No Place to Die

by Jaden Skye

  “It seems like one of the surprises could have been the engagement. Was it a surprise?” asked Wayne.

  Olivia was grateful for Wayne’s tone as opposed to Doug’s. “Yes, it was a surprise,” she replied.

  “He didn’t give you any clues?” Doug chimed in again. “You didn’t talk about the possibility?”

  “Of course I hoped something like this would happen,” Olivia elaborated, “but I had no real idea it would right now.”

  Fred joined in again then. “His family never met you and your family never met him. Is that right?” He was reading from the printed transcript in front of him.

  “That’s right,” said Olivia plainly.

  “Okay, let’s take this in another direction now,” Fred replied. “I assume you have a group of friends who knew both of you? You both worked in Manhattan?”

  “We both work in Manhattan,” Olivia responded. “And yes, there are many people who know both of us. I design publicity for a publishing company and Todd works in venture capital. We met at a mutual friend’s party.” There was nothing out of order about any of it so far, and they all knew it, including Olivia.

  Fred’s voice dropped, with less urgency in it then. “Obviously the relationship between you was excellent?” he said.

  “Our relationship was wonderful,” Olivia replied firmly. “Why else would we become engaged?”

  “These friends of yours can attest to your wonderful relationship?” Fred continued.

  “Of course they can,” Olivia replied.

  “Friends will say anything, won’t they?” Doug commented.

  “It’s enough, Doug,” Wayne interrupted him. “This is a preliminary picture of Olivia’s life and relationship. She’s cooperating fully and she’s just gone through hell.”

  Tears filled Olivia’s eyes. Finally, someone got it.

  “Tell me a little about when you went to dinner with Todd at the hotel,” Fred continued. “Was there anyone he knew there, or who he stopped to say hello to?”

  Olivia closed her eyes and thought about it. Many of the people seated for dinner had looked her and Todd over when they’d entered the dining room. For a brief second Olivia flashed upon the woman with auburn hair who had particularly stared at them. At the time Olivia had thought she might have known Todd, but there’d been no greeting between them.

  “There was no one he spoke to,” Olivia finally said.

  Wayne half rose in his seat as he spoke to her then. “There was nothing out of order? You had absolutely no reason to suspect there was anything wrong with Todd at the time, did you?”

  “No, of course not,” said Olivia.

  “Todd didn’t complain of physical problems? He didn’t do drugs, or abuse alcohol?” Wayne continued.

  “No, he didn’t,” Olivia responded.

  “I’m sure everything you say will soon be corroborated. Todd’s medical records are being faxed down to us right now,” Wayne continued.

  “Good,” said Olivia.

  “That’s quite an engagement ring you have there,” Doug couldn’t help but chime in again. “Todd was a rich guy, wasn’t he?”

  “Yes, Todd was very successful.” Olivia stood up from her seat, rankled. “Is there something wrong with that?”

  “Nothing at all.” Doug had a slight sneer on his face.

  Olivia took him right on. “I was happy that Todd was successful. He worked hard and deserved whatever he got. If you’re suggesting I was with Todd because of his money, you’re dead wrong. I didn’t need his money. I’m doing fine on my own.”

  Fred stood up then and motioned for Olivia to sit back down. “Naturally we’re checking into Todd’s background at work,” he said quietly. “His firm has a branch down here that he worked at regularly. Seems there are also quite a few people in Key West who knew him and can fill us in as well.”

  Olivia was relieved to hear that. “Good,” she replied.

  “Was Todd ever engaged before?” Fred continued. “Were you?”

  “So far as I know, Todd was not engaged before,” Olivia said promptly. “I was engaged, for two years.”

  “Two years?” Doug commented.

  “That’s fine,” Fred interrupted, toning Doug down. “What happened between you and your ex-fiancé? Why did it end?”

  “He died of cancer,” Olivia said somberly and the whole room quieted down.

  “I’m sorry to hear that,” Fred remarked as Officer Tan then took over.

