by Alex Clare
‘So you used your staff key-card?’
‘I knocked first but no one answered.’ His shoulders hunched again.
‘What were your impressions when you walked in?’
‘There was a funny smell.’ Eldon looked up, eyes unfocused. ‘I wondered if a dog had been in there. The chair was on the floor – I knew something was wrong.’ Tears were clinging to Eldon’s lashes. ‘Then I saw her. I thought she was drunk, lying curled up on the bed.’ He shook his head. ‘But then she saw me.’
‘What did you do?’
‘I didn’t know what to do.’ He blinked. ‘I offered to make her a cup of tea but she –’
‘Guv, there you are.’ Ravi appeared in the doorway, looming over Eldon. ‘You. Did you try to kill Shazia?’
Getting to her feet, Robyn banged her head on the slanting ceiling. Blinking, she took a step forward but the desk was still between her and Ravi.
Ravi’s hands clenched into fists. ‘I need to interview him!’ The silk of his olive kameez was rumpled, dark sweat stains showing under the arms. Eldon shrank back into the chair, the white handkerchief clutched in his hands.
‘Ravi, the only thing you should be doing is comforting your family.’ Robyn held her hands up, taking awkward steps around the desk, willing his attention towards her. ‘Have you heard anything from the hospital?’
A blob of dye on Ravi’s forehead was running with his sweat, ragged stripes of bright red above one eye and across his cheek.. ‘She might as well be dead.’ His voice became wet. ‘The air ambulance has taken her to a specialist neurological unit.’
Robyn was close enough to reach out and put her hand on his upper arm. She balanced herself, ready to respond to another flash of anger. The memory of Ravi’s horror when she had first appeared at the station as Robyn was still fresh. Now, his open distaste had calmed down – or he was just better at hiding it – but she didn’t want to provoke another reaction.
‘They said you were in here, Guv. Oh!’ Robyn heard acting DC Chloe Talbot’s voice but didn’t dare look away from Ravi. Before she could speak, Chloe had ducked around Eldon and took Ravi’s hands, turning him towards her. She tugged and Ravi almost fell forward into her arms, his height making her step back for balance. Chloe held him as he began to cry.
Robyn breathed out. For Ravi’s own sake, she was going to have to make sure he had nothing to do with the case. For the moment, she just needed to get him away from the witness and prevent a complaint. She edged forward to where she could catch Chloe’s eye. ‘Can you get him out of here? Lorraine’s in the Dove Lounge interviewing guests if you need help.’ She spread her hands. ‘I … Well, you know.’
Chloe managed a tiny nod. ‘C’mon pet.’ Her Yorkshire accent sounded stronger than usual. ‘Let’s get you out of here.’ With her left arm around Ravi, she took a small step back, then another, until they were side by side. ‘Get some fresh air.’ She moved forward until Ravi began moving with her. Keeping her arm around him, she manoeuvred them both through the door. Robyn pushed it shut.
‘I’m sorry, Mr Eldon.’ Robyn shuffled back behind the desk and sat down. ‘Go on with your story.’ The man was staring across the room. ‘Mr Eldon.’ The lined face swung back towards her. ‘So you went into the room?’
The man nodded once. ‘She ran away.’ His mouth opened, then closed. ‘Something awful must have happened because she was scared of me – I don’t understand how anyone could be scared of me? The balcony door was open. It was the only place she could go.’
His voice was so low, Robyn had to lean forward to hear.
‘When I got to the balcony, she was standing on one of the chairs.’ He blew his nose. ‘Then she stepped up onto the rail – I think I shouted something. I don’t know if she heard – she wasn’t looking at me, just gazing up into the sky.’ He closed his eyes, hand to his face. ‘Then she took another step.’
‘Did you touch her at any time?’ Robyn tried to keep her tone gentle. She was not getting any sense of a threat from this man.
‘No!’ Eldon’s eyes snapped open. ‘Is that what you think of me? I’ve been married forty-two years. I wanted to help but I was never within six foot of her.’
‘We will need to verify your –’ Robyn paused as the door opened.
