“If the alien’s that smart Justin Jameson, I’m all on it.” Suzette preens with the hot lime-green suit. You know he wasn’t really drunk, but he went along with the other guys?”
“What would he do that for?” I wonder out loud. “We could have used more eyes on the ground last night.”
“He didn’t want Al and Dillon to be railroaded by that city cop,” Suzette says with a spark in her eyes. “He told me he’s self-studying to be a lawyer.”
“He is the smartest of the bunch,” I admit. “But he’s a lot of bragging and no hat. Irresponsible.”
“Let’s get dressed,” Rosalie says. “Tami, you need to borrow anything?”
“I’m not going to wear a mask,” I reply. “After what happened last night, I want to be around in case anyone needs me.”
“You can be yourself, Tami. Add a cowgirl hat and be a sheriff’s wife.” Suzette pulls a ten-gallon hat from her dresser and puts it on my head. “There.”
“Oh, and borrow this badge Larissa left on her nightstand.” Rosalie pins a toy sheriff’s badge on my shirt pocket. “She got it from her Bigfoot as a souvenir.”
“You mean she undressed him before running off with him?” Now, I’m starting to wonder if she and Todd had a make out session before they both disappeared. Did they take a detour to his cabin to change clothes? If so, does he have her stashed there? How can it be if he practically asked me to marry him? “This is too weird.”
“Not really,” Suzette says. “I’m sure she won’t mind you borrowing it.”
“Okay, then, let’s get dressed and made up.” Rosalie unzips her jeans and steps out of them, then pulls on a pair of leather lace-up pants.
Suzette shimmies into her neon-green jumpsuit and laces up her thigh-high iguana leather boots. I touch up my makeup and make sure my hair looks great underneath the cowgirl hat.
“We still have some time before the trick or treating.” I give them a cue that I have to leave them. “I need to speak to the maids about room cleaning.”
“Okay, wait up.” Rosalie slips on her fur-trimmed ice-age booties. “We promised ourselves not to let you go anywhere alone.”
“Right, we heard some say you’re the murderer,” Suzette lets out. “But we know you’d never do something like that. I mean, you hate blood, and you wouldn’t want to break a nail.”
“Poison would be more your style,” Rosalie chimes in. “I love the way you named the tea canisters.”
“Earl Grey Ghost, High Tea Hemlock, Deadly Darjeeling,” Suzette rattles off.
I can’t get away from Ma Belle’s Tearoom fast enough. My friends have no idea what happened in that barn so many years ago, and they think it’s a spot of fun to joke about poisoned tea. It’s too bad Ma Belle was so prominent at the Bee Sting, and Evan insisted we couldn’t leave her out.
I wonder if he knew.
“Anyway, I don’t have much time to make sure everything’s in place for the Trickvenger Hunt.” I rush out the door, followed by my two buddies, still talking about poisoned tea.
“You two heard anything about the black cat that haunts this place?” I deflect them with a new topic of speculation.
“I’ve seen him,” Rosalie exclaims. “He’s so black it’s hard to see him.”
“He’s not really black.” Suzette huffs. “He has white fur that’s stained black.”
“Or he got into the flour bin,” Rosalie counters. “Tami, you’ve been close to him. Wasn’t he the one who led you to Viola?”
“He seemed black to me.” I stop one of the maids with her trolley. “Just wondering if anyone cleaned Baja Angel’s Studio downstairs.”
The maid checks her log and shakes her head. “No one’s staying there. I was wondering why you didn’t rent the room when we’re overbooked.”
“No one moved in? Then I need to mark it as available.” I take out my master key and fly down the basement stairs, trailed by my two HEX sisters.
Sure enough, the room doesn’t look like anyone moved in. It’s too bad Chip is such a bad witness. He was probably used by Diana solely to be her alibi.
“What does this mean?” Rosalie asks on my left side, while Suzette struts on my right, tugging my arm. “Can either Rosalie or I have that room if we get lucky tonight?”
“Urgh!” I stop midstride and rattle my fists. “Can’t you two think of anything other than scoring guys?”