  Officer Tan started on a whole new line of questioning. “Tell us what happened when Todd started to get sick,” he asked somberly.

  “Todd was fine when he fell asleep,” Olivia responded. “Everything was in good order.”

  “What did he eat that evening?” Officer Tan went on.

  “We had dinner at the hotel restaurant,” Olivia replied. “He had fish, I had steak. We had salad and glass of wine. Key Lime pie for dessert. Todd and I both enjoyed the food very much. We felt fine after dinner.”

  All the officers looked at one another quickly. “And a few hours after the meal was when the stomach pain started?”

  “That’s right,” said Olivia. “I woke up to the sound of his groaning. He was in terrible pain, clutching at his stomach. After a short while I called for an ambulance.”

  “There’s no reason to waste our time speculating.” Officer Tan stood up and stared at Olivia. “The body is with the medical examiner as we speak. Due to the sudden nature of the death, we’ve put this case on emergency notification. We’ll have results quickly.”

  “Thank God,” Olivia murmured, feeling nauseous now. Had there been something so wrong with Todd’s food that it caused him to die so quickly? It was hard to think clearly now. She was just trying to help in any way that she could.

  “We have no basis to hold you here, of course,” Officer Tan went on.

  “Hold me? For what?” Olivia felt as if she’d been suddenly slapped across the face.

  “That’s just a manner of speaking,” Wayne interjected. Olivia could see he felt concerned.

  “Of course we’ll need to speak to you further later,” said Officer Tan. “In the meantime, see if you can remember anything, anything at all, that could help us understand what happened to Todd.”

  *

  After the interview ended Wayne came over to Olivia. “I have to accompany you back to your hotel now,” he said. “You need to pack your belongings. We have to keep the room you and Todd stayed in empty. Forensics has to check it thoroughly, of course.”

  Olivia couldn’t compute exactly what Wayne was telling her.

  “In the meantime we’ve arranged for another room for you, and will also reserve rooms for your family if they’re going to join you,” Wayne continued. “Actually, Officer Tan has already been in contact with the hotel about this.”

  “Yes, another room would be much better,” Olivia breathed. She couldn’t bear going back into the room she and Todd had shared so soon. “And my family’s on the way down.” Olivia was grateful for his steadying manner. “My twin sister, Mauve, is coming first and then the rest of the family.”

  “Good,” said Wayne.

  Then Olivia was struck by sudden curiosity. “They’re treating our room as if it were a crime scene? What are they looking for?”

  Wayne paused for a long moment. “There have been other cases of food poisoning in the hotel. Of course none have resulted in death. At the most those cases were considered to be due to carelessness. But still, we have to go over your room carefully.”

  “As if it were a crime scene?” Olivia asked, confounded.

  “Just a formality,” Wayne repeated. “We have to take fingerprints, look for DNA, check into corners, see who else might have entered the space and what they might have had in mind.”

  “You’re not suggesting foul play?” Olivia could barely catch her breath.

  “To be perfectly honest, we don’t know.” Wayne spoke reassuringly, but there was a hard edge to his voice as well. C
learly, he wasn’t writing the possibility off so fast.

  “Who would harm Todd? Why?” Olivia felt dizzy.

  “That’s the big question, isn’t it?” said Wayne.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  After Olivia packed, Wayne helped her carry her belongings down the hallway to a different room. Neither of them said much as they placed her things down carefully in the new suite.

  “I hope you’ll be comfortable here,” Wayne commented as Olivia looked around. It was decorated with casual but expensive wicker furniture, and occasional tables with clusters of seashells on them. How long would she be staying? Was this to be her new home? Fortunately, two narrow glass doors opened to an outdoor balcony with chairs and a small glass table. It overlooked the water and Olivia appreciated that immensely

  Olivia walked briefly out onto the balcony. The suite overlooked a long, low garden filled with tropical blossoms, palm trees, and the sound of chirping birds. Her heart ached as she smelled the incredible fragrance. Why wasn’t Todd beside her, sharing this with her? What had truly happened to him, and how could she go through the days without him now?