‘Sorry, officer, I need to check details for a booking tomorrow.’ The manager slid into the office, eyes flitting over the scene.
The irritation building inside Robyn found an outlet. ‘You don’t seem to realise this is a criminal investigation and by barging into an interview, I could charge you with obstruction. But, as you are here, I will interview you next.’ Robyn tried to classify the look flashing across Lawrence’s face: his eyes had widened, mouth forming into a little ‘o’. ‘That’s all the questions for now, Mr Eldon. I’ll call a constable to take a DNA sample for elimination purposes and your clothes for analysis.’
Watching the manager hovering over Eldon while she waited for Lorraine to answer her phone, Robyn wondered why he irritated her so much. ‘I will also need all your staff personnel files.’
The manager adjusted his tie. ‘Of course, of course. I trust you are now convinced of Keith’s innocence?’
‘Hi, Guv.’
‘Hi, Lorraine. Could you send someone to take Eldon’s clothes and samples, please?’ It didn’t look as if Eldon was listening but the manager was hanging on Robyn’s every word while he fussed through the huge bunch of keys hanging from his belt. She put the phone down.
‘Officer, is this really necessary?’ The keys rattled as they slipped out of Lawrence’s hand. ‘Keith is one of my best employees. He’s worked here nearly five years – he was pensioned off from his previous job because of a heart condition, you know, so he doesn’t need this level of stress.’ Lawrence’s voice was rising. ‘He’s reliable, conscientious and the idea of him hurting that girl is ridiculous. Look at him!’ He waved his hand towards the hunched figure in the chair.
‘This is in his interest because, by taking samples from his clothes, we will be able to confirm whether we need to arrest him or not.’ Robyn had to keep reminding herself Eldon was there. ‘You were getting the staff files.’
‘Oh, yes.’ Lawrence blinked then spread the bunch of keys. ‘We choose our staff very carefully, officer. Most have been with us at least a year.’ He opened a drawer and began piling files on the corner of the desk.
Robyn skimmed over the covers. ‘Yours doesn’t seem to be here.’
‘You want details about me?’ The manager’s hands adjusted his tie: it looked like a reflex action.
‘Yes, please. We need to look at everyone who had access to the room.’
‘But I report directly to the owner.’ Lawrence looked as if this settled everything.
The sense of being hemmed in was making Robyn fidget. She was assessing whether the manager’s shiftiness was down to guilt or the challenge to his authority. ‘Then I will need your full name, date of birth and contact details.’
The clock in the hallway chimed once. The manager stepped back. ‘I’m so sorry, officer. I have a call right now with the golden wedding party booked for tomorrow but I shall be back in no more than twenty minutes. I shall send a colleague in.’ He turned towards the door.
‘You have to answer my questions.’ Robyn raised her voice to Lawrence’s back. His hopes of leaving were ruined by Donna’s solid appearance in the doorway.
‘You’re in a hurry, sir.’ With Donna blocking the exit, the space felt even smaller.
Lawrence turned back. ‘Officer, I feel like I am under suspicion.’
‘Everyone in this hotel is a suspect and if you continue to be less than co-operative, you will attract more suspicion.’ Robyn smiled, enjoying his discomfort. ‘Lawrence, we suspect a potential rape in your hotel and will do what is needed to investigate.’ A sudden buzz of talk intruded and Robyn remembered the door wasn’t shut. She got up and looked over Donna’s shoulder, seeing the two receptionists standing right outside. S
he could only see Jade’s back but across Sophie’s face was a look of mingled shock and delight as if she had found out a secret.
Taking a deep breath, Robyn turned back to the room. She needed to keep her temper. ‘Donna, could you take samples from Mr Eldon and we’ll need his clothes.’
‘Yes, ma’am. This way, sir.’ Donna’s brisk tone brooked no argument.
‘Hang on. Doesn’t he even get a male officer? This is double standards.’ Lawrence folded his arms.
