Page 36 of Jane's Story
“Oh, now who’s at the door this early in the morning?” Uncle Terrance asked, stomping through the apartment. My heart rate picked up, and I held my breath as he answered the door.
A low murmur of indistinguishable voices rumbled. Then Uncle Terrance raised his voice. “No. We don’t have any guests named Bingley here. Why don’t you go look somewhere else?”
“He’s playing dumb,” I said.
Charles pulled in a long, steady breath. Then he stood up and walked to the door, addressing the officers. “Sorry, I’m not sure Uncle Terrance here realized my last name is Bingley. How can I help you?”
That was on point for him. Charles wouldn’t hide from the police. I admired that, though I’d have been fine if he’d stayed hidden. In fact, I’d have been fine if he’d tossed all caution to the wind, thrown away his business and fortune to run away to be with me. We’d live in a little town on the coast and have a couple of kids. I’d be ateacher, he’d tinker in the garage, inventing whatever he wanted, and life would be perfect.
But the police were questioning him. I frowned at the officers. They were respectful but insistent. Charles had to go with them to the police station to be questioned… as a precautionary measure.
I shivered and darted to the front door. “I’ve been with Charles for nearly the past twenty-four hours. He’s done nothing wrong.” Though when I thought about it, we were technically separated when Armond died. But I knew he was innocent. Questioning Charles was a waste of their time.
An older officer with a huge mustache looked me over like a parking ticket. He sighed loudly. “All right, you can come along. Care to change out of your pajamas?”
My cheeks flushed. “I suppose so. We’ll need our things.”
Charles shook his head and waved his palms in front of him. “No, Jane. I’d rather you didn’t get pulled into any more of this. I’ve got nothing to hide. It will be fine.”
He had greater faith in the justice system than I did. But he was right. I couldn’t do any investigating from the police station. I looked betweenCharles’s face and the officer. I flung my arms around Charles and kissed his cheek, no longer playing the fake girlfriend. “Okay, but let me know if you need anything.”
Charles pulled me into a hug and held me for a moment. With my cheek against his chest, I could feel his steady heartbeat.
The officer cleared his throat, and Charles reluctantly released me. “Don’t worry, Jane. Just stay safe, okay?”
Charles still had our suite reserved for a few more nights. So, I got myself ready for the day and headed back out on my own to The Grand Lakes Hotel. Taking a cab, I didn’t have quite the grand entrance as I had the first time I’d arrived. There was no limo this time, just a basic taxi. I wore a large pair of sunglasses and a beret.
Early in the day, the hotel buzzed with commotion. Despite a section of the seventeenth floor being blocked off as a crime scene, things proceeded normally.
Scents of vanilla, cinnamon, and freshly baked bread from the morning cafe filled the lobby. Orchestral music played, and dozens of trees covered in white lights addedto the ambiance. Across the lobby, I caught sight of Eva again. Today, she wore a pair of denim overalls and had her dark curls back in two loose braids. Though her mother was nearby meeting with someone, Eva looked particularly alone and vulnerable. I waved at her mother as I approached. Eva gave me a shy smile as I sat next to her.
“So, are you feeling any better about long division?” I asked.
Her smile deepened, and she stifled a giggle. “Yes, look.”
She opened her workbook to her assignment. In the margin, she’d written one of the longest division problems I’d ever seen, 91,322 divided by fourteen.
“You made your own problem?”
“Yes.” Her laughter erupted. “And I know the answer, see? It’s 6,523!”
“Hmm, let me check.” I winked at her and pulled my phone out of my pocket, then entered the problem into my calculator. “You’re right!”
“I played that game for like three hours last night, and I practiced what you showed me. My mom said I can get my fingernails AND my toenails done since I did such a good job.” Eva wiggled her little hand in front of me. “I’m going to have them paint them purplewith sparkles.”
“Purple with sparkles will be perfect on you.” I gave her a high five. “Next time it’s hard, just remember that hard is good. It means you’re learning. I’m going to write a couple more websites down that you and your mom or dad can look at if you run into trouble in the future. I’m so proud of you.”
As I walked away from Eva, I made a decision. Even if I had to move out of Austen Heights, I was going to teach. Every part of me loved helping kids grow toward their potential.
It was time for my own investigation. My first stop was at the hotel manager’s office. Mr. Hedwer blinked at me through his oversized glasses. “Oh, Ms. Bennet? No Mr. Bingley with you today?”
“He’ll be along soon.” At least I hoped he would. “I need some security images, if possible. I have a list of times and places.” I pulled my notes from my bag and set the paper on his desk. I’d listed every possible time a clue may have occurred, the lobby at the time the extra suite was booked, people coming and going from the suites, and Armond’s movements before going to the suite.
“Of course, we can even print those out for you. Maybe come back in an hour and we’ll have them all ready.”
“Very good. Thank you.”
After leaving the manager’s office, I stopped at the concierge station and requested David.