  “Thanks so much for everything,” Olivia said to Wayne when she walked back in.

  “I’m sorry for your loss,” he replied. “You’ve been a good sport. Very few women could have held up the way you did and gone through questioning so soon. Just rest now.”

  Then without even the sound of a knock, the door to the room suddenly flew open as Olivia’s twin sister, Mauve, rushed in. She was dressed in a navy linen dress and blue silk scarf, her hair pulled tightly from her face.

  “I got here as fast as I could,” she breathed.

  Wayne spun around and did a double take.

  “This is Mauve, my twin sister.” Olivia smiled at Wayne’s reaction.

  “I thought I was seeing double for a second,” Wayne murmured. “The two of you are identical.”

  People often reacted that way. It took them a while to realize that although Olivia and Mauve were physically identical, that’s where the similarity ended.

  Mauve looked back and forth quickly between Olivia and Wayne, a look of confusion crossing her face.

  “Thanks so much for being here,” Olivia said, taking a few steps toward her sister. “This is Detective Wayne Darington.”

  “Detective? Why?” Mauve’s puzzlement deepened. “Was Todd murdered?”

  It was just like Mauve to look for the worst, thought Olivia. Mauve’s natural reaction was to go on the offensive. It particularly upset Olivia now.

  “Olivia’s been a champion.” Wayne quickly deflected the question. “Todd’s death has taken everyone by surprise.”

  “I have no idea who Todd is,” Mauve replied, perturbed. “No one in our family does. We haven’t heard a thing about him.”

  “That’s not true,” Olivia quickly replied. “I mentioned him to Devon.”

  Mauve rolled her eyes, walked further into the room, and placed her small suitcase down on the far side.

  Wayne seemed taken aback by Mauve’s reaction.

  “What’s really going on?” Mauve turned to Wayne. “Our entire family is totally confused to find Olivia in this predicament.”

  “Well, thanks for coming down to be with your sister,” Wayne replied. “You can imagine what a shock this must be to her.”

  “It’s a shock to everyone,” Mauve responded. “This is the last place any of us planned to be.”

  Olivia was irritated. This trip wasn’t about Mauve or her endless plans.

  “Life happens, Mauve, and we can’t always plan it,” Olivia remarked sharply.

  “You don’t think Todd was intentionally poisoned, do you?” Mauve turned to Wayne. “I heard in the news that there have been several cases of food poisoning at that hotel in the past several months.”

  Olivia was horrified. “Why was the restaurant still open?” she asked Wayne.

  “The hotel has been thoroughly inspected and cleared by now,” Wayne replied.

  “What did they find the food poisoning due to?” Olivia felt alarmed.

  “A cook there, Tomas, was held responsible,” Mauve chimed in again. “I heard he even spent a short time in jail. Of course, Tomas doesn’t work at the hotel any longer, but there were unanswered questions and they couldn’t hold him for very long either.”

  “Hygiene at the hotel could have also been involved,” Wayne felt compelled to respond. “And the situation isn’t similar. Nobody died from the food poisoning. Not one person!

  They just got sick for a while.”

  “But I heard Tomas is out of jail now.” Mauve stayed on the offensive. “He was released just two weeks ago.”

  Olivia was aghast. “A culprit on the loose, possibly?”

  “For all we know,” Mauve continued, “it may not be a coincidence that the man who was responsible for the food poisoning was recently released?”

  “We’re definitely looking at all possibilities,” Wayne quickly commented, as he looked at his watch. “Sorry to rush away, but I have to join the detectives down the hallway now.” Then he turned to Olivia and handed her his card. “If you need anything at all, please give me a call.”

  “Thanks so much,” Olivia responded, as Wayne turned and walked out the door.

  “How did you meet this detective?” Mauve piped up, unimpressed.

  “He’s on the case,” Olivia replied, “assigned to help me get my bearings.”

  “The case?” Mauve looked appalled.

  “A sudden death always has to be investigated,” Olivia replied. “It’s a matter of protocol. In fact, the police are going to be in my old room now, checking everything out.”

