“You have to do the initial interviews, don’t you?”
“Liss, I realize that you read a lot of mystery novels, but that isn’t real life and you aren’t a cop. I really shouldn’t have let you stay in the room while I was talking to Eunice just now. Not if I’m going to go by the book. And I am. I have to, or I risk blowing the case.”
“It isn’t that I want to meddle in police business, especially murder,” Liss insisted, leaning against the counter, “but I’m responsible for keeping everything running smoothly for the Burns Night Supper, and the murder has to be connected to that. So I’m already involved. I have an obligation to help straighten things out.” She sent Sherri a pointed look. “And I know the names of most of the people Phineas MacMillan insulted during his speech.”
Sherri gestured at the pad of paper Liss held. “Write them down, then, along with everything you remember him saying. Then you’re done.”
“What about Phineas MacMillan?” Liss asked as she scribbled. “If Eunice is right and the killer finds out that he killed the wrong twin, won’t he go after the right one?”
“That’s all I’d need,” Sherri muttered. “Two murders for the price of one.”
A few minutes later, Liss handed the tablet to Sherri. She’d written six names: Russ Tandy, Victoria Tandy, Lara Brown, Richardson Bruce, Harvey MacHenry, and Will MacHenry. After each was a brief summary of why he or she had been angered by Phineas’s remarks. She’d also made a note that someone who’d had a nose job had been another of Phineas’s targets.
“There’s something else, too.”
Liss hesitated, knowing full well the trouble she was about to cause, but Phil had been murdered. Viciously murdered. She had to tell Sherri what she knew.
“Go on.”
“Will MacHenry and Phil MacMillan got into a scuffle outside the gift shop. And Russ Tandy—God! I really hate tattling like this! Russ said he’d like to bash Phineas’s head in. Because, you see, both he and Will thought Phil was Phineas.”
“Are you sure it was Phil?”
Liss nodded. “Yes. Because of the bow tie.”
Sherri looked blank.
“Phineas wore satin,” she remined her friend. “Phil wore—”
“Okay. I remember now. You told me that earlier.” Sherri sighed and rested her head against the back of the chair. “My brain has turned to mush.”
“And this surprises you?” Liss asked. “Anyone with any sense went to bed hours ago.”
Sherri glanced at her watch and grimaced. “No rest for the wicked, but you should call it a night. As much as I appreciate your offer to help, there’s nothing more you can do.”
“And you’ve still got to talk to Phineas,” Liss said, her voice full of sympathy.
“And Sadie,” Sherri reminded her, but there was something in her tone that made Liss think her friend was not dreading that second interview quite as much as she had been.
Dan Ruskin hid a yawn behind his hand. Now that Eunice MacMillan had been safely tucked away in her suite, he was more than ready to pack it in. Guessing that by now Sherri would have moved on to interviewing either Phineas or Sadie, Dan left the stairwell on the first-floor level.
A glance through the glass panel in the door to his father’s office told him he’d been right. The thickness of the wood muffled the voices inside, but he could see that Phineas was agitated. Sherri stood with her butt propped against the side of the desk, her arms folded across her chest, but the man she was questioning didn’t seem to be able to stay still. He paced as he talked, waving his arms about.
Dan didn’t care much for Phineas MacMillan, but he did sympathize with the other man’s loss. Dan knew how upset he’d be if it had been his brother Sam, who’d been murdered, and twins were supposed to have a closer bond than regular siblings.
Pete Campbell was also in Joe’s office, leaning against the far wall. Dan caught his eye and a moment later Pete joined him in the hallway. “Problem, Dan?”
“When isn’t there one, but at least there are no new bodies.”
“Wiseass.”
“There’s an unused meat locker off the kitchen. I was thinking we could put the corpse in there.”
They’d have to replace the small walk-in freezer afterward. Dan couldn’t imagine that any health inspector worth his title would allow them to store food in it again, no matter how well they cleaned and disinfected it. That meant more expense for the hotel, but it couldn’t be helped.
