault, so there's no need to be an ass."
Solomon raised his eyebrows. "Did you call me an ass?"
"I'm going to step outside for some fresh air," I decided. I knew how easily this could become an argument and I didn't want to participate, so instead I turned towards the hallway, walking right into Amelia as I stepped out of the small room.
"What are you doing in here?" she asked. "Isn't that the housekeeping closet?"
"Following a lead," I told her. "But I'm glad I ran into you. We need to take your fingerprints."
"What for?"
"We're checking the fingerprints in the rooms and on the envelopes and letters," I lied, "and we need to take yours for comparison."
"The police already took them when they found Katya."
"We need some too."
"Well, sure. No problem," Amelia agreed. "Anything I can do to help, but I guess my fingerprints are on everything. I think I touched all the letters."
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