“Did you find the files she was talking about?”
“No. There was nothing in her room other than her luggage.” She paused for a minute before continuing. “I can tell you this much. We learned from the hotel owner that there have been some break-ins at the hotel. Petty theft. Nothing major. Cash, cell phones—that sort of thing. The owner thinks the thefts have been internal, an employee. And they have been occurring for over a month. Much longer than Marianne claims to have been in town.” She stopped again and took a long drink of coffee. I got the sense she was stalling in an attempt to figure out what to say next. “We’re going to be following up on the thefts. While Marianne couldn’t provide proof about Forest, she was able to direct us to a contact in Seattle. We’ve been in touch with our colleagues in Spokane and Seattle.”
That didn’t sound like Chief Meyers was completely dismissing Marianne’s claims.
“What about Sara, the woman who died?” I finally took a sip of the coffee. It barely had any taste.
“That’s an open investigation. It’s too early to rule anything out.”
“But you think she was murdered?”
“She was murdered. There’s no doubt about that. Blunt force trauma to the head. The question is whether this has any connection to Marianne’s theory or if this is a separate case.”
“What should I do?”
“My advice?” She took another drink of her coffee. “Go about your normal business. I’m assigning you a tail, who’ll keep watch. John’s on that duty for now. He told me you brought him coffee this morning. That was nice of you. He’s young and eager, so I don’t think there’s much to worry about with him watching you, other than him pulling the trigger on a poor unsuspecting deer that might pass through your front yard.”
I tried to smile.
“Seattle is considering sending a team, so depending on how that shakes out, you might end up with someone new. I’ll keep you posted.”
“A team?” A wave of fear sent my stomach gurgling.
Chief Meyers sounded calm, but I noticed there was a grimness to her tone. “It’s Maifest weekend. We already have everyone on deck, plus extra hands on duty from Wenatchee and Spokane. I think an abundance of caution is a good move at the moment.”
“Okay.” I nodded, trying to ignore the tingly sensation running up my spine.
“I’ve released Marianne for the time being. I’m sure she’s going to make contact with you soon. That’s good. That’s what we want. You’re going to be my best source for getting information out of her. I suspect that, like me, you have some concerns about her mental state. At this point, I’m leaning toward believing her, but not without plenty of eyes on her, too. Regardless, I don’t think you’re in any danger with her. She could have your best interests at heart, but the question is going to be whether that’s warranted or not.”
“I guess, but then why call in extra help?”
Her answer didn’t pacify me. “Like I said, extra precaution. Our motto is better safe than sorry.” She finished her coffee. “As long as you’re comfortable, let Marianne stick near you. See what else you can learn. You’re wise and discerning. I think you’ll be able to get a sense of her stability, and in the meantime, until extra help from Seattle arrives, I’m going to have John or another member of our team on you. They will give you a perimeter of privacy, but they’ll stick close by you. I’m going to be putting every effort into learning what I can about Marianne and Forest while leading the investigation into Sara’s murder.”
“Okay.” I didn’t know what else to say.
“Before I go, a word of caution. Keep your phone on you, okay? And stay alert.”
“Okay.”
The chief left.
I wasn’t sure if our conversation had made me feel better or worse. Sitting at home dwelling on it wasn’t going to improve the situation, so I gathered my things and decided to head to Nitro. John had finished his coffee. He handed me the empty mug. “Thanks again for that, and it sounds like we’re going to be seeing a lot of each other for a while. The chief has assigned me to be your shadow until a replacement arrives. I’ll try to stay out of your way, but if you need anything, you just wave or holler, got it?”
“Yeah. It’s weird, but it will be a relief to know that you’re close by.”
“At all times. I won’t be more than a few feet away. My training at the academy is finally going to come to use. I’ve never been assigned to tail someone before. I’m excited about it. I’ll try to stay as discreet as I can.” His face looked even more boyish as he spoke.