The both blink at me like innocents begging for candy, so I add “My hotel is not a hookup spot.”
“For horny hexy haunts,” Suzette finishes for me. “We get it.”
“We understand, and we’re sorry for asking,” Rosalie relents. “I mean, we’re so happy to be here for your grand opening.”
“Right, and so lucky you’re our HEX sister.” Suzette hugs me ever so sweetly. “Hey, we’re just happy to have you with us tonight for a late-night tea party.”
“I mean, if Larissa comes back, we can all sit up and tell ghost stories,” Rosalie says happily.
“Or compare notes. Tee, hee, hee,” Suzette giggles. “It’ll be a regular slumber party.”
“Just like old times.” Rosalie gives me a hip bump.
“Okay, okay, okay.” I jiggle the key. “You guys coordinate amongst yourselves if you get lucky.”
“It might be you and that sheriff.” Suzette wiggles her eyebrows.
“Not likely.” I head toward the stairs after Rosalie takes the key. “Can’t let a good room go to waste.”
“Meow.” A cat brushes by me and disappears into the gloom of the basement.
“It’s Spook, the black cat,” Rosalie says. “See? He’s so black I can’t see him.”
“I thought I saw white paws,” Suzette argues. “Let’s follow him.”
The cat leaps up onto a pile of boxes and debris and then disappears over the bricked up partial wall that hides the coal bin.
“Where’d he go?” Rosalie asks. “Does he live over there?”
“Probably not. Let’s see if he shows up in the kitchen.” I don’t feel like staying a second longer down in the dingy basement, and I regret having a studio set up down there. Maybe I can let Vinnie live here so he can watch the grounds better.
“Why would he show up in the kitchen?” Suzette asks. “Isn’t it unsanitary to have a cat mixed up with the food?”
“As long as they keep the service door closed,” I reply, ascending the staircase. “Or he’s a scavenger in the dumpster. Come with me, and I’ll show you something.”
There’s still roughly an hour before the trick or treat event, and I need to make last-minute checks with my staff. I’m also planning on calling Todd for an update on the murder investigation, and I can’t have my two nosy HEX sisters listening in.
They follow me eagerly out the service exit to the loading dock where the dumpster is located. The crime scene tape has been removed so the staff can use it.
“Are we to look for clues?” Suzette asks, running ahead of me toward the dumpster.
“Yes, maybe something the police overlooked,” Rosalie says, giddily trotting after her.
I can almost see two toddlers pushing and shoving to get to the merry-go-round.
“Meow, meow.” The black kitten scampers from the top of the dumpster and streaks around the corner to the gap between the walls.
“There’s a secret passageway back there.” I point to where the cat disappeared. “I’m too fat to squeeze in there and Todd’s too large, but maybe you two can find something.”
“We’re on it.” Rosalie pulls her battle axe from her back holster.
“I wish my light saber really works,” Suzette says, flicking on the pulsing blue light.
Before I can tell them to be safe, they squeeze themselves between the two parallel wall segments and are gone, each shushing the other, but both too loud.
Shaking my head at how cute they are, I turn around and run into Todd.
Thirty-One
~ Todd ~
“What are you up to?”
I spot Tami pushing her two ditzy friends toward the secret passageway. I also notice Tami’s wearing the toy sheriff’s star I lost from my costume, but I’ll ask her about it later.
“Oh, Todd!” Two spots of color highlight her cheekbones. “How’s your uncle? Is he okay? Did you catch Diana? How’s Chad’s head injury? Not too serious, I hope.”
Her excitement bursts from her big heart, and it’s a lot of what I like about her. I hold her shoulders until she stops chattering. “Everything’s okay, but aren’t you going to give me a kiss first?”
A nervous smile brightens her face, and she folds herself into my arms. “I always like kissing the sheriff. Is this official police business or a personal visit?”
“The kiss is personal.” I love the touch of her lips and the way she gives me an extra nip at the end. “Okay, then to answer your questions. My uncle is recovering. They’re putting in a stent, and he will be resting in the hospital a few days. Chad is fine, just a bump on the head, and he’s planning on coming back tonight.”