‘He will be treated appropriately. Now, you said you were busy, so let’s get on.’ Robyn bent to be near Eldon’s ear. ‘Mr Eldon, please go with my officer.’ From the way the old man started, Robyn wondered if he had dozed off. Donna indicated the door, he stood and allowed himself to be led out. Robyn shut the door, checking the catch. When she turned back, the manager was sitting in his chair, leaning far back in the seat. She bit back her comment and walked around to perch on the corner of the desk, feet almost touching his, looking down onto him. Lawrence shifted in his seat, pushing it back from the desk until it hit the back wall. She guessed he was no more than thirty-five but the thinning hair and deep lines on his forehead belonged to someone older. ‘How do you keep track of your staff when they have access to all of the rooms?’
‘Why do you keep blaming my staff?’ Lawrence banged his hand on the armrest. ‘No one had any time to spare because we were all rushed off our feet. Everyone apart from Sophie and Keith were helping in the kitchen or the ballroom because the clients were rather, well, exacting in their requirements. We didn’t stop.’
‘They kept you busy then?’ Robyn leaned back a little, giving him more space. ‘It must be really stressful running these big events. Such a weight of expectations. We’re lucky – nobody expects the police to provide the happiest day of their lives.’
The manager’s shoulders relaxed a little. There was even a hint of a smile as he nodded.
‘So this party was very demanding?’
‘It’s been a nightmare. You know it’s a mixed wedding? The groom is white, the bride is Indian. So it all sounded lovely, incorporating the best of the Christian and Hindu traditions. In fact, each side had their own ideas of what they wanted and kept contradicting the other. One of the bride’s uncles kept demanding the cost of everything and cancelling bits because he said he could “get it cheaper”.’ Lawrence mimed the speech marks. ‘A whole load of decorations only turned up at ten o’clock this morning because of some dodgy deal he’d done. They didn’t believe my chef could cook curry, so we had to install outside caterers in the car park.’ He shook his head. ‘I don’t think we’ve made a penny on the day and now this.’
Robyn had been nodding throughout, to show she understood. Now Lawrence had started, it looked like it wouldn’t be difficult to keep him talking. ‘What about the guests?’
‘Bang on the stereotypes, both ways.’ Lawrence’s laugh was without humour. ‘The white guests were getting drunk, loud and aggressive. The brown ones didn’t drink but were complaining about everything.’
‘Who became aggressive?’ For the first time, something seemed worth following.
‘It started with the groom and the ushers.’ The manager rolled his eyes. ‘They were the first here and went straight into the bar, insisting we serve drinks. When I refused, one of them climbed over the bar and started pouring pints himself.’ He shut his eyes. ‘At nine-thirty. When other guests were having their breakfast.’
‘Go on.’
‘And then the fun really started.’ The manager gripped the chair arms. ‘When I insisted the man signed for the drinks, he just wrote “Axeman”. Next, he played some prank on the groom. He’d replaced the wedding rings with jelly ones.’
‘How did the groom take it?’
‘Badly. He started having a go at the best man for letting go of the rings. Then there was panic as the bride’s ring really was lost because it had fallen out of this idiot’s pocket when he’d climbed over the bar. I thought another usher was going to punch him – there were children there!’ Lawrence closed his eyes for a second. ‘I had to call all my staff to hunt for the ring while these oafs were shouting and swearing at each other. The language was terrible.’
‘What about the two families. Did they seem to get along?’
‘Oh, God.’ The manager began laughing. The sound had a hint of hysteria. ‘They had nothing good to say about each other apart from the ushers saying what they fancied doing to the bridesmaids at the top of their voices.’ His eyes widened. ‘Do you think …?’
‘We will consider everything. Did you see who said this?’
‘I was dashing past.’ Lawrence’s eyes lost focus for a second. ‘No, I don’t know which one said it, they were all clustered at the bar.’
‘Is there anything to stop someone walking off the street and going up to a room?’
Lawrence sagged back into the chair. ‘Anyone passing through the lobby would be seen by reception and recorded on the CCTV cameras in the corridors which also cover the rear exit to the car park.’
‘We will need the footage.’
‘Yes, yes, I’ll get someone to give you a link to the website. It’s all stored somewhere,’ he flicked his hand, ‘in cyberspace.’
‘If you think of anything else, can you let us know?’ Robyn stood up, allowing him to leave. ‘Could you give me a couple of minutes, then send in the receptionist who was on duty at the time?’
