Dead in the Water_A fun and fast-paced private investigator cozy mystery/beach read

by Rose Pressey

  Dorothy and I rushed into the hotel lobby. We stopped in our tracks when we realized how quickly we had burst through the door, looking like we were crazy.

  “Oh, there he is,” I said, gesturing with a tilt of my head.

  The guy stood at the front desk talking to the woman behind the counter. He obviously had no clue that we had followed him in here. I guessed he thought he’d lost us. He’d have to try a lot harder than that to get away from me. I didn’t recognize him.

  “Have you seen this guy before, Dorothy?”

  “Never seen him,” she said.

  One thing was for sure—I was certain that he had been following us. When he’d seen us looking at him he had taken off. That meant he was guilty.

  “I don’t want him to see us in here because then maybe he’ll go to extra lengths to keep us from following him,” I said.

  “Good thinking, Maggie,” Dorothy said.

  “We’ll have to find a place to hide,” I said, surveying our surroundings.

  “In the lobby?” Dorothy asked.

  “It’s the only way.”

  Dorothy was right. There weren’t many places to hide except for a few sofas and chairs. There was a big column across the room in front of us, but it was all the way over by the elevators. That would be too risky.

  “What about that rack with the clothes and luggage?” Dorothy pointed.

  “Well, I guess that’s the best we can hope for.” I grabbed Dorothy’s hand to bring her with me.

  We rushed toward the rack all the while I kept my eye on the man to see if he looked over and saw us. Dorothy and I squatted down behind the rack. I moved some of the shirts so that I could have a peek at the guy standing at the counter. I hoped the owners of the luggage didn’t come to claim their stuff.

  “It looks like he’s getting a room,” Dorothy said.

  “What’s taking him so long? We need to follow him,” I said.

  “Just as long as we don’t let him get away,” Dorothy said. “I worked too hard to find him to let him slip out of my hands.”

  Someone cleared their throat from behind us. When Dorothy and I peeked over our shoulders a man wearing a black suit stood behind us with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

  He narrowed his eyes as he eyed us up and down. “Exactly what do you think you’re doing?”

  “I was just admiring this beautiful blouse here,” I said, pointing to a pair of slacks.

  He quirked an eyebrow. “I don’t believe that. Exactly what are you doing? Do you have a room in the hotel?”

  I could’ve made up something, but I would probably have to produce a room key as proof that we were actually hotel guests.

  “We were just going to check in.” I gestured.

  “All right, that’s enough of this. We don’t want any trouble here. We don’t rent rooms by the hour so if you’ll kindly leave now.” He looked from me to Dorothy and frowned.

  “Exactly what are you insinuating?” I asked, placing my hands on my hips.

  He grabbed me by the arm and led me around the clothing rack toward the door.

  “Hey, get your hands off her,” Dorothy said as she followed us.

  He took Dorothy by the arm and walked both of us outside of the hotel. I didn’t even get a chance to see if the guy was still at the desk or if he had witnessed this whole embarrassing scene. I couldn’t believe that we were being escorted out. Now we’d have to find a way to get back in.

  “Kindly take your hands off us,” I said as I yanked my arm away.

  Once we were on the sidewalk, he released his hold on us.

  “Don’t make me call the police,” he said with a warning shake of his finger.

  He turned around and headed back inside in the hotel. Once there he stopped, turned around, and glared at us. I was still standing there in disbelief.

  “Did he think we’re ladies of the night?” Dorothy asked.

  “I do believe he did,” I said.

  Dorothy laughed.

  “This isn’t funny, Dorothy. We have to find a way to get back in there. Do you have any ideas?”

  “Well, not off the top of my head, no. You have to give me a moment to work my genius brain.”

  “Our chances of finding that guy are now close to none. He’s probably already away from that desk and in his room by now,” I said. “We could knock on every door.”

  “You said that would take a while. Plus, how would we get back again? That manager would probably blow his top if he caught us again.”

