‘Like I was saying, we had a lost child, a six-year-old girl who apparently sleepwalks. I have no idea where they found her, but I do know they discovered a body, a man, somewhere nearby. We, the employees, spent most of the morning talking to some detectives.’
Here an errant dimple wormed its way into my memory and I blushed. Ellie narrowed her eyes. I would be interrogated the first chance she got.
‘And after dinner, we had a dance out on one of the side patios and the keyboard player was electrocuted and died. That’s all. I can’t imagine why your cards would think I was the one in danger.’ I stopped to take a breath.
Ellie stared at me. I could almost hear the windmills of her mind turning furiously in a wave of curiosity. Finally she spoke, stretching her back into the luxurious cushions and plopping her feet onto the coffee table.
‘I’ll take coffee and a croissant or two, as long as you’re ordering, AJ. I can’t think on an empty stomach.’ Ellie looked at me expectantly. ‘Well? Are you or aren’t you?’
‘Fine,’ I grumbled. Sometimes I could kick myself for the things I offer to do. I cringed when I thought of the kitchen staff. I’m sure they thought that Emmy had hired an adolescent bottomless pit instead of a grown-up assistant concierge. Oh, well. I might as well take advantage of it and get myself something as well. And not cookies, AJ, I scolded myself.
I placed an order for croissants, scrambled eggs, and coffee, feeling a mite foolish but delighted when the voice on the other end said, ‘And will you want cookies as well, Ms Burnette?’
Well, why not? Life’s too short and all that. ‘Sure. Send whatever you have.’ I replaced the phone with a grin on my face.
It wasn’t such a bad thing, having folks around who knew what I liked. Too bad David hadn’t been like that. His conversations tended to be one-sided, now that I thought about it, and rarely did we do what I wanted. A smiling Detective Baird popped into my mind and I could feel the tell-tale flush creeping up my neck. I’ll bet he’d be game to try something if I suggested it. And that particular little thought made me blush even more, and Ellie’s radar homed in on me.
‘So.’ She stared me down with laser-like intensity. ‘What is it you need to tell me, AJ?’ Damn her perceptive antenna. That was more than likely the reason she’d scooted on down here so fast to begin with. Her cards had probably already ratted me out.
‘It’s absolutely nothing, Ellie.’ I knew my face was still red and tried to sound as if I truly didn’t care. I forced steel into my voice and returned her stare with an icy one of my own. It didn’t work.
Now it was Ellie’s turn to snort scornfully. ‘That’s not what the cards, said, AJ.’
I could have laughed aloud. Ellie is so predictable.
‘Ellie,’ I began in a soothing tone, not wanting to risk another blow-up. ‘I’ve only just decided to break it off with David and I’m definitely not on the market at this moment. Besides, most men aren’t interested in fair play anyway and I’m pretty sure that Detective Dimple would …’
I caught myself and stopped talking abruptly. Ellie’s eyes, which had opened wider at the mention of David’s demise in my life, suddenly stretched so far I fully expected to see an eyeball or two roll down her cheeks.
‘Detective Dimple? Is that his name? Oh, my goodness!’
Ellie’s laugh, which at this time of the morning was slightly cackle-ish, cannoned across the room and resounded off of the walls. I glared at her, my lips folded as tight as my arms as I waited for the merriment to subside.
We Were Not Amused.
Wiping her eyes and gasping for air – which I think was just for effect and not entirely real – Ellie swung around on the couch, crossing her legs and facing me directly.
‘Detective Dimple,’ she said in that tone I knew so well, the one that said, Hmm, AJ – here’s material I can work with.
I spluttered, bouncing to my feet and stomping out to the kitchen. I needed something to do with my hands or I was afraid I’d throttle her, adding one more to the body count at the Miramar.
‘That’s not his name,’ I threw over my shoulder. ‘It’s Detective Baird, and he talked to me twice yesterday, nothing exciting. In fact, I think that he thinks that I did it.’ I began to heat water for tea, completely forgetting the tray I’d ordered.
