Beauty & Bloodshed

by Stephanie Damore

  Not her, too. I thought. “Why not?”

  “I can’t lose this job. Your uncle, our insurance, the house. I need to take care of all of that and I can’t without a job.”

  “That’s ridiculous—” I started to say but stopped myself. Most of my family had moved to the mainland over the past couple of decades, but my uncle José was Puerto Rican proud. He wouldn’t leave his island home no matter how much his health deteriorated or my dad and his sisters begged him to. God bless Lupe, she loved my uncle for who he was, stubbornness and all.

  “I can’t screw this up. This is a good job,” Aunt Lupe said.

  I knew enough about Puerto Rico’s economic state and lack of employment opportunities to know that good paying jobs were few and far between. Still, I couldn’t do nothing, and I said as much.

  “Look, I’m all for you digging around and finding out what’s going on. I don’t like the thought of someone being attacked in this hotel either, but I need you to do it on the down low. Please.”

  “Okay. I don’t know what I’m going to do, though.” Or how I was going to do it. Then I thought of one thing. “Do me a favor and make note if anyone walks out looking suspicious, or heaven forbid, wheeling a rather lumpy and large suitcase.”

  “What do you mean?” My aunt looked alarmed.

  “If someone was murdered, the killer will be looking to dispose of the body.” I saw my aunt swallow hard, but she nodded in agreement.

  I looked over at Mr. Roberto’s office. He was on the phone, his office door shut. “He’s such a jerk,” I said, gesturing toward Mr. Roberto.

  “Excuse me?” Finn said. “What’s going on?”

  He had hung up his surfboard and headed back to our hotel to find me when he couldn’t find me at the beach. Thankfully he had also nabbed my bag and towel.

  I filled Finn in on what had happened.

  “But there wasn’t anyone in the room?” Finn asked.

  “No, no one. The room looked normal, too,” I said.

  “What about Mrs. Hayden?” my aunt asked.

  “That’s what I asked. Mr. Hayden said she was out shopping.”

  “But you don’t know that for a fact,” Finn said.

  “No. She could definitely be the woman I saw, but I don’t know anymore.”

  “You’re sure you saw someone?” Finn asked.

  “Positive, but it’s possible I had the wrong room. I was looking through the binoculars when I saw it, so my perception was a bit off.

  “You want to go back down and check it out?” Finn asked.

  “Absolutely. Did you grab the binoculars?” I asked, looking at my bag on his shoulder.

  “No, I didn’t see them.”

  “Okay, I’m going to run back out to the beach and see if I can find them before we lose our light.” Sunset was fast approaching.

  “Do you mind if I run upstairs and rinse off real quick?” Finn asked.

  I didn’t blame him. I hated the way saltwater left my skin feeling. Luckily, I had designed a body wash and lotion for just such an occasion. My almond shower oil gently cleansed, while my satiny smooth almond milk moisturizer melted into the skin, leaving it soft and kissable, if I do say so myself.

  “No, that’s totally cool. Use my shower stuff and meet me at the beach when you’re done. I’m going to try to see what I’m missing.”

  I headed back out, and Finn was right. The binoculars were nowhere to be found. I glanced around in the sand, making sure they hadn’t been covered up somehow and looked up at the lingering beachgoers, but no one stood out.

  Well, crud. I hope they weren’t expensive. But knowing Finn, they were. He used the binoculars’ special polarized lenses on his charter fishing tours. Good thing Christmas was only a few weeks away. I looked back at our hotel anyway. Now that a little bit of time had passed since the incident, I was able to think more calmly about what I had witnessed.

  What was I missing?

  I was still questioning myself when I spotted Finn. He must’ve taken the quickest shower in all of mankind. He was showered, redressed, and walking toward me in just over ten minutes.

  I was staring up at the window when he joined me. “That’s the right window, I’m sure of it,” I said, pointing to where the bloodied hand had been. “Mr. Hayden’s room is the right one.” At least I thought it was. Is it possible it was up one more floor? Shoot. Now I was second-guessing myself. If it wasn’t Mr. Hayden’s window, then whose was it? I wasn’t sure, but the case didn’t end here.

