Early Check Out

by Diane Capri

  I knocked on his door a few times, but there was no answer. I pressed my face to the window next to the door just in case. The last time I came looking for Karl, his place had been trashed, and he was getting his face punched by a vengeful husband. His place didn’t look trashed this time. It looked like the ordinary amount of bachelor messy.

  I walked back down Market Street, not sure where to start my search for Karl. I didn’t really know him. I had no idea where his usual haunts were. Who could I ask for that information? I stopped in front of the sheriff’s office and realized I had my own personal information booth right there.

  I went inside. Deputy Shawn, as usual, was manning the front desk. He smiled when he saw me this time. It was a far cry from the condescending smirk I usually got.

  “Hello, Andi.”

  “Deputy.”

  “Looking for the sheriff, I imagine.” Before I could answer, he opened the half door so I could come inside. I did, not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth, which I’d been told was bad luck. “He’s in his office.”

  I knocked briefly on the glass door and got a gruff, “Come in.”

  Sheriff Jackson leaned forward in his chair and flopped his hands onto his desk in defeat before I said a single word. I smiled at my small triumph. “What do you need, Andi?”

  I sat in the visitor’s chair. “I’m looking for Karl Neumann.”

  His eyes narrowed. “You think Karl had something to do with Mrs. Walker’s death?”

  “What? No.” I waved my hand at him before the implication settled. When it dawned, I replied, “So, you don’t think her death was an accident, then, do you?”

  He leaned back in his chair and rubbed at his chin. “There were some inconsistencies in the postmortem with how she fell.”

  I gaped at him. I couldn’t believe he offered up that information so freely.

  He must’ve read the look on my face. “I figure letting you know is easier than having to put you in check all the darn time.”

  I tried to cover the smile that blossomed on my face, but failed.

  “Don’t look so smug.”

  “I’m not smug.”

  His eyebrow came up at that.

  “Okay, maybe a little smug. I’m just so glad you realized how easy it is to share with me, that you know how much of an asset I can be.”

  He came forward in his chair. “I never said that.”

  “What about Mr. Rainer?” The old guy had stolen Mrs. Walker’s dog, after all. Who knew what else he might have done?

  “He has an alibi. Cleaning woman was in his house from eight in the morning until noon.”

  Now that I was in a more generous mood toward the sheriff, I offered him a tidbit, too. “Did you know Colleen Walker visited Mrs. Walker that morning?”

  “I didn’t. We haven’t had a chance to talk to Colleen. Talked to Peter, and he never mentioned that.”

  I beamed. I had supplied information that he didn’t already have. Perhaps he’d be a little grateful. “I also heard Colleen on the phone that day, and she didn’t sound too broken up about Ida’s death.”

  “Noted.”

  “Did you talk with whoever delivered the groceries? Probably the D&W delivery kid, Todd, if I had to bet.”

  His eyes narrowed. “You are informed, aren’t you?”

  “I’m naturally inquisitive. My nanny used to call me Miss Kitty sometimes. Because cats are naturally curious, too.” Not sure why I told him that.

  “Yeah, I talked to Todd. He said he delivered the groceries and then left. He said he normally puts the groceries away, but he was in a rush and couldn’t do it that day. The cashier, Hannah, backs his story.”

  I thought about Todd’s agitation while he had been on the phone in the parking lot at the market, but kept it to myself for now. Maybe that had nothing to do with Mrs. Walker. It could have been simply a spat with his girlfriend, which was the vibe I got at the time.

  “If I hear of anything, I’ll let you know,” the sheriff said.

  “I appreciate that. You see how easy it is to work together?” I smiled.

  He just nodded and made some kind of guttural noise in his throat.

  I got to my feet. “I’ll be going now.”

  “Didn’t you want to know about Karl Neumann’s whereabouts?” he asked.

  “Oh, yes. Right. I do.”

  “He’s not at the historical society or his place?”

  I shook my head. “Not sure where else I could look for him. It’s kind of an emergency.”