  Mauve wouldn’t let it go. “What else are you hiding from us, Olivia?” Mauve always thought Olivia was hiding something from her, no matter how forthcoming Olivia had been.

  “You’ve had a long trip, would you like something to eat?” Olivia changed the topic of conversation.

  Mauve would have none of it though. “Should we get you a lawyer?” she asked, although she herself was a tax lawyer, working and living in Boston about a mile away from the family.

  “Of course not,” Olivia responded quickly. As usual it was hard to be with Mauve. The two of them had a completely different way of perceiving the world. Olivia thought how much she’d rather go down the hallway now to the room she and Todd had stayed in. She wanted to see what the police were doing, and if anything turned up.

  “Why don’t you take a rest for a while now,” Olivia said to her sister. “I’ll be back in a few minutes. I want to check on what’s going on. In the meantime other rooms at the hotel are being prepared for you and the family.”

  Mauve seemed relieved at the suggestion as well. She seemed suddenly tired and out of sorts. Mauve never did well with an unexplained turn of events. She always needed answers for everything.

  “I have a thousand questions for you, of course,” Mauve replied. “I guess they can wait.”

  They have to wait, Olivia thought. “I’ll answer all your questions later,” she said hastily as she rushed out the door, down the hall, and to the suite she and Todd had been so happy in.

  *

  Olivia stood outside in the hallway as her old room was being cordoned off. The police weren’t taking any chances, and a buzz of activity was going on inside. The room was filled with cops, detectives and photographers; photos were being taken and evidence collected quickly. The room was being scanned for fingerprints, DNA, and patterns of possible blood spattering.

  A good-looking female detective in tight slacks and a button-down shirt open at the top had a prominent role in directing the activity.

  “I’m ordering surveillance be collected from all hotel videos, everywhere,” she demanded, “especially the kitchen and dining room. We’ve got to do this fast. I don’t want anything slipping through the cracks.”

  “We’re on it,” a younger male police officer trailing her replied.

  “Once all the survei
llance is collected, get it to Wayne right away,” she added.

  Busy on the other side of the room, Wayne cast a quick glance her way. “Get what to me, Lorna?” he called out.

  “I want you to go over all surveillance video as soon as possible,” she called back in a no-nonsense manner. “Make sure you especially check the kitchen and restaurant where the victim ate his last meal. The news is all over the case already,” Lorna continued. “They’re saying it looks like another in a string of food poisonings at the hotel.”

  “We don’t know that for sure yet.” Wayne walked over to her, seemingly to calm her down.

  “Put two and two together,” Lorna shot back at him. “Tomas just got out of jail.”

  “You’re jumping to conclusions.” Wayne tried to stop her. “We don’t know yet what the current victim died of.”

  Lorna’s eyes flashed. “All the symptoms point to food poisoning.”

  “I’m going down to the hotel kitchen to see what they’ve found,” he said.

  Olivia stepped back as Wayne left the room and rushed down the hallway to the elevators. Flustered, he pressed the elevator button hard, eager to get where he was going. Olivia didn’t want to go back to the room where her sister was waiting. She wanted to follow Wayne downstairs, be a fly on the wall and listen to what he found out. Staying informed was good for her, kept her mobilized, prevented her from falling into the bottomless well of pain she felt growing within.

  Of course, she couldn’t go to the kitchen with Wayne, though. It would look too odd. Instead, Olivia turned and walked back down to her suite to spend time with her sister.

  *

  The elevator dropped Wayne at the lobby. He got out and quickly headed through a long narrow corridor, toward the back of the dining room, then the hotel kitchen. How could Lorna be so positive that Tomas was responsible for this? he thought, irritation growing. It was easy enough to pin everything on Tomas, say he was escalating. There was plenty of evidence that those who killed using poison became serial killers, but Lorna had an agenda, was researching it day and night. Once she got hold of an idea, she wouldn’t let go. Wayne needed solid evidence. He approached the hotel kitchen now more determined than ever to proceed slowly.