  Finn looked up and squinted. It was impossible to make out any details. I had already tried. “Find the binoculars?” he asked.

  “No, I’m sorry,” I said.

  “Great,” Finn replied, looking around on the ground. “How much time was there in between you witnessing the attack and you guys checking it out?” he asked, giving up the search quicker than I had.

  “I don’t know, ten maybe fifteen minutes, tops. Enough time for someone to get help, but I would think we would have seen them come through the lobby, or they would’ve called the front desk.”

  Finn nodded. “I don’t think we’re going to get much more information from out here.”

  I started to agree, until I saw him. “There he is,” I said. I turned my back so Mr. Hayden was behind me and hopefully wouldn’t pick me out of the diminishing crowd.

  “Who?” Finn asked.

  “Mr. Hayden, and he’s not alone. He’s the one dressed in his country club best, with the perky blond hanging on his arm.” I wished once more for the binoculars, but even without them, I could tell they were a couple. I turned and looked at the duo. The way Mr. Hayden put his hand on her hip and turned her body toward his was a dead giveaway to the level of their intimacy.

  “Is that his wife?” Finn asked, still looking at the duo.

  “I would hope so. I don’t know what she looks like, but if that’s not her, Mr. Hayden has some explaining to do.” Whether Mr. Roberto liked it or not.

  “I guess we need to find out,” Finn said. I couldn’t have agreed more, but that wasn’t why I was suddenly smiling. I loved how Finn just went along with these investigations nowadays. This, ladies, is why I married the man. Find a guy who accepts you for you, and don’t let go. I think I read that in a fortune cookie once.

  “Why don’t we head back in and see what my Aunt Lupe knows. Hopefully she can give us a description on what Mrs. Hayden looks like,” I said.

  “See anything else?” My aunt asked me between checking people out. I stood to the side of the front desk, watching people as they waited for their rides and eyeing their bags, wondering what evidence could be walking out the door with them.

  “What does Mrs. Hayden look like?”

  “Rebecca Hayden? Oh, you can’t miss her. Long, red hair. Legs for days.”

  That was so was not the woman we just saw with him.

  “What’s that look for?” my aunt asked the two of us.

  “Well, Mr. Hayden was just out on the boardwalk with a petite blonde. They seemed close,” I said, leaving my observations to that.

  My aunt nodded, catching my drift. “That would be Piper, his personal assistant.”

  I raised my eyebrows at that. “Really? He brings his assistant with him on vacation?”

  “This is more than a vacation. Every year, James Hayden brings his top investors here for some big business pow-wow. Piper plans it all. She even personally checks them all in when they arrive.”

  “You can’t pay for service like that,” Finn said with a smile. I playfully punched his arm.

  “Hey!” Finn rubbed his arm, but the smile remained on his face.

  I looked at the fading sunset out the front window. The palm trees danced in the breeze. If it wasn’t for technology, you’d never suspect a massive storm was churning its way toward my second home. That thought had me thinking of something else.

  “How convenient would it be for Mr. Hayden to kill his wife and then blame her death on a natural disaster?�
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  “Pretty darn convenient,” Finn responded.

  “But surely her injuries would have to corroborate that?” my aunt offered.

  “Not if her body was never found. Plus, why would anyone suspect otherwise?” I said.

  “Good point,” Finn remarked.

  “Gosh, you guys are good,” my aunt said.

  “Now we just need to find her, dead or alive, before the storm hits. You didn’t see her this evening, did you?”

  “No, I haven’t. Not yet.”

  “How late are you working?” I asked.

  “Eight PM as long as Miguel’s on time,” Aunt Lupe replied. I hadn’t met the night manager, but I had heard his punctuality was hit or miss. As far as my aunt was concerned, he should never have made management. He was far from leadership material.

  “Okay, if you do see her, give me a call, won’t you?” I asked.

  “Of course,” she replied.

  Finn and I had started to walk toward the elevator when I thought of something else.

  “Mr. Hayden said his wife had gone shopping. If that’s true, where do you think she’d go? Are there any high-end or specialty shops nearby?” I asked.