  “We have to think of more ideas.”

  “Just one idea would be good if it was a good idea,” Dorothy said.

  “Yeah, well, at the moment, I’m completely blank,” I said.

  Chapter 16

  “There’s only one thing we can do, Dorothy,” I said.

  She raised an eyebrow. “And what’s that? I’m almost afraid to find out.”

  “We have to get back inside.”

  “How do you suggest we do that?” she asked me with her hands on her hips.

  “We’ll go to the back entrance, wait for someone to come out and then slip right in.” I gestured.

  She chuckled. “Oh, it’s just that easy, right?”

  I took her by the arm and we walked down the sidewalk. “Well, I think so, yes.”

  When we reached the end of the building I looked around as if I thought someone would watch us sneaking around to the back and call the police. No one was paying attention to us at all. Then I thought what if they had hidden cameras and that manager was watching from inside? He was a thorn in my side. Why was he being such a headache? I just wanted to follow one of his customers, no biggie.

  We moved around the side of the building and turned to the left. We were directly behind it now.

  “I hope this works,” Dorothy said.

  It was surprisingly quiet there. There were no other people back there. That was a plus in our favor.

  “Now what?” Dorothy asked.

  “We’ll just wait on the other side of that door. When it opens we’ll do something.”

  “Oh, well, that’s a great plan. We’ll do ‘something.’” Dorothy wiggled her fingers, making air quotes.

  “It’s kind of like a wait-and-see kind of thing. It depends on who comes out, how they open the door, blah blah blah.”

  “Yes, blah blah blah is right. That’s all I hear coming out of your mouth.” Dorothy mimicked my mouth movements with her hand.

  I frowned. She was being completely frustrating right now. Nevertheless, we pressed our backs against the brick building and waited.

  “This could take a long time,” Dorothy said around a sigh. “I’m thirsty and it’s hot.”

  “Oh, you’re thirsty, are you?” I asked. “What? That bourbon didn’t do it for you?”

  She fanned herself. “Maybe that did make me a little flush. Perhaps I should cut back on that.”

  “Maybe so,” I said. “Considering you’re not used to that kind of thing.”

  She chuckled. “What’s that supposed to mean? I’ve had a few bourbons in my day.”

  “Maybe one too many,” I said.

  “You’re nothing like your Uncle Griffin, that’s for sure,” she said.

  “I am a lot like him, minus the drinking. And that’s a good thing.”

  “Yes, I suppose you’re right about that. God bless his soul.”

  Now wasn’t the time for me to get all weepy. Uncle Griffin would want me to push through with the job and get it done. And that was exactly what I planned to do. Just then the door opened. I momentarily lost my breath as the adrenaline kicked in. It was now or never.

  A man stepped out from the back and headed toward the Dumpster. I caught the door before it shut. Dorothy and I hurried inside before the guy ever knew what had happened. We were in the hallway that led down to the first-floor rooms. I had no idea what to do, but we couldn’t just stand there and act all awkward when the employee came back in.

  A small roo
m with an ice machine was to the right. If we jumped in there we would pretend like we were getting ice until the employee walked by. It would give me a chance to think of my game plan too because I really didn’t want to knock on every door. That would never work. Plus, it wasn’t as if I could go to the front desk and ask which room some random man stayed in, considering I didn’t even know his name.

  Chapter 17

  “As soon as the hallway is clear we’ll head down to the first door that we come to and knock.”

  “We will?” Dorothy asked with a raised eyebrow. “We can’t knock on every door. That’s crazy. We’ll surely get caught. They probably have cameras in the hallways. If that manager sees us, we’ll be arrested.”

  “What are you worried about, Dorothy? We’ll be fine,” I said.

  “This was all your idea coming in here anyway.”

  “But you backed me up, Dorothy. You came with me.”

  “A mistake on my part. Listen, I have an idea,” she said.

  “Please let it be a good one.”