Excited wasn’t the word I would have used, but I didn’t blame him. I was sure this was the most action he’d seen in the entire time he’d been in Leavenworth. I brought his coffee cup inside, and then locked the door on my way out.
It was strange to know that he was following me as I walked to Nitro. I was going to have to explain my new friend to Garrett and the rest of the crew at the pub. I wasn’t sure how to do that without alerting them. Probably my best bet was to keep as close to the truth as possible. I would tell them that it was connected to Sara’s murder and I was helping Chief Meyers investigate.
In addition to feeling unsettled with my shadow, it was surreal to see my fellow villagers putting the finishing touches on their shop windows and storefronts in anticipation of the parade, none the wiser that a woman had been murdered.
I didn’t get far. Marianne stood at the corner of Fourth and Front, right next to the ten-foot-high carved-wood nutcracker statue. She hadn’t changed since I’d seen her last. Her black trench coat was cinched tight around her waist, and her gray hair was tussled and frayed.
“Sloan, come quick.” She waved her hand toward her face.
“What’s going on?” I glanced behind me, wondering if John would try to keep out of sight.
“I want you to come see my hotel room. I think it will help set the scene.”
I looked to my watch. “Okay, but we have to make it quick. I need to get to work. There’s a ton to do before the parade.”
“This won’t take long.” She stepped onto the street and was nearly run over by a work crew carting supplies for the parade on two ATVs.
“Careful.” I followed after her.
For being in her sixties, Marianne was spry. She moved with agility, darting past shop owners sweeping their walkways and colorful tape marking the parade route. Hotel Vierter Stock sat three blocks down on the far side of the Festhalle. It was ironic that the hotel was named Vierter Stock, which translated to Fourth Floor, given that it was only two stories. Its white stucco siding, chocolate brown timbers, and forest green shutters blended in beautifully with the Leavenworth aesthetic. Lush hanging baskets greeted guests at an arched entranceway. The hotel blended Bavaria and the forest landscape with potted evergreen trees and rock fountains.
“This way.” Marianne bypassed the front entrance and unlatched a waist-high iron gate that took us through a sweet garden and patio. A young man in his early twenties wearing a hotel uniform deadheaded geraniums as we walked by.
“Morning, ladies,” he said, tipping his baseball cap. “Did you try the breakfast buffet? Best pastries and omelets in town.”
Hotel Vierter Stock was known for its delectable made-to-order gourmet breakfasts. Actually, that was true of most hotels and B&Bs in town. Sticking with the German tradition of hospitality, guests were treated to fresh coffee, tea, strudels, the most delicious assortment of pastries, and made-to-order omelets—a hearty start for a day of hiking, rafting, or perusing the shops.
“We’re not interested in breakfast.” Marianne brushed him off and moved down a narrow brick pathway toward a bank of rooms opposite the garden.
He flipped his cap on his head and continued his work.
“This was my room,” Marianne announced, stopping at the second door. Police caution tape blocked our access. “They moved me upstairs to the second floor.” She looked up to the second story.
“Okay.”
“Here’s what I think happened. It was dark, and the garden and pathway are only lit with a few lights. I think whoever was following me hid right there.” She pointed to a vending and ice machine. “They could have easily hidden there and waited for me. Then followed me into my room. Not me, obviously—Sara. If it was dark, she could have been mistaken for me. She was about my age with a similar height and long hair. Don’t you think it would have been easy for the killer to get confused?”
“I don’t know.” I surveyed the area, sensing that we were being watched. Then I remembered, we were. John stood near the center of the courtyard, pretending to be admiring a hummingbird feeder near one of the patio tables with a bright red sun umbrella.
The gardener caught my eye as he turned on a copper sprinkler to water the lawn.
“I told the chief to have her team sweep the vending machine for prints,” Marianne said.
A woman in the room next door to Marianne’s cracked her window and leaned her head out. “Can you keep it down? It’s only seven thirty. Some of us had a late night.”