  “That’s hard to say. We have the usual mall, but Old San Juan is peppered with dozens of shops. Anything from Cuban cigars to luxury outlets. I’m not even sure what direction to send you in.”

  Hmmm. I didn’t think I was desperate enough to go wandering around on a wild goose chase … yet. If Mrs. Hayden didn’t turn up by tomorrow morning though, I’d be rethinking that.

  3

  Finn and I had originally planned on dressing up and heading out to Santaella for a fancy dinner, but after the evening’s events, I wasn’t feeling it at all. I didn’t care how amazing the sea bass was.

  “Pizza?” Finn asked after I was showered and in my pajamas for the evening.

  “That sounds good to me. Want me to call it in?” I asked.

  “Yeah, I’ll run down and grab it,” Finn said.

  “Grab a couple of cervezas while you’re at it.” Beer wouldn’t make me forget what I had witnessed, but hopefully it would help me sleep better that night.

  While Finn ran out, I decided to call my gal pal Detective Roxy of the Port Haven Police Department. Having friends in high places sure paid off when you walked into trouble as often as I did.

  “I need your help,” I said when she answered her phone.

  “Honeymoon wasn’t exciting enough for you?” Detective Roxy replied without missing a beat.

  “Well, you know, no rest for the wicked,” I replied.

  “What is it this time? Kidnapping? Espionage?”

  “I’m not sure exactly. I think I saw someone being attacked.”

  “What do you mean?” she asked, becoming serious.

  “Well, I was on the beach, watching Finn surf, when I looked back at the hotel with my binoculars and saw a bloodied hand smack the window.”

  “Oh my gosh!”

  “I know, but here’s the thing: When we went to check out the hotel room, everything looked clear.”

  “What?” Detective Roxy said in disbelief.

  “I know. Now, there’s a chance I might not have the right hotel room.” I was starting to think that may be the case. “But I have a funny feeling about one of the hotel’s guests. His story isn’t jibing with me.”

  “What’s his name?”

  “James Hayden. He’s some big shot CEO and, of course, everyone kisses his tail.”

  “Except you.”

  “You got it. Can you look into him for me?”

  “What did the cops say?” Detective Roxy shifted into police mode. She had a love for following the rules, which I totally didn’t get.

  “It’s complicated,” I replied.

  Detective Roxy was silent for a moment. I could hear the lecture she wanted to hit me with running through her head, but in the end, she kept it to herself. “Let me do some digging, and I’ll call you back.”

  I let out a breath. “Thanks, girl. I appreciate it. Oh, and if you could put a rush on it? That would be great.”

  “Don’t push —” I clicked off before Detective Roxy could finish her statement. Of course, I was kidding. In truthfulness, I hadn’t needed to add the last part, anyway. I had full faith my detective friend would look into it ASAP. She knew the way I rolled (and the trouble my curiosity would get me into if left to my own devices).

  “You seem calmer,” Finn said when he walked back in with the goods.

  “I called Detective Roxy. She’s going to look into Mr. Hayden, so I guess that’s something. But you know I’m not going to be able to really relax until we get to the bottom of this,” I said.

  “Oh, trust me, I know.” Finn threw a packet of notecards on the bed along with some glitter gel pens. I laughed. I may have a thing for outlining murder investigations.

  “Just one of the reasons why I married you,” I said, wrapping my arms around Finn’s waist and lifting my chin up for a kiss. Finn did not disappoint.

  Thirty minutes later, I was even more relaxed than I would have thought possible and I didn’t even mind that the pizza had grown cold.

  “For the record, that was not my intention,” Finn said. “Not that I’m complaining,” he quickly countered. I plated a slice of pizza for him and brought it to him in bed.

  At about that time a stampede of elephants came charging down the hall. Okay, it wasn’t really elephants, but the group’s stomping sure sounded like it.

  “I hope it’s not going to be like that all night,” I said to Finn. We had headed to the beach this afternoon while the crew finished their work on the adjacent wing. I know I said I didn’t mind the noise, but some quiet time now and again would be much appreciated.