  “We’ll talk to another employee. Somebody that’s not so mean. We’ll ask them about the man. We’ll give the employee the man’s description and tell them that I’m his grandmother and that I can’t remember anything. I’m old, they’ll believe it.”

  I stared at her for a moment. “You know, that might just work.”

  “I have to use my age to my advantage,” she said.

  “All right. Now we just have to find an employee.”

  Just then I spotted the manager. His back was to us, but I recognized him right away. He hadn’t seen us yet, but nonetheless, panic raced through me.

  I grabbed Dorothy by the hand. “We have to hide.”

  We were like trapped mice in a maze, unsure of where to turn next.

  “We’ll go back down to the room with the ice machine,” I said.

  Dorothy and I rushed to the tiny room and slipped inside. I tried to catch my breath as I leaned against the wall. I needed to peek around the corner to see if he’d found us. I poked my head around the corner. He was nowhere in sight.

  “Is he there?” Dorothy whispered from over my shoulder.

  “No, but he could be lurking anywhere, ready to pop out at us,” I said.

  How did he know we weren’t really guests anyway? I could’ve been telling the truth. He hadn’t even given me a chance to produce a key card. How rude of him. Dorothy and I stayed in that little room, practically in a panic and wondering if the manager would pop up and find us. I really didn’t want to be escorted out right again. I listened for footsteps but heard no sounds.

  “Maybe he’s not coming,” I said.

  “Probably not,” Dorothy said.

  “I think it’s clear for us to head out.”

  Just as I let out a deep breath and started to calm down just a bit, I heard the footsteps. I knew it was him. I could tell by the shuffling of his pants. I’d heard that distinctly when he was escorting us out of the building. It was forever in my mind and I’d never forget. Now my panic had returned. Dorothy and I exchanged a look. Her eyes were as big as saucers. Bracing myself for what was about to happen, I couldn’t let it end this way. I had to make one last fight before being tossed out.

  A door was across the room, but I had no idea where it led. Based on the position of the building I figured it must be a closet. As I rushed over Dorothy zipped in front of me. She yanked the door open. I was glad it wasn’t marked emergency.

  “Why did you do that?” I asked.

  “Sorry, I got a little excited,” she said.

  As I suspected it was a closet with just cleaning supplies like brooms. But it was a perfect space for Dorothy and me to hide. I motioned for Dorothy to follow me inside the little room. I closed the door and prayed that we wouldn’t be discovered.

  “What are we doing in here?” Dorothy whispered.

  “We have to hide.”

  Before I had a chance to say anything else footsteps sounded. They grew closer and I knew he was in the room. He paused. I was almost sure he was in the room. I was holding my breath and praying Dorothy didn’t sneeze. I knew the cleaning supplies would set off her allergies. What was he doing? Would he open the door to find us? After a few more seconds the footsteps sounded. The sound diminished. He was leaving the room. At least I hoped he was leaving. He could just be trying to trick us. After a few more seconds I eased the door open just a crack. So far, so good. I released a deep breath and opened the door the rest of the way. Dorothy and I were once again alone in the room. I paused at the door and then peeked around the side of the door. He wasn’t in the hallway.

  “It’s all clear, Dorothy.” I motioned for her to follow me.

  Dorothy and I practically tiptoed down the hallway. We needed to find the employee that we’d seen. As we made our way down the hall, I noticed one of the room doors open. When we walked past we spotted the employee inside the room. We made eye contact and she smiled.

  “Excuse me,” I said.

  She walked over to the door. “Yes? May I help you?”

  “I’m trying to help this lady.” I gestured toward Dorothy. “She seems to be in a bit of distress. She’s looking for her son.”

  The woman looked to Dorothy.

  “She can’t remember the room number.”

  Once again, she focused on Dorothy.

  “Maybe you’ve seen her son and would know which room he’s staying in. Or you could possibly find out for us.”

  If she wanted Dorothy to go to the front desk with her then we were in big trouble. There was no way we could let that happen. I had my fingers crossed that this would work.