  “Try the Swan or the calzone place on Main. He goes there for lunch most days, and I’m pretty sure he’s sleeping with the girl who works there.” He shook his head. “Not sure where that guy finds the time for all his women.”

  “Thanks, Sheriff.” I went to the door but stopped. “Do you like lilies?”

  He frowned. “Like the flower?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Uh, I guess. I don’t know. They’re flowers. They smell nice sometimes.”

  I gave him a thumbs-up. “I’ll let you get back to it. Have a good day.”

  When I walked out of the station, I almost tripped over a young woman sitting on the ground in front of the door, smoking a cigarette. I was about to say something impolite, but then I recognized her. She was a coworker. One of the hotel’s cleaning staff.

  “Megan?”

  She looked up at me, her hair in her face, but I could still see the salty tear streaks on her cheeks. “Hey.” She wiped at her nose with the back of her hand.

  “Are you okay?”

  She nodded.

  “Are you sure? You don’t look okay.”

  She got to her feet as more tears rolled down from her eyes. “Patrick broke up with me.”

  “Oh. I’m sorry to hear that.” I wasn’t the least bit sorry, because Patrick wasn’t a good match for her. He was ten years older, and he didn’t seem like a great guy based on the encounters I’d had with him a few times at the hotel’s restaurant.

  She sniffed and wiped her nose with her sleeve. “He said I was too immature for him.”

  I nodded, partly because Patrick was right. “It’s probably for the best, Megan. You can do a lot better.”

  “But he said he loved me, when we…when we…”

  She didn’t need to finish that sentence. I knew exactly the type of situation she was talking about. “Oh, honey.” I opened my arms, and she came into them willingly.

  She sobbed as I patted her back. Sometimes it was so hard being a girl. Crap like this made me want to kick every guy in the crotch. Especially a guy like Patrick, who was definitely old enough to know better. A lot of guys weren’t careless like that with a girl’s emotions, but I was sure every woman on earth had suffered through something similar or knew someone who had.

  I let her cry it out as I made comforting humming noises. I should’ve probably offered some wise words, but I couldn’t come up with any. My personal experiences didn’t start at such a young age. By the time I was dealing with guys and sex, I was out on my own, living in a dorm. Miss Charlotte was long gone back to her home in Texas. Anyway, sometimes all a girl needed was a hug.

  Once Megan’s tears dried up, she pulled away a little. I rummaged in my purse for tissues and handed the packet to her.

  “Thanks,” she said.

  “No problem. We Park Hotel women have to stick together.”

  The door to the station opened, and the sheriff came out. He pulled up short when he saw his daughter wiping her eyes, and me standing near her.

  “What’s going on?”

  Megan shook her head. “Nothing. Just hotel business.”

  He regarded me, as if I would reveal the truth. But there were some secrets in this town that Sheriff Jackson didn’t need to know. Megan was his daughter, but she wasn’t a child anymore. She’d have to come clean with him if she wanted him to know—it wasn’t up to me to spill that particular can of worms.

  Megan turned and hugged me again. “Thank y
ou, Andi.”

  I patted her shoulder. “Anytime, kiddo.”

  She looked at her dad. “Ready for lunch?”

  He nodded, seeming a bit flustered at what had just transpired. Poor guy. I imagined raising a daughter on his own had been challenging since his ex left town.

  Megan bounced down the steps to the sidewalk, texting on her phone as she did.

  The sheriff glanced at me. “Is there something I should know?”

  Smiling, I patted him on the shoulder, too. “I’d tell you if there was. You know that, right?”

  He gave me a blank look and then joined his daughter.

  Chapter 13

  Upon my return to the hotel’s concierge desk, after an hour’s fruitless search for Karl, I found Casey Cushing and Samuel being all buddy-buddy nearby. Casey gave me a warm, friendly smile as I slid behind the large wooden desk, and I returned it. But I could feel the knife being jammed in my back from across the room.