‘He couldn’t possibly,’ Ellie objected, following me in to the kitchen. She perched on one of the chairs that bookended the small table, clearly expecting me to go on. I would be danged if I would, though; I was still smarting from the ‘Detective Dimple’ episode.
‘Look, AJ,’ Ellie said when she finally figured out that I wasn’t going to be forthcoming with any more juicy tidbits about the day before. ‘I can’t imagine anyone would really consider you a suspect in anything, except maybe in making bad decisions.’
‘And what, exactly, does that mean?’ I demanded. ‘If you’re talking about me coming to the Miramar, I seem to recall that someone …’ here I shot her a poisonous glare ‘… actually encouraged me to do this.’
‘No, of course not,’ she impatiently brushed my ire aside. ‘I was talking about David. You seem to have sorted that out already, though, so that’s OK. I was talking about your detective.’
‘He’s not my detective,’ I replied, teeth gritted. I dumped way too many tea bags into the hot water just as a timid knock sounded on the front door.
I went to answer the door, glad for the interruption. I mean it – I adore my cousin, I really do, but sometimes I’d like to wring her neck. That’s family for you, I guess.
The same little maid from yesterday stood there, puffy eyes evidence of her weariness. As I took the tray from her, though, I could see signs of tears. And something else I couldn’t quite put my finger on. Was it guilt? Anger?
‘Hey, what’s wrong, Maria?’ I asked with a hasty glance at her name badge. I set the tray down and went back to the door where she still stood, hands clutched together and tears starting down her face.
‘Miguel,’ she managed to get out before a wave of sobs shook her. I drew her into the room, shutting the door behind us. Ellie, her eyes back to Kewpie-doll width, stayed frozen in her chair. It was up to me, I guessed, to calm Maria down enough to open up and to get Ellie’s ability to talk restored. Such was the life of an assistance concierge.
I led Maria to the couch, motioning Ellie to come join us. I shot her a warning look, knowing that Ellie most likely would want to ‘read’ Maria. I didn’t need it to get out that I dabbled in the dark arts; it was already bad enough to have a reputation as a non-stop eater.
‘Oh yes – this is Ellie, my cousin. She’s paid me a surprise visit, all the way from our home town. Checking I’m OK,’ I explained.
‘So tell us what’s wrong,’ I said in my gentlest voice. I sat on the edge of the table in front of the weeping girl, patiently waiting for her to compose herself.
Wiping her eyes with the back of her hands, Maria looked up at me. I was startled to see the abject misery on her face, and began to think there must have been something more than just a fellow employee relationship going on between them. I was right, as it turned out.
‘Miguel,’ Maria began, looking back and forth between me and Ellie. ‘He’s my brother. Was my brother.’ A new round of sobs shook her slight shoulders.
My earlier suspicion concerning Emmy and Miguel reared its ugly head and I gave a small shiver. Something was undeniably wrong at the Miramar.
Chapter Eight
My eyes met Ellie’s across Maria’s bowed form and I shrugged. I couldn’t let on that I suspected something, and I refused to give Ellie fuel for her inquisitive mind. She did that on her own just fine.
I went in search of tissues. Our food was getting cold and I was suddenly hungry, in spite of the early hour. I figured we could eat while Maria talked, if she still wanted to.
Walking back into the living room, I saw that Ellie had scooted over closer to Maria and had placed an arm around her shoulders, murmuring quiet
ly in her ear. Maria seemed calmer, and give Ellie credit; she does have a gift for talking folks off the ledge. She also tends to use such moments to her advantage, in my experience.
‘Ah, Ellie,’ I said, careful to not break whatever spell she was weaving but not wanting to give her a chance to whip out the ever-present cards. ‘Why don’t you take the tray to the table? You might as well eat while it’s hot. Maria, you’re welcome to stay and talk if you’d like.’ I stood by the couch, looking down at the two with what I hoped was an encouraging smile fixed on my face. My stomach gave a loud rumble and I grimaced. My body could be such a traitor at times.
‘It sounds like you’re the one who needs to eat, AJ.’ Ellie grinned up at me, standing to her feet. ‘And besides, Maria has consented to let me read for her.’
I started to protest, but Ellie held up her hand.