  “That’s seriously the only problem with this hotel,” Finn said.

  I knew what he meant. San Juan had a large cruise ship port, and it was common for passengers to spend a night dockside. They seemed drawn to staying at the historic Casa de Luz to either embark in the morning for their cruise or have one last hurrah before flying home. Given the sounds of celebration, I’m guessing for our floor mates it was the latter.

  Finn grabbed two Medallas out of the six pack he had brought back with the pizza, cracked them open, and handed me one. “If you can’t beat them,” he said, raising his beer and cheering with mine.

  I shrugged and took a slug. “When in Rome,” I answered back. We were, after all, on vacation.

  I woke up in the morning ready to tackle the mystery. Something had happened yesterday and I was bound and determined to find out what. I left Finn to sleep in, something his day job didn’t allow for, and went in search of a chai latte and my aunt. I was hoping she could give me a lead.

  I happened to find her and my latte in the same place.

  “Hey, Aunt Lupe,” I said while she doctored up her coffee. “Just starting your shift?”

  “Yep, and I have a feeling it’s going to be a long one.” My aunt took a sip of her coffee and closed her eyes. I knew that feeling. Of course, not with coffee. Coffee was gross. But that first morning sip of my chai latte was the best. Regardless of how poorly I had slept night before, that first sip? It held the promise of a new day.

  We chatted for a couple of minutes while waiting for my drink to come up.

  “Did you ever see Mrs. Hayden last night?” I asked.

  “No, and I ended up working until almost 11 PM.”

  “Really. Maybe I should pay Mr. Hayden a visit.” Wonder what his story would be today.

  “I’d wait. Right now, he’s hosting his leadership breakfast. Besides, I don’t think he’s going to tell you anything, anyway.”

  “You’re right. And he’d probably just call Mr. Roberto and tear into him if I approached him again,” I said.

  I thought of something else. “Whose room is next to Mr. Hayden’s?” Perhaps they were connected.

  “Piper’s,” my aunt said without even having to think.

&
nbsp; “Well that’s convenient. I wonder what evidence could be there?” Probably a lot.

  We were silent for a minute while I continued to think. “What about any complaints? Has anyone reported anything suspicious or complained about noise?” I asked. I was hoping I wasn’t the only witness. Someone else must have at least heard something.

  “No, nothing out of the ordinary,” Aunt Lupe replied.

  I tried not to let her response disappoint me. “I suppose you do get your fair share of complaints.” I thought of the rowdy cruise ship crowd stomping in the hallway last night.

  “Especially here,” my aunt replied dryly. Something about her response told me she just wasn’t referring to the cruise ship passengers.

  I cocked my head, not following. “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “You know, the Ghost of Mariah,” Aunt Lupe said, rolling her eyes.

  “Wait, what? What ghost?” The barista called my name, but I was still staring at my aunt, waiting for the details. “Are you telling me the hotel’s haunted?”

  I knew Puerto Rico was rumored to have its fair share of ghosties, but I didn’t know any were tied to The Casa. Maybe it wasn’t just rowdy hotel guests we heard last night after all.

  “How active is this ghost? Is she friendly? Have you seen her?”

  I could have kept asking questions, but the barista called my name again. I walked up to the counter and unceremoniously retrieved my drink. There would be no glorious first morning sip for me today. I had too much on my mind.

  Together my aunt and I headed toward the front desk.

  “I personally don’t believe it, but some of the hotel guests and workers swear they’ve seen something,” my aunt said.

  I couldn’t help it. The hair rose on my arms and I shivered. It was one thing to talk to my deceased nana. It was another to vacation at a haunted hotel. I was happy we wouldn’t be staying there much longer.

  “Don’t worry about it,” Aunt Lupe said, reading my expression. “I’m half convinced it’s a marketing ploy by Mr. Roberto.” I gave her the side eye. “Seriously, I wouldn’t put it past him.”

  Speaking of which, the man’s voice grumbled from his office. “What do you mean she quit? I don’t care what storm is headed toward us. We have guests to take care of. Grrrr.”