  Trying hard not to look over as the two of them laughed and joked like old friends, I found Karl’s number in the hotel’s business directory and called it. He didn’t answer, so I left a message.

  “Hi, Karl. This is Andi from the Park Hotel. We have some urgent business to discuss with you. Please return my call as soon as possible.”

  I had a sneaky suspicion that good old Karl was lying low. Hiding from his future bride. Hiding from the ridiculous decision he’d made last night, likely induced by copious amounts of alcohol and sex. Because of this, I didn’t know what to do about planning the wedding. It was my job to make sure every guest was fully satisfied and got even more than what they requested, but this one just didn’t feel right.

  I called Ginny to get some clarity. She was the events manager at the hotel, after all.

  “So, I searched for Karl but couldn’t find him. I have a feeling I’m not going to find him within the next twelve hours. I’m not sure what to do in this situation.”

  “Well, technically, Melanie is an adult and able to make her own decisions, as you said earlier. However bad they may be.”

  “I know.”

  “I think you’ve made a valiant effort to find out what’s going on. No one will fault you on that.”

  “You think I should just go ahead and do what she’s asked for? Get the wedding set up for tonight in the maze?”

  “Yeah. Her crappy decision is not worth your job.”

  “You think my job’s in jeopardy?”

  “I never said that.”

  “But you implied it.” I glanced over at Samuel as he slapped a hand on Casey’s back and laughed at something he said. “Samuel’s looking for an excuse to fire me, isn’t he?”

  There was a long pause that I didn’t like. “No. You’re fine. Just keep doing a good job, and you’ll be okay.”

  “Do you think I’m doing a good job? Be honest.”

  “Yes. I do. Quit worrying.”

  “Okay. Then can you book the garden and maze for me tonight from six to nine?”

  “Done.”

  “Thanks, Ginny.”

  After I hung up with her, I called June to order some flowers and a bouquet for the bride. I made sure to tell June to make an arrangement reminiscent of the late 1800s. I was sure she would know what that would be. June seemed like a woman who knew all kinds of things.

  Now I needed to get something arranged for food and drinks for the small reception. Since the wedding was to be at night in the garden with an 1800s theme, I thought tea, cucumber sandwiches, and some kind of little pastries would do the trick for starters. I’d leave the full menu plan up to Justin. He was the chef and would know what he could put together on short notice. I’d also have to phone around to the cake shops for a wedding cake unless he could whip up something suitable.

  Before I could pick up the phone to make those calls, Casey sidled up to the desk and leaned on the counter. “How are you today, Andi?”

  “I’m good, thank you, Casey. And you? How is your mother?”

  “Oh, I’m terrific, and Mom is doing very well. In fact, the doctors say she won’t be bedridden for as long as they first thought. She’s healing very quickly.”

  “That’s great to hear,” I lied. My stomach started churning. How long could I count on this job if Casey wanted it back? And if I got fired, where would I go? Ginny had been my last resort, and this place was the end of the line.

  “It is. Her doctors said originally that it would be six to eight months for a full recovery, but it could be quicker.”

  “I’m so glad.” I tried to keep the sarcasm out of my voice. It wasn’t that I didn’t want Mrs. Cushing to recover. I did. I had no ill will toward the woman. From what I’d heard about her, she was a very pleasant and friendly person.

  It was her son that I had a problem with. He wasn’t the charming, good-natured man everyone saw. There was a bit of a jerk deep down inside. A conniving, manipulative jerk. I just knew it. I’d seen his kind before. My old boss Jeremy had been the poster boy, and look what happened there.

  Casey leaned closer to me, sure that I was the only one that could hear what he was about to say. “So, just a heads-up about not getting too cozy in my job. I will be back sooner rather than later. Samuel will be ecstatic to have me back. He said that exact thing just a few minutes ago. In fact, he says it every time I see him. Which is often, since he and my mother are friends.”

  I kept the toothy grin on my face as Samuel walked up to the desk alongside Casey. “Are you ready for a round of golf, my boy?”