‘She agrees with me that the police probably need as much help as we can give them. Besides, I may be able to identify a person of interest for them.’ She looked smugly at me, daring me to object.
Put that way, I’d sound like a spoilsport if I protested; after all, I wanted the killer caught as well, didn’t I? I sighed. Ellie certainly knew how to turn the tables on me.
‘Look, Ellie. We don’t even know if Miguel was killed. For all we know, that was an accident. I mean, it was tragic, yeah, but murder? I think that’s stretching things a bit.’ I could play verbal volleyball as well as Ellie, if not better. After all, I’d perfected my game against hers years ago.
‘It was no accident!’ Maria surprised me with an eruption of emotion – Ellie and I forgot our sparring and turned to face her. Her face was contorted with the anger she was feeling, and I took an involuntary step back from her furious words.
Ellie reached over to pat Maria’s arm, but the girl jerked away. I could almost see the steam venting from her ears as she sat there, breathing heavily and staring daggers at me.
‘Maria, I’m sure the police …’ I began but got no further.
‘The police! They know nothing! I tried to tell them about things and they would not listen to me.’ Maria was wound up as tightly as an eight-day clock. ‘Wait,’ I interrupted. ‘What things do you mean? About Miguel?’
‘Yes! I saw her do it, but they take no notice. Just a maid, they think,’ she finished, spitting out the words scornfully, tossing her head. She sat back against the sofa’s cushions, suddenly winding down. Tears began to fill her large dark eyes again. ‘If they will not listen, then she can read the cards,’ she said with a quaver, gesturing toward Ellie. ‘Maybe she can tell us who killed my brother.’
I refused to look at my cousin. It was too early in the day to deal with an insufferable Ellie.
I sighed. I seemed to be doing quite a bit of that already this morning. My stomach grumbled, a bit more loudly this time. I needed to eat something if I was to handle Maria and Ellie.
‘Fine,’ I agreed ungraciously. ‘I need to eat first, and Ellie, you might as well eat something, too. Maria?’ I said, gesturing at the tray.
She waved me away. ‘No, thank you. I am not hungry. You eat, then Miss Ellie will tell us who did this to Miguel.’
She settled back onto the couch with determination on her face. She had found a champion in Ellie, and my cousin was eating it up. I still wouldn’t look at her, but I could feel her preening as she filled a plate with scrambled eggs and a croissant. Ellie was never going to let me forget this one.
We ate in silence for the most part, making inconsequential conversation about news from back home (I’d only been gone a little over a day but Ellie acted like it had been a week) and the day’s plans. Finally I could stall no longer, having all but scraped the finish from the plate in front of me.
‘Ellie, if you’re going to read for Maria, do it quick. She probably needs to get back.’ I figured if I made it sound like Maria was being timed, Ellie might not be so keen to do this. She was always saying that she couldn’t force information from the cards if the ‘spirits weren’t listening’ anyway. Maybe giving said spirits a time limit would drive them away completely.
So much for that little ploy. Ellie smiled benevolently at Maria, who sat up expectantly as if she thought Ellie would transform before her eyes into something magical and wave a wand over all her troubles. I rolled my eyes; I’m skeptical about Ellie’s so-called talents and I wasn’t afraid to show her.
Refusing to be a part of Ellie’s dog and pony show, I left them to it while I went to take a shower. My two cups of coffee were kicking in and I needed to get my morning started. I’d planned on being in the main lobby by eight anyway, and it looked like I’d be there with plenty of time to spare. Besides, I was certain Emmy would want to get an early start since work seemed to be a panacea for her.
The water was relaxing and I let it run over my shoulders and neck for a while. I figured Ellie would need about twenty minutes, start to finish, for her little bag of tricks; I could be showered, dried, and dressed by then, ready to face both Maria and the day.
When I walked back into the living room, I was surprised to find it empty. I was stumped: where in the world could Ellie and Maria have gotten to? It wasn’t like the Miramar had a special room for card readings and crystal balls. I thought for a moment and then decided to head down toward the kitchen. Maybe Maria had already gone back there and would be able to tell me where Ellie had gone.