He was both surprised and relieved when Pete shook his head. “Body stays put. But I’m wondering if we need to post a guard on the storage room. How many people have keys?”
“Any master key will open it, so me, Dad, the housekeeping staff.” He shrugged. “Quite a few.”
Pete grimaced. “Guess I know where I’ll be spending the night.”
Dan sympathized, but didn’t offer to take his place. “Did Liss turn in?” he asked.
“I think so. Sherri wouldn’t let her help with the interviews.”
“Thank God!”
Pete chuckled. “You should probably go up and check on her, though. Tower suite, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah,” Dan said. “Tower suite. And that’s the best idea I’ve heard all night.”
Sadie LeBlanc sat hunched in her chair, a resentful look on her face. There was a distinct whine in her voice when she spoke. “You’ve got no call to threaten me, Sherri Willett.”
“I’m not threatening you, Sadie. I just want you to confirm why you went into the storage room.”
“I’m not talking.” They sat opposite each other at the conference table. Sadie concentrated on picking at the label on a bottle of Poland Spring water.
Sherri sighed and wondered if she’d have been better off leaving her interviews until after the sun came up. She hadn’t gotten anywhere with Phineas MacMillan, either. He’d been uncooperative from the get-go, only reluctantly telling her that he’d gone to bed right after she’d “interrogated” him about the missing brooch. Once Pete left the room to talk to Dan, Phineas had apparently decided that Sherri was accusing him of his brother’s murder. Prickly as the proverbial porcupine, he’d refused to answer any more questions. A few minutes later, he’d announced that he was going back to bed and stormed out of Joe’s office.
By the time Sherri turned her attention to Sadie LeBlanc, she’d already been worn to a frazzle. That Sadie was giving her a hard time pushed her past her limit.
“Okay, Sadie,” Sherri said, “if you won’t tell me, then I’ll tell you. There is a pack of cigarettes hidden on a high shelf in that storage room where you found the body. I think you stashed it there. That’s why you went down to the basement and into that storage room. You were planning to sneak a smoke.”
“You can’t prove that.” Sadie sounded defiant, but she couldn’t meet Sherri’s eyes.
“No? Have you looked at your own face in a mirror lately? You show all of the classic signs of a person with a long-term tobacco addiction. You look older than you are. Smoking has ruined your complexion. Your face is deeply lined, Sadie. Anyone can see that much. And I know for a fact that you were a chain smoker when I was a little kid. I don’t think you ever stopped.”
Sadie didn’t move, but the very stiffness of her posture told Sherri she’d hit a nerve. Sherri bit her lip. Her words had been blunt to the point of cruelty. She told herself she’d had to say them to get through to this obstinate woman, but her conscience called her a liar.
Sherri told it to shut up. She had a job to do.
“Back then,” she continued, “both of my parents smoked, too. After my mother quit, she wouldn’t let anyone else in the house with a cigarette, so I haven’t seen you light up recently. But if you didn’t kick the habit, then you’d find a way to get your fix, wouldn’t you, Sadie? Even if it meant risking your job to do it.”
Sadie’s continued silence provoked Sherri into pushing harder.
“State law mandates smoke-free workplaces, Sadie. Employees a
ren’t allowed to light up anywhere on the premises, indoors or out. Is that why you always wear such heavy perfume? To cover up the smell of smoke that clings to your clothes and hair?”
Sadie crossed her arms across her bony chest and glared. “I’m not admitting a thing.”
Sherri resisted the urge to growl. “I’m willing to ignore the fact that you broke the no smoking rule. Once. But only if you stop being difficult and tell me exactly what you saw tonight.”
New wrinkles appeared in Sadie’s forehead. She knew she didn’t have a leg to stand on if Sherri reported her. She’d lose her job and any chance of a good reference. She huffed out an exasperated breath. “I didn’t see anything except a dead body.”
“When you went to retrieve your…property?”
“Yes! All right, yes. I hid a pack of cigarettes in the storage room and I went in to get them.”