“That’s great.” She gives me another kiss, sweeter than the last raunchier one. “And Diana?”
“Caught her.” I can’t help puffing out my chest. “She’s in the holding cell right now, but we don’t have the pickaxe. She denies taking it, and it turns out she has no alibi, since my uncle doesn’t remember when he returned to his room.”
“Did she confess to the murder?”
“No, but we impounded Viola’s car, and the crime scene unit has gone through it. They found notes from Diana to Viola disputing some of her findings. There’s also a reminder in Viola’s paper planner about collecting a fee for service.”
“Wow, so she totally has a motive. Did she ever pay?”
“The note didn’t say who she was collecting from, but assuming it’s Diana, we have enough to start investigating her as a suspect. We can get a warrant for bank and phone records. The judge will do the warrants but agreed not to show up this weekend for bail hearings, so she’s going to be spending the night in jail.”
“This takes a load off my mind.” Tami jiggles my arm. “Does that mean you get time off to have dinner with me?”
“I’ll be on call, but yes, Shane will be on duty in town, and I’ll keep an eye here. I’ll be in uniform, though.”
“I love you better in uniform than in that furry costume.” She wrinkles her nose as if there was an odor and points to the badge on her chest. “How did Larissa get ahold of this?”
“Must have been while we were dancing.” I rub my jaw, wondering.
“This means she came back to the room before leaving with the guy she’s hooking up with.” Now, Tami’s sounding like a police investigator. “Her friends assume she’s with Bigfoot, but me and you know that’s not the case. It’s not Chad, so who would she have gone off with?”
“She could have gone with one of the campers.” I take off my hat and smooth down my sweaty hair. “Do we have time to worry about her?”
“I like to get every last detail.” Tami leads me through the service entrance, and we cut through the kitchen and go toward the lobby. I notice Neil is not at the concierge counter.
“I’d like to talk to the female concierge who was here this morning.”
“You mean Shelly? She wasn’t here last night.” Tami introduces us.
“Nice to meet you again.” I take out my notebook. “Did anyone check out while you were here?”
Her eyes dart to Tami, and she says, “Mr. and Mrs. King left this morning, and an out of town couple arrived a few minutes ago to take their place.”
“Who were they?” I ask.
“Dave and Jen Jewell.” She touches her computer’s touchscreen. “They’re from San Francisco.”
“Dave and Jen are potential investors,” Tami explains. “He’s CEO of Mississippi.com, and she’s chairwoman of the board. I’m sure they have nothing to do with Diana.”
I give Tami a nudge with my knee, because I don’t need her interrupting when I’m on police business. “I won’t disturb them. Why don’t you print out everyone who checked in and out from the grand opening to present time?”
“Can we do that?” Shelly’s eyes bug out as she turns to Tami.
“Yes, it’s a police investigation.”
We wait for the printout, and I take it with Tami to her office in the control room and shut the door.
“Looks like Diana checked in but never moved into Baja Angel,” Tami says, tracing her finger on the printout. “This isn’t going to help us.”
“Looks like Bonnie and Clifton left shortly after lunch.”
“They left without saying goodbye? I hope she’s okay.” Tami takes out her cell phone and calls.
I only hear a part of her conversation while I peruse the rest of the list. Nothing jumps out.
Tami wishes her friend well and hangs up. “Apparently, Bonnie and Clifton drove back to the city. They want to do the ghost hunt with Evan again at the Tower of Reeds. It’s supposed to be up on top of the rotating bar with a three-hundred-sixty-degree view of San Francisco. How will I ever compete with that?”
“You have atmosphere here. I’m sure once this hotel takes off, you’ll have plenty of fun things to do for all seasons.”
“We’re snowed in up here half the year.” Tami plops down on her padded leather chair. “People don’t start coming until after Memorial Day weekend, and Spooky Fest is the last draw. Everything after that is locals.”
“Locals like to have good fun, too.” I take off her cowgirl hat and lay it on the table so I can stroke her long, silky hair. “You can do a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, create a Christmas wonderland with sleigh rides and cross-country skiing, and a honeymoon resort for winter getaways.”