  “Yes, sir, I am. Been looking forward to this all week.”

  Samuel slapped him on the back. “Me, too.”

  Casey finger-waved at me as the two of them walked out of the hotel and headed toward the clubhouse.

  I must’ve had some weird look on my face because Ginny’s brother, Eric, crossed the lobby toward me. He hadn’t said much to me at all since I’d arrived on the island. In fact, he went out of his way to avoid me as much as possible. Probably because he didn’t want his wife to be any more upset about my being here than she already was.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  I nodded and then rubbed at my jawline. Pain radiated there. I must’ve been clenching my teeth to stop me from saying what I really wanted to say to both Casey and Samuel.

  “I’m sorry Samuel is putting you through the wringer.”

  “Oh, you’ve noticed?”

  He nodded. “I think everyone’s noticed. He isn’t one for subtlety.”

  “Why does he dislike me so much?”

  “I don’t think it’s that. I just think he hates change.” Eric paused, as if he was deciding how much to reveal about his family. “After Dad died, Grandpa really fought against any kind of change here. It took forever for him to agree that Mom could run the hotel. It was more than a year before he trusted her enough to leave the island at all, even for a few hours.”

  I skipped over my concerns about Lois’s fitness for managing the place and nodded. “Yeah, I’m thinking I don’t have forever to convince him I’m a valuable member of the team, either. More valuable than Casey, I mean.”

  He scrunched up his face and looked away.

  “What?”

  “What, what?” he said.

  “You made a face. I know that face. It says, ‘Girl, you have no idea.’”

  “Samuel’s been making phone calls to California,” he said with a grimace.

  My stomach felt like it fell to the floor. “About me?”

  “Yeah. I’m pretty sure he talked to the remaining partners at your former firm.”

  “Great.” I threw up my hands. “I can just imagine the kind of crap they’ve told him.”

  “For what it’s worth, I think Sam’s wrong. I think you’re very trustworthy and a good representative for the hotel. The guests like you.”

  “Really?” I smiled at him. Eric had no idea how much that meant to me. I’d always respected Eric and valued his opinions. “That means a lot, Eric. I can’t e
xpress how much.” I laid my hand on top of his and squeezed.

  He looked down at our joined hands and smiled.

  “You have got to be kidding me!”

  We both looked over to see his wife, Nicole, frozen in her spot in the lobby, glaring at us.

  Oops.

  I snatched my hand back, but it was too late. The damage had already been done.

  Nicole spun on her heel and marched toward the restaurant. If I could’ve seen her face, smoke was probably billowing out of her nose and both ears, too.

  “Damn it.” Eric turned to follow her, but I stopped him.

  “Let me do it. I think it’s time for us to have a chat. She’s been silently—well, maybe not so silently—hating on me since I arrived. It can’t go on any longer. She has to know for certain that there is absolutely nothing between you and me.”

  He nodded. “Right. Yeah, that’s probably a good idea. Clear the air. Get the truth out in the open.”

  My eyes narrowed as I regarded him. “There’s really not much to get out in the open, Eric. We went out one time, and nothing happened.”

  “Yeah, I know. That’s what I meant.”

  Not completely sure that Eric agreed with me about there being nothing between us, I marched into the restaurant to track down Nicole. I assumed she was headed toward her office in the back. I passed Colleen Walker on the way through the kitchen. She was getting ready for the supper rush and didn’t even glance my way.

  Nicole’s office door was shut. She’d probably slammed it in her fit of pique. I knocked once briskly, opened the door, and went in. I knew if I waited for a jovial “come in,” I’d be standing outside until hell froze over.

  “What do you want?” She glared at me from behind the desk.

  “To talk.”

  “Why? So you can tell me that my husband is still in love with you?”

  I slid into the hard wooden visitor’s chair. “What? That’s stupid. Eric has never been in love with me. We were friends. We went out on one date a zillion years ago. Nothing happened between us. I’m pretty sure we laughed through the goodnight cheek-to-cheek air kiss.”