Page 35 of Maneater
She lets out a laugh at the mental image before thinking about this new development.
“Do you think the pool guy is our guy?” I shrug.
“I mean, everyone’s a suspect, but from what I understand, the guy is beside himself, upset that he made a mistake like that.”
“Could it have been an honest mistake? Are they kept in the same room?”
“My research shows that the pool equipment and maintenance supplies are kept in a pool house that only stocks those things. The soap for bathrooms would be in a supply closet inside the resort, so someone would have had to bring it outside. I looked up a couple of commercial brands resorts like this typically order, and honestly, the bottles are shockingly similar-looking. It wouldn’t be hard not to notice until it’s too late, especially if it was dark and you were moving on muscle memory. But the person who restocked the room with the wrong thing would have noticed, more likely than not.”
Rory nods before sliding off the bed, moving to the bathroom, and starting to brush her teeth.
“Is that something trackable? Do they have to scan to get into the supply rooms or anything like that?”
I shake my head. “No, though, according to Annette, there is a paper log-in, log-out system, and the managers do a bi-weekly inventory on the computer to make sure everything is stocked up. But for small needs, they just jot down names and items to save time. I wouldn’t be surprised if most people ignored those, though. It’s too much work when you can just grab what you need and bolt.”
Rory nods. “Cameras?”
I shake my head. “They didn’t notice, but the camera pointing to the pool house has been on a twenty-four-hour repetitive loop for about four days. It could have happened at any time, and no one would have noticed.”
“So someone is hacking the cameras?” Rory asks, and there’s a hint of irritation in the words since she herself has been unable to do that yet. As of last night, she’s close but needs some more time to infiltrate their surprisingly strong system.
I shrug, not wanting to rub it in. “It seems so. Which means they have to have skill at infiltrating systems.” She sighs heavily before spitting, rinsing her toothbrush, and turning to me.
“So, it sounds like we’re going to the pool today? I’d love to get in there somehow, see if we can see anything, and maybe even bug that pool house. We should also bug the other supply closets, as this isn’t the first time we’ve had an issue with the supply. Clearly, whoever our guy is, they have some skills with the security cameras, so we need some of our own.” I smile, grabbing my red bikini and nodding.
“My thoughts also. That pool is closed today, obviously, but that means there will probably be more staff and guests at the other one. I wanted to get there early to grab a chair. Let’s go.”
An hour later, we’re lying out by the pool, taking note of the people around us. A few guests are grumbling about their complaints, and the extra staff are trying everything they can to accommodate them, but today, we’re more focused on the interactions between staff members. We both are holding books, but neither of us is reading them. Instead, we’re keeping an eye on which employees we mightwant to look into further. Which ones are grumbling to one another, which look stressed out, and which, if any, are basking in the chaos?
“They’re definitely fucking,” I say, low, my eyes not leaving the group to the right of us. It’s four employees, one being the redhead we saw on our first day, and another being Daniel, the GM.
“What?”
“The redhead and Daniel.” I continue to watch. “And I don’t think he’s happy about it,” I say of the third in the group, who keeps shifting his eyes toward the redhead and Daniel. He’s younger, smaller, and wearing what I believe is the landscaping uniform.
“Is the redhead the same one who looked mad when he was flirting with you?”
I nod, not mentioning that she’s also the one who was a bit too friendly with the man I now realize was Rowan.
It doesn’t matter,I tell myself.He doesn’t matter.We have a job to do here.
“Interesting,” Rory says, and even though I don’t look, I can feel my partner’s burning gaze on me, and I wonder for a moment if thatinterestingwas about our suspects or my own reaction.
“Looks like our target is cleared,” I say low, trying to change the subject when I realize the fourth person in the group is the woman who was standing near the pool house.
Rory nods and sets her book aside, leaving it on top of her towel-covered chair when she stands, and grabs her pool bag, slinging it over her shoulder as I follow suit, but leaving my own bag. To anyone else, it looks like two friends heading to a bathroom break, but I know that tote holds Rory’s equipment to set up a listening device in the pool house.
Our plan is simple: I’m going to the poolside bar for a drink, the bar that conveniently has a perfect line of vision of the pool house. There, I’ll be close enough that, if needed, I can create a distraction while Rory slips inside or finishes her job. I’ve been watching the room for over an hour, so I know that there is currently no one inside.
We walk slowly, keeping an eye on the pool house and chatting casually as we go so as not to seem suspicious before I tell Rory I’mgoing to get a drink while she “uses the bathroom.” Instead of going right to the bathrooms, she takes a left and slips into the pool house. I slide onto a barstool, and I take my phone out, pretending to fiddle with it before the bartender comes over.
“Hey, there,” he says, a wide smile on his lips. “What can I get you?”
When I look up, it’s one of the employees we’ve noticed at the resort a few times. He’s cute, though young, and always stares at my boobs when we walk past him. Instantly, I put my mask on, a wide, goofy smile taking over my face as I shake my head.
“I’m not sure. I’m waiting for my friend and figured I’d get a drink while I was here,” I say, a white lie of sorts. “She’s always the last to get ready.”
He nods again, his eyes drifting to my boobs before going back to my face. While I’m here, I might as well see if I can find anything out from him. I tip my head to the side, my silky hair falling in a curtain around my shoulders, and give him a wide, knowing smile. He blushes before looking around.