The sight that met my eyes, when I finally found the large, industrially equipped kitchen, nearly stopped me dead in my tracks. My cousin was holding court in a most regal Ellie-like manner, cards spread out across a stainless steel counter and surrounded by a hushed crowd of kitchen staff, Maria at the front.
‘Ellie!’ I exclaimed, breaking the near-reverential silence. ‘What in heaven’s name are you doing?’
All heads swiveled in my direction, eyes wide as though I had just sprouted a pair of horns and a tail. Ellie kept her head down, flipping cards and muttering to herself. She acted as though she hadn’t heard me. Irritation bubbled up inside me; I didn’t need to lose my newly landed job over something like this. I marched over to where she stood, stopping just short of sweeping the entire mess onto the polished floor.
Ellie still didn’t look up, but instead raised one hand in a ‘Stop’ sign. I did as instructed. I really do hate confrontations.
Hesitating just a moment, I leant forward and hissed just loud enough for her to hear me, ‘Ellie! Whatever it is you think you’re doing, stop it right now! Number one, you’re going to get me fired. And number two, we don’t even know if Miguel was murdered or not. Pack it up and let’s get out of here.’
I’d gotten her attention. ‘AJ, would you just chill? I’m almost done and I think I know what happened. Besides, I promised Maria that I’d help.’ With that she continued flipping the cards, finally stopping with a loud, ‘Aha!’
I shook my head, half-disgusted at her theatrics. Only Ellie could make card reading seem like a Broadway show.
‘What do you see, Miss?’ Maria eagerly questioned Ellie as the rest of the folks surged forward to see how the cards were laid out. In spite of myself, I moved closer as well, taking a look at the various figures galloping, hanging, and grinning on the cards’ surfaces. I could make neither head nor tail of them, and frankly, I had no wish to. It was nothing but a lot of mumbo-jumbo to me, but Ellie seemed to believe in the messages she claimed to get. As long as she wasn’t making promises she couldn’t deliver, I supposed it was OK.
A sudden flurry of action dropped me back into the present. The kitchen staff had vanished as if by magic, and I half-expected Ellie to have disappeared as well. Footsteps behind me caused me to turn, and I saw Emmy standing just inside the doorway, her face set, shoulders held stiffly. Something had her knickers in a twist, and I crossed my fingers that it wasn’t Ellie. Or me, for that matter. I had no desire to go back home with my tail between my legs.
‘AJ, you’re up early.’ Emmy Ruiz walked into the kitchen, her expression already har
ried despite the early hour. ‘Detective Baird has called and tells me that he will be here around two to speak with you.”
‘With me?’ I all but squeaked. ‘What in the world does he want with me?’
‘For that, you will need to see the detective,’ Emmy said with a small smile.
I relaxed. She was just anxious over the on-going investigation, not mad at me. I gave a half-glance over my shoulder and saw that Ellie had evaporated as well, and that was probably a good thing. I wasn’t sure how I’d explain her to Emmy anyway, and I certainly couldn’t imagine justifying a card reading in the resort’s kitchen. I looked back at Emmy, who was staring at me with an unreadable expression that instantly vanished when our eyes met.
‘Let’s get something to eat before our day starts and the handsome detective comes calling, shall we?’ Emmy turned toward the door, stopping to see if I was following.
We made our way to the Palmetto Room, its tables beginning to fill with early-morning risers. Large coffee urns shone at each end of a long serving table, bracketing platters of croissants, fruit, and pastries, alongside steaming dishes of scrambled eggs and bacon. In spite of the fact that I’d already eaten that morning, my stomach began its familiar refrain. I really needed to get that under control pronto, otherwise I’d soon be rolling around the Miramar like an unwieldy beach ball.
That particular thought didn’t stop me from filling a plate with food, although I did manage to get some fruit on there as well. With self-righteous satisfaction, I nibbled at pineapple and mango before diving into the eggs and bacon that took up a large portion of my plate. Ah. Now this was the way to begin a day, I told myself. Especially when the day would hold a visit from a certain detective whose mere presence could send me into a dither.
A girl needs her strength, after all.
Murder at the Miramar (Augusta Burnette Series) Page 5