“So sorry,” I said, automatically moving away.
Marianne took a different tactic. “Did you hear what happened last night?”
“Huh?” The woman rubbed her eyes.
“A woman was murdered right here! In the room next to you. You didn’t hear anything? The police have been here all night.”
“What?” The woman scowled. “Hang on.” She closed her window. A minute later, she appeared at the door, wearing a plush white bathrobe and slippers.
“Were you here all night?” Marianne asked. She removed a small notebook and pencil from her trench coat. I couldn’t believe she was interrogating a guest. That was Chief Meyers’s responsibility. Although she did look official in her trench coat and slacks.
The woman peered around us. “Is that caution tape?”
“Yes. There was a murder,” Marianne repeated.
“When?” The woman massaged her temples. I guessed her to be in her mid- to late forties. Her short brown bobbed hair was highlighted with streaks of honey, and it looked as if she’d slept in her makeup.
“Where were you last night between the hours of eleven and one?” Marianne moved closer to try and get a look inside the woman’s room.
“Uh, I don’t remember. I had a bit too much to drink.” She rubbed her temples again. “I’m Eleanor, by the way. Eleanor Wolfe of Wolfe Valley Wines. I’m in town for the festival and went to a tasting party with some other vintners last night. I don’t remember when I got back to the hotel. It was probably after midnight. I took a sleeping pill and crashed. I don’t remember hearing anything until just now.”
“Did you see anything unusual?” Marianne pressed on.
Eleanor tried to force her eyes to adjust to the light. “No. I don’t think so. Like I said, the tasting party turned into a bit of a blur. You know how it goes with industry people. We like to show each other up. There was a lot of wine flowing.”
“Think about it. Retrace your steps,” Marianne said, encouraging her. “Where was the tasting party?”
“At the winery in the village—Blumpiwen. We all congregated back there after everyone finished serving at the Sip and Stroll. We each brought bottles to share. Like I said, the details are pretty hazy after tasting a bunch of different wines. I knew that I didn’t have to drive, so I wasn’t worried about that. I think it was midnight. It could have been much later. I left the winery and walked back here. That’s all I remember.” She paused, and then gasped. “No, wait, I do remember something. I remember thinking I heard a scream when I came into the courtyard. I forgot all about that. I waited for a minute, right over there.” She pointed to a bistro table on the patio.
“And then what did you do?” Marianne asked.
“Nothing. I didn’t hear it again. I figured it was probably other people stumbling home after imbibing like me. I went to bed.”
“Thank you for your time. That’s very helpful,” Marianne said.
I agreed. Had Eleanor heard Sara’s scream right before she had been killed? If so, she could have been the last person to hear her alive.
CHAPTER
SEVEN
CHIEF MEYERS AND TWO uniformed officers arrived at the hotel. “What do we have going on here, ladies?” she asked Marianne and me.
Eleanor looked from the police officers to us. “Wait, you’re not with them? I thought you were detectives.”
“No. Craft brewer.” I raised my hand. “And concerned citizen.”
“I’d like to ask you a few questions in a minute,” the chief said to Eleanor. “If you want to get dressed, I’ll be back in fifteen or twenty minutes to take your statement.”
“My statement? Yes, of course. Whatever you need.” Eleanor glanced behind her. I thought I heard the sound of a shower running. “Are you going to want to talk to me here in my room?”
“Wherever you’re comfortable,” Meyers responded.
Eleanor shot another look behind her and shook her head. “Uh, maybe the breakfast room in fifteen minutes? I could use some coffee.”
“Fine.” She turned to Marianne. “Can we talk in the dining room?”
They left together as the officers entered the room where Sara had been murdered.
“What just happened? I’m confused.” Eleanor stared at me. She brushed smudged mascara from underneath her eyes, giving her the appearance of a football linebacker.
“Marianne was staying in the room. She found the body.”
“Oh, how horrible.” She placed her hand over her heart. “I wish I remembered more.”