“If the haunted ladies don’t drive everyone away.” She wipes her eyes. “Bonnie said the sound effects and holograms were a little too much. Somehow, even though she got the Goldilocks Suite, she heard a baby cry all night. She also said there were thumps on the wall, and the sounds of fingernails scratching as if trying to get out of a coffin. Clifton thought he smelled pipe smoke and heard a rustling sound slide across the ceiling.”
“It could all be their imagination, or maybe Evan and Molly took the sound effects to an extreme.” The last thing I want for my peppy Tami is to be discouraged. “It’s the cloud of Viola’s death that’s hanging over our heads.”
“Doesn’t that doom this venture? I mean, my friends, Cait and Brian, cancelled their reservations, and now, Bonnie and Clifton left.”
“There are still the Jewells,” I point out. “Anyway, your HEX sisters are having a ball.”
“True, but it isn’t like Larissa not to be bragging about which hunk she bagged.” She picks up the printout and looks it over. “It can’t be any of the Drunk Tank guys because you had them in jail. Chad and Randy are accounted for. Do you remember which of the Vice Squad was around?”
“Corny and Johnson gave their statements. They also validated Paul’s statements of who was at the bar during the fireworks.”
Tami scrunches her nose and rips her fingers through her hair. “This is so confusing. We need to make a chart of everyone and where they were.”
“This isn’t your job,” I counter. “Shouldn’t you be out there getting ready for the trick or treat scavenger hunt?”
“I’ve got time. Everyone’s still saying Larissa went with Bigfoot. I wonder, Todd, where did you leave your costume?”
I catch the suspicious tone in her voice. She’s wondering if I stashed Larissa as my personal sex slave and told her to keep quiet. “At my cabin, but Larissa wasn’t with me by then. I’d already ditched her at the dance and spoke to you near the dumpster where you ripped off my mask.”
“I’m suspecting Larissa left before or during the ghost hunt. She didn’t show up for it, and I remember Suzette saying it was something she couldn’t wait for. She texted her with no answer.”
“So, you’re saying I’m the last to see Larissa?” My mouth tw
ists, and I shake my head slightly.
“Pretty much.” She beams up at me with inquiring eyes. “Not that you’re holding her in your cave for sex all day since you’ve been investigating.”
“Then she’s not with me or any of the guys you’ve seen today.”
“True, true.” She taps her lips with a pencil and grabs a pad of lined paper. “I’m going to figure out who was where at what time. I’ll put a line for Bigfoot.”
“What for? No one knows I’m Bigfoot, and the murderer is using Bigfoot as the one to blame. They planted the mask in Evan’s room and had Larissa lie that she’s with him.”
“Unless there were two Bigfoots running around,” Tami says. “We have to check all the video feeds, and I don’t trust anyone but me and you.”
“The crime scene unit down the hill is analyzing the feeds and photographic evidence.”
“That’s to prepare for a trial,” Tami says. “I’m afraid someone was working with Diana, and if they’re still on the loose, something bad might happen tonight.”
“Someone is trying to pin it on Evan by using the mask,” I concur. “Why?”
“Bad business deal gone south?” She writes names and draws lines to create a table. “I’m glad Evan isn’t connected to the murder. He certainly wouldn’t have wanted to implicate himself by planting the mask. Besides, he took off after the fireworks show to go to his next gig.”
Her relief bothers me, and my muscles tighten in response. I scratch the back of my neck and rock back and forth on my feet. “I’m keeping all options open. There’s still the nagging detail of the broadcast announcement that sent your guests to the loading dock to mess up the evidence.”
“It has to be Molly. I bet she has a beef with Evan and planted the mask. Where is she, anyway?”
“Not answering any calls, and no one has seen her. She left her witch’s costume in the closet after Neil walked you to the parking area and before Neil returned for the chocolate.”
“She might be working with Diana.” Tami’s eyes light up. “I remember now. PE was her favorite subject, and she was manager for the basketball team, even though she was too short to be on it.”
All You Want Page 23