  “There are a lot of people staying at the hotel. I’m not sure that I can help you. But I know if you go to the front desk I would be more than willing to help.”

  I was afraid she would say that. Now I had to explain why we couldn’t go. There was really no explanation.

  Without warning Dorothy started crying. “I don’t know how to do that. My son handles these things. I can’t remember my name.”

  “Oh, no. She’s upset,” I said. “Aren’t you, ma’am?”

  Dorothy dapped at the invisible tear in the corner of her eye. “I don’t think I can go out there and ask the hotel staff. I’d be too embarrassed.”

  I wasn’t sure if Dorothy’s act would work. One thing for sure was that it was definitely risky.

  “Do you remember what floor you’re staying on?” the woman asked.

  Dorothy shook her head.

  “I think she said the man is tall with dark hair. He wears sunglasses on the top of his head all the time.”

  That was an odd description. The woman got a strange look on her face.

  “Actually, I have seen him. I know which room he’s in. I’ll help you, but don’t tell anyone, okay? I don’t want to get in trouble.”

  “Oh, I’m sure you won’t be in trouble. We won’t say a word,” I said.

  “Follow me. It’s just right down here,” she said.

  Now that we were headed for the man’s room I had no idea what we would do. Would I knock on the door and confront him right there? Yes, that was probably the best idea.

  The employee led us down the hallway and stopped in front of room one thirty-six. “It’s right here. I’m sure if you just knock on the door your son will be happy to see you.”

  “Thank you,” I said. “We really appreciate the help.”

  She stared at us for a moment longer before turning and walking away. I believed she might have had some doubts about our story, but nonetheless it was over now. As long as she didn’t tell the manager we were safe.

  When the woman walked away Dorothy said, “Now what do we do?”

  “We’ll talk about your performance later, but I was thinking I’ll just knock on his door and confront him.”

  “I’m not sure if we should do that.”

  “We’ve come this far. You went through all of that award-winning performance and now you’re gonna
tell me we shouldn’t do this?” I asked. “Plus, we’re out here arguing in front of a door. This is kind of weird.”

  “It could be dangerous. He could have drugs in the room,” Dorothy said.

  “There’s two of us and I have my gun in my purse. I think I can handle it.” I tapped my handbag.

  “All right, if you think that’s best. I’ll back you up,” Dorothy said.

  Just as I raised my hand to knock, movement to the left caught my attention. The man we were looking for came out of another room.

  “That was a lousy thing to do. She gave us the wrong room number,” Dorothy said.

  Thank goodness the man didn’t look in our direction. He hadn’t seen us. And with any luck we’d be able to keep it that way.

  “What do we do now?” Dorothy asked.

  The man was walking down the hallway toward the lobby area. Now I couldn’t follow him without him being aware of it. He’d go into the lobby and then disappear out the door. I’d never catch up with him. We’d been told to stay away from the lobby, but what other choice did I have than following him out there? I would just have to take my chances and go for it.

  “We have to follow him,” I said.

  “Are you sure about this?” Dorothy asked.

  “No, not really, but we’ll try. We’ll just walk into the room like diving into dark water. Not knowing what we’ll encounter.”

  “I don’t like swimming in dark water,” Dorothy said.

  “Best-case scenario we follow him without a problem.”

  “What if the manager sees us and calls the police?” Dorothy asked. “I can think of more worst-case scenarios if you’d like.”

  “That won’t be necessary,” I said.

  We were playing a cat-and-mouse game with the manager and I didn’t want to participate any longer. Dorothy and I rushed out into the lobby. I scanned the area as we moved toward the door. As the guy walked out on the sidewalk Dorothy and I were close behind in hot pursuit.

  He didn’t know we were back there and as long as we kept it that way we’d be able to follow him. Although I wanted to confront him. I’d like to know more about what he was up to and following him seemed like the best way to do that. This could be totally unrelated to the case or it could be something that would crack it wide open.