Page 29 of Light of Day
Heidi’s lips tightened. “I said, I don’t know anything. All I do is check people in and answer the phone.”
“So you don’t notice people in the lobby?”
“The foyer,” Heidi corrected. “We’re supposed to call it the foyer.”
“Excuse me, the foyer. Did Gabby ever ask you for directions to anywhere? Maybe for help renting a kayak or a scooter or a tennis racket or whatever these people get up to here?” Her patience was running thin. she dragged in a long breath to get a grip on herself. Maybe she should use her “Messy McPhee” reputation to her advantage. “You don’t want me to make a scene, do you? You know I can do it. Did you ever hear about my junior high dance?”
No one could forget that. Heather had emptied the punch bowl over Ben Parker’s head when she’d caught him kissing another girl. The story had circulated for weeks, even among the younger kids.
“Okay, don’t get all crazy on me. I honestly didn’t see much of Gabby. She didn’t stick around the hotel. I never saw her in the bar or the conservatory or the library.”
“What is this, a game of Clue?”
Heidi’s lips quirked. “I know, right?” she murmured, finally softening. She leaned forward and spoke so only Heather could hear.
“Okay, there was one time that she needed to charge her phone, and all the outlets down here were taken. She didn’t want to run up to her room, so she asked if I could charge it back here. I saw a text come in.”
Now she was getting somewhere. “Who from? What did it say?” When Heidi hesitated, she added urgently, “This could literally be life or death. Trust me, Gabby wouldn’t mind if I knew. She’s my best friend.”
“The weird thing was that it was from John Carmichael, or at least that’s how she labelled the number.”
“John Carmichael…you mean, the owner of this hotel? John Carmichael the Third, that John Carmichael?”
“How should I know? Maybe it was a different one. Anyway, the text said, ‘Glad you’re up for this.’ That’s it. I figured maybe it was something to do with her bill.”
“Would that be normal, for him to get involved in a guest’s bill?”
“No, but…” Heidi shrugged. “Maybe she wasn’t a normal guest.”
Heather stared at her blankly. She couldn’t possibly be referring to the fact that Gabby was Black. Not even in this white-on-white enclave would that be a thing. Would it?
“I mean, because she’s not from one of the families that come here every summer,” Heidi explained, seeing her expression. “Like eighty percent of our guests are repeat visitors. Most of the rooms are booked way in advance, so it’s hard for anyone else to get one.”
“How did she get that room?”
“There must have been a cancellation.”
“Can you find out for sure?” Heather wasn’t sure if that was a wild goose chase or not, but it seemed worth a check.
“I’d have to get back to you about that. It might take a while to go through the records, and it’s not anything I’m supposed to be working on.” She shot a glance at the conservatory, where a woman had just bustled through the door. “Judy’s here. You should go. I shouldn’t be talking to you.”
Judy stopped to chat with an elderly woman being pushed in a wheelchair by her husband.
“Okay. I’m out. Before I go, any other random weird things you can remember?”
Heidi bit her lip, her gaze glued to Judy. That manager must really rule with a strictness, Heather thought. “One thing. She didn’t use her own credit card to pay for the room.”
“Really? Who paid for it?”
“I’d have to look it up.”
But that was all she was going to get from Heidi, as Judy strode swiftly toward the front desk. Heidi returned to her keyboard-tapping with the intensity of someone finishing up a doctoral thesis.
15
Luke didwhat the rules said and called the Harbortown police.
“You’re sure it’s a murder case?” asked the chief of police, sounding harried and annoyed. That carjacking spree must still be kicking their asses.