Finally! She’d broken through. Sherri wondered why she didn’t feel better about her success. Probably because she’d lived down to Sadie’s expectations. She’d badgered and insulted a woman who’d just been through a traumatic experience. She’d treated Sadie as if she were a criminal, instead of a potential witness.
Well, it was too late for a do-over now. The best she could do was adopt a conciliatory tone. “Just a few more questions and you can get some rest, okay?” Sherri didn’t wait for a reply. “Did you hear anything on your way down to the basement? Voices? Footsteps?”
Sadie shook her head.
“How about smells? Perfume? Aftershave?”
“I wasn’t paying attention.” Sadie still sounded aggrieved.
“But you must have been keeping an eye out. You wouldn’t have wanted to get caught.”
“There was nobody around except the dead guy.”
Sherri repressed a sigh. “Okay, then. I’m sorry to put you through this, but I need to know how far into the room you went, if you touched anything, how—”
“Are you nuts? The second I saw the blood I was out of there. I didn’t touch anything but the door handle.”
“Did you have a flashlight or a lantern?”
“Flashlight. Damned near dropped it when the beam picked out a guy’s legs. I thought at first that I’d interrupted a couple going at it. Then I realized that he wasn’t moving.” She sent Sherri a sickly smile. “You wouldn’t believe how bad I need a cigarette right now. I don’t suppose you could go get that pack for me?”
Reluctantly sympathetic, Sherri shook her head. “And please don’t try to get it yourself. That’s a crime scene now. Sealed off until the state cops get here.”
“Body still in there?”
“As a matter of fact, it is.” Sherri was pretty sure that would discourage Sadie from attempting to retrieve her cigarettes. “Okay, Sadie. We’re done here. The state police will want to talk to you, of course. And if you think of anything else, please let me know right away.” She stood. “Thank you for your cooperation.” There wasn’t even a hint of sarcasm in those last five words.
Sadie made a production out of gathering up her purse and opening it to fish out her key card. She regarded it and Sherri with the same disgruntled expression. “You’d think,” she said as she made her way to the conference room door, “it being the hotel’s fault that I’m stranded here overnight and all, that they could have given me a room with a decent view.”
Liss rubbed at her eyes, wishing she weren’t so exhausted. The long climb to the aerie had just about finished her off, but the tower suite deserved to be appreciated. Carrying her flashlight and a bag from the gift shop that contained the oversize T-shirt she intended to sleep in, she made her way through the living room and into the bedroom with its big, four-poster bed, its huge bank of windows, and its ornate fireplace.
She shivered. It was even colder there than it had been downstairs, but she couldn’t resist going to the windows and looking out at the night. On her way by, she grabbed the hand-knitted afghan neatly folded across the foot of the bed and wrapped it around her shoulders.
She couldn’t see much except the few fat, wet flakes of snow that stuck to the glass. Liss frowned. If the temperature warmed up another degree or two, those would turn to sleet, and that would cause even bigger problems. When ice accumulated on tree limbs, they broke off under the weight. That would be all they’d need! Driving into Moosetookalook, close as it was, would be impossible if that happened. They could be stuck there for days before road crews managed to clear away that kind of debris.
Her thoughts went to the two cats waiting for her at home. She told herself they’d be fine. She’d left them plenty of food and water, knowing it would be a late night. And surely Aunt Margaret would check on them. Liss’s aunt had gone home at five, so she’d missed the worst of the weather. And she lived right above Moosetookalook Scottish Emporium. She’d be able to check on Lumpkin and the kitten as soon as the storm let up. After all, it was only a matter of a few steps from Margaret’s back door to the entrance to Liss’s kitchen.
She turned away from the window, meaning to crawl into bed and catch what sleep she could. Her eyes were already at half mast, but they popped open again when the beam of her flashlight revealed that she was not alone. A figure loomed in the doorway, blocking off the only escape route. Liss swallowed hard and whispered, “Who’s there?”
“It’s just me,” Dan said. “I didn’t mean to spook you.”