‘You must get this resolved quickly, officer. The Lady Ann is the best hotel in Meresbourne.’ Lawrence gripped the chair’s armrests. ‘We have a reputation to maintain.’
4
Alone in the office, Robyn skimmed through the files of the staff on duty. One of the porters was on a final warning for taking food from the kitchen and there was an ongoing investigation of a missing laptop. She was looking through Eldon’s file when the door opened and the younger receptionist shuffled in. Brown smears of foundation showed on the collar of her dress where her skin bulged over the neckline. She sank into a chair and began playing with the charms on her bracelet.
‘Good afternoon.’ Robyn paused: there was no acknowledgement. She shuffled the woman’s file to the top and scanned the front page. ‘You’re Jade and you’ve worked here part-time for eighteen months.’
The girl’s face flicked up towards Robyn for a second, then down again. She had been crying. Robyn gave up on small talk. ‘What can you tell me about this afternoon?’
The girl took a shuddering breath. ‘106 phoned down complaining so I sent Keith up. I didn’t know it was Shazia.’
‘You know Shazia?’ Robyn picked up her pen.
‘We’re at college together. Tourism and hospitality.’ Burying her nose in a tissue, Jade sniffed. ‘Is she going to get better? I’m the first aider, I went out there because a passer-by said someone had fallen – I thought they meant tripped over.’ The tears were coming again. ‘She was lying on the pavement, blood everywhere and all I had was plasters.’
‘That must have been horrible, when you realised it was your friend.’
‘I held her hand.’ One sob, two. ‘I didn’t know if she could hear me. Just told her to think about the beach bar she wants to run.’ A deep, shuddering breath. ‘Will Shazia be OK?’
‘She’s been taken to a specialist unit.’ Robyn paused to let this sink in. ‘Had you spoken to her today?’
‘She messaged me a picture of her outfit but I hadn’t seen her yet.’ Jade gazed down into her lap. ‘When I got here, I ended up being stuck helping in the kitchen because this place isn’t managed properly and there aren’t enough staff.’
‘Can you think of any reason why Shazia might want to harm herself?’
For the first time, Jade looked Robyn in the face. ‘No way. She had plans. Couldn’t wait ‘til college started again, to get her life back. Said it was so unfair she wasn’t allowed to get a job in the holidays because it meant she had no money. That’s why she was studying tourism so she could go and work abroa
d somewhere away from her family.’
‘Do you know if she had a boyfriend?’
‘What’s that got to do with anything?’ Patches of red blotched across Jade’s neck. ‘Is this to do with what you said earlier? A girl gets raped, so it’s her fault because she sees boys?’
‘No, I –’
‘Just typical. Shazia is the victim here and you’re acting like it’s her that’s the problem.’ Jade stabbed the desk with her finger. ‘You didn’t see her when they took her away. She looked like a bizarre doll, all beautiful in her green sari and this huge weird head, bandaged up where they were trying to keep her brain in.’ Jade buried her face in her hands.
Waiting until the girl quietened, Robyn wondered whether it was worth trying to explain what she’d meant. ‘We are taking this very seriously. That’s why we have to ask questions, including those that don’t seem fair. Can I go on?’ She took silence for an assent. ‘You said she wanted to get away from her family. Can you tell me what you meant?’
‘They’re really strict. Wanted to know who she was with, that sort of thing.’
‘Did you get any sense of Shazia rebelling against her parents?’ Robyn braced herself for another potential outburst.
Jade wiped her eyes, frowning at the make-up on her hand. ‘She wasn’t oppressed or nothing, like they wanted her to do well at college, be a credit to the family. Just she had to be back by nine o’clock and stuff.’
‘Did you see Shazia go upstairs?’
The girl shook her head. ‘I’d only just got out to reception. The call was the first thing I did.’
‘And what time was that?’
‘Dunno.’ She was not wearing a watch. ‘Probably like half past two, after the music had started anyway.’ Jade’s head tilted to one side. ‘It really seemed like nothing big.’
‘So you told Keith Eldon to go up.’
