Page 39 of Jane's Story
“Who’s to say we don’t?” A wry smile spread across her face, and she stood up to get back to work. “I jest. We’ve also noticed you and the gentleman who’s staying in this suite make a lovely couple.”
I smiled. “I have to agree there.”
My phone rang, and Charles’s name showed up on my phone. I breathed a sigh of relief and gestured to Rose that I needed to take the call.
“Hi Charles, how’s it going?” I asked.
“Well, I’m free… for now. But I can tell they’re going to be watching me. I don’t exactly know why, but I’m sure I’m a suspect. The questions they were asking were really direct.” Charles’s steady voice didn’t carry its usual upbeat tone.
“How awful. I’m so sorry. So… don’t be mad, but I’m back at the hotel.” I chewed my bottom lip.
The line went silent for a minute.
“Charles?”
“Uh, yeah. I… are you okay? That makes me nervous.” His breath was heavy, and traffic sounded in the background.
“Yes, and I had a very interesting conversation with a housekeeper just now. She said some people came and hassled Kyle for money. Also, Catalina and Owen are probably dating.”
“Oh… I don’t see how killing Armond is related. You sure you’re safe? Someone got into our suite yesterday,” Charles reminded me.
“Well, there’s a very sweet housekeeper with me right now. I’ll be careful.” Guilt washed over me. I probably should have waited for him, but sometimes I got things done better on my own.
“Good, I’ll be there soon. Just catching a cab.” Charles was a little out of breath, and the traffic got louder.
I hung up the phone and glanced around the beautiful suite I hadn’t slept in. It looked so peaceful during the day in the spacious room with big, bright windows and polished high-end furniture. Rose’s presence gave me a sense of security as she mopped the kitchen floor. I pulled my little gray notebook from my bag and scaled the spiral staircase to the bedrooms. There were two upstairs: a main bedroom with a balcony, and a guest bedroom with its own luxury bathroom.
Nothing stood out. We hadn’t spent the night, so the beds were all still made. I’d chosen the main bedroom for myself before realizing Charles would join me. Apparently, I’d left the drapes open and left a tube of lip balm in the bathroom. I wondered how someone got into our suite to leave the note.
Charles had contacted the hotel security, but they didn’t see anyone come in through the main door yesterday.
I meandered into the room where Charles had intended to spend the night. Apart from a few papers on the desk, the room was tidy. A few of his shirts still hung in the closet, and a razor sat on the bathroom counter. In the bathroom, I caught a faint whiff of his aftershave. He must’ve freshened up while we were at the spa.
The third bedroom seemed unremarkable. The blinds were closed, and nothing was touched. But when I went to open one of the closets, it didn’t budge. It must be another set of double doors which connected this suite to Charles’s old suite next door. My heart rate picked up. I’d heard a slam the day before. This had to be that door.
Chills ran down my spine. I needed to get out of that room. I scurried down the spiral staircase and nearly crashed into Charles.
“Oh, wow! That was fast!” I stopped and placed my hand over my heart. “You startled me.”
“Sorry, the police station handling this case is very close to the hotel. It’s a five-minute cab ride.”Charles cupped my shoulder with his hand. “I wish you’d waited for me to come here.”
“I know, but I used my glamour. No one from the company noticed me. Charles, I’m going to be honest. I’m really not okay with the police hounding you about a murder you didn’t commit. You’re not all right with that, are you?”
“Not at all. But I’m also not okay with you getting hurt, either.”
“Thank you. But at least we’re learning some things. I need to show you what I found upstairs.” I wanted to believe we’d discovered a few clues, and we’d quickly resolve all of this. But the more I learned, the more confused I got.
As Rose pulled her cleaning cart to the front door, an idea hit me. “Rose, how do you get your cart upstairs with this spiral staircase?”
Charles and Rose looked at each other.
I’d forgotten my manners. “Oh sorry, Charles, this is Rose, Rose… Charles.”
A knowing smile formed on Rose’s lips. “Nice to meet you, Monsieur Charles.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Likewise.”
“To answer your question, I can’t bring this cart up those stairs, so I enter through the eighteenth floor.” She shrugged her shoulders. “But that isn’t a guest floor. I need to use my housekeeping key to access it on the elevator.”