“Think on it. You might be surprised at what comes up.” I glanced at my watch. “I should go. Brewing calls.”
There was a soft thud in her room. She snapped her head around, and shook it twice. Then turned back to me. “Sorry. That startled me. Just my book falling off the bed.”
The thud had sounded louder than a book, and was it just my imagination, or did Eleanor seem jumpy? It made me wonder if someone else was in the room with her.
She tugged the door closer to her body. “So, you’re a brewer?”
“Guilty as charged.” I pointed to my hoodie with the Nitro logo.
“That’s so great. We’re kindred spirits. There aren’t that many women in head roles in the wine or beer industry. I’d love to chat and swap stories if you have time while I’m in town.”
“Sure, come by the pub. Nitro.”
“I’ll do that, but first I need coffee and a bottle of Advil.” She rubbed her head and retreated to her room.
On my way out, I passed the gardener again. He was having a hushed conversation with a young woman who appeared to be a member of the housekeeping staff, based on her uniform—a green German frock and a ruffled white apron with an actual feather duster tucked into the front pocket.
When I approached, they broke apart.
“Don’t mind me, I’m on my way out.”
The housekeeper scurried away without a word.
“She’s just freaked out by everything that went down last night,” he said to me. “I saw you talking to that woman and the police. Are you involved in the investigation?”
“Me? No. I work at Nitro.”
“Oh, yeah, I’ve seen you around before. I’m Bozeman. Me and some of the guys have come by for pints. You guys make great beer.”
“Thanks.” I should have returned to the pub, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see if he knew anything. And Chief Meyers had asked me to stay alert. “Were you here when it happened?”
“No. I work the day shift. Vienna, who just ran off, was here. She took the night shift for Sara.”
“So Sara wasn’t on duty when she was killed?”
He shook his head. “I don’t think so. She was in charge of housekeeping. On busy weekends like this, she would sometimes help transition a room or two if needed, but she managed the staff, supplies, guest requests, that sort of thing. She was a legend around here. She worked her
e for over two decades. In fact, she was planning to retire in the fall. Too bad.”
His words were sympathetic, but his body language was rigid and controlled.
“Did you know her well?”
“Sara? Everyone who worked here knew her, even if you tried not to.”
“How so?”
“She was a stickler for the rules. She wasn’t even in charge of the grounds, but she’d always keep an eye on what I was doing out here, and she never hesitated to go to Jay, the owner, if she thought someone was slacking.” He dug dirt from beneath his nails as he spoke.
I was surprised to find him so forthcoming.
“Did that happen a lot?”
“Nah. She and Vienna got into it a few times because Vienna is constantly on her phone. They got in a big fight yesterday. Sara told her that if she caught Vienna on her phone one more time when she should have been cleaning a room, Vienna was going to get axed. That’s why she’s so skittish. She thinks the police are going to arrest her.”
“For having a fight with her boss?” I asked.
“Because that’s a motive for murder, right?” Bozeman yanked off his Hotel Vierter Stock baseball cap and scratched his head. “I don’t think she did it, but I get why she’s freaking. She’s been out of cash for a while. Times are tough up here. Things were slow this winter and early spring, so getting a job here was a big deal, and losing it is a pretty solid reason for offing her boss. That’s what we were talking about. I told her to go to the police.”
“That’s good advice.” I didn’t mention the fact that regardless of whether Vienna wanted to talk to the police or not, she didn’t have a choice.
“My money is on that other woman you were talking to. The one in the trench coat who thinks she’s CIA or something. She’s been sneaking around and acting shady. I caught her lurking in the supply shed yesterday and trying to sneak into the employee lounge.”
“When was this?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. I went to fill a wheelbarrow with bark after lunch yesterday, and I caught her in there. She claimed to be looking for lightbulbs for her room. Vienna saw her in the employee lounge last night.”
The Cure For What Ales You Page 6