Liss sagged in relief. She’d thought, earlier, when Dan had told her that she’d be sleeping in the tower, that he intended to share the suite with her. She’d been looking forward to spending some time alone with him. They saw each other all the time, but there were almost always other people around. But then Sadie had found the body. Homicide and romance might mix well in romantic suspense novels, but Liss had a feeling that in real life it was harder to combine them.
“I thought you might like a fire,” Dan said.
Without waiting for her response, he entered the bedroom and headed for the stone fireplace. When Liss directed her light that way, she saw that there was already wood and kindling laid in the hearth, ready to be lit. Dan knelt down, match in hand, and held the flame to the crumpled newspaper that made up the bottom layer. A moment later, it caught.
“I thought fires weren’t allowed in the rooms,” Liss said, coming up beside him to stare down at the winking flames.
“This is one of the exceptions, although we still have to be careful.” He set the fire screen in place to keep sparks off the hearth rug.
When he stepped back, it seemed the most natural thing in the world to move into his arms. He kissed her lightly on the forehead and tugged her toward a love seat already positioned to view the romantic glow of the fire.
“I had this planned for a lot earlier in the evening,” he whispered.
She toyed with the buttons on his shirt. He’d had a rough night, and things wouldn’t be much better in the morning. Even without Phil MacMillan’s murder, Dan had to have a lot on his mind. Opening the hotel had been a gamble from the first. The Ruskins needed every paying guest they could find to cover the operating costs. When the power went out, Joe Ruskin had offered free food as a way of making up for the lack of amenities. That alone probably broke the budget. If some of the guests demanded their money back, Joe would be in even worse financial trouble.
She nestled closer, finally beginning to feel warm again as the fire crackled in the hearth. Dan kissed her forehead.
“Man, am I glad I’m not a cop,” he murmured.
“Why?”
“Pete. He’s stuck sitting on a hard chair in the basement hallway for the rest of the night. Guard duty. I guess I’ll have to spell him tomorrow, though. Or find someone else to. Maybe Simon, if I offer him enough overtime.”
“Wait a sec. Are you telling me that Sherri and Pete think someone might try to get into the storage room? Why would anyone want to go in there?”
“An excess of curiosity?” he suggested.
When Liss felt Dan’s lips curve int
o a smile, she just knew he was thinking of her. “I’ve got no interest in viewing dead bodies. Let me just say—eeew!”
“No plans to play Nancy Drew on this one?”
Liss hesitated, then opted for honesty. “I did offer to help Sherri conduct interviews, but she turned me down flat. I think she’s afraid I’ll mess up the chain of evidence or something.”
She glanced up to meet his cool, steady gaze. That expression said more than words could express. He didn’t want her involved in the investigation any more than Sherri did.
“I just want to give her a hand.” Liss knew she sounded defensive, but she couldn’t help it. She felt defensive. “She can’t do everything herself. Besides, this could be another case where I have special knowledge that may be useful to the police. Don’t forget, most of the hotel’s guests are members of the Scottish Heritage Appreciation Society, and I’ve been working with them since just after Christmas.”
“I haven’t forgotten anything.” Dan tightened his hold on her and rested his cheek against the side of her head. She couldn’t see his face, but she could hear the exasperation in his voice. “I remember what it’s like to be afraid for you, Liss.”
She lacked the energy to pull away from him, but she did muster up enough to object to his misgivings. “I’m not planning to do anything dangerous.”
“And we already know how often plans can go wrong. A man had his throat slit tonight, Liss. I don’t want you to be next. Look, I understand why you feel you should get involved. I do. Hell, I’ve got a vested interest in solving this crime myself, for the sake of Dad’s hotel. But Sherri knows what she’s doing. She has to be the one who calls the shots because she’s the one who knows what we have to do to make sure that whoever did this gets convicted.”
“But if there’s a way we can help, we should. Right?”
Liss didn’t know why she was being so stubborn about it, but she was relieved when Dan nodded. She felt the movement as a soft up-and-down brush of his cheek against her hair. Then he turned her in his arms. She was unsurprised to find their lips in perfect alignment for a kiss.
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