Beauty & Bloodshed

by Stephanie Damore

  “Oh, very nice,” Finn replied. I was grateful he didn’t point out that everyone on my payroll had an executive position.

  “We’re going to touch base next week,” I added.

  “Excellent.” Finn turned more directly to me. “Hey, do you want to grab a drink and make a plan for tonight? I have a couple of ideas.” I half expected Finn to do his trademark sexy eyebrow raise, but he didn’t.

  “Yeah, just give me a minute,” I replied. Hadn’t I been looking for a vice? A cocktail sounded lovely.

  “Okay, I’ll meet you back in the lobby,” he said.

  Piper looked over my card while Finn and I chatted.

  “So anyway, do send me your resume. I’m sure you’ll be a great fit. And don’t forget—you’re smart, you’re beautiful, and you deserve better. I have all the confidence in you, and you should too.”

  “Thanks, Ziva.”

  “I’m serious,” I said, pointing at her. “You’ve got to believe it, too.”

  “I’ll work on it,” Piper said, seeming a bit more confident. Honestly, I wasn’t sure if she’d follow through with any of it, but at least I had planted the seed in her mind that she was worthy and showed her what a healthy relationship could look like. Hopefully she would come back to that when she started doubting herself.

  Finn had started to suggest we swing into the hotel lounge, but I steered him out the door. I needed some time away from The Hotel of Horrors.

  We ended up paying way too much for a couple of rum and Cokes in Old San Juan, but the outside patio and tourists chatting nearby made up for the price.

  “So, I found a ghost that’s willing to give us a hand,” I said to Finn after taking a sip of my drink. Claire had texted me back on the walk over saying Nick was willing to help us out.

  “You what?” This time Finn did do the eyebrow raise thing, but it wasn’t sexy in the least bit.

  I filled him in on Claire and her husband’s story. “Anyway, he said he’ll try to reach out to Mariah and see what he can find out. He didn’t make any promises, saying that some of the older ghosts are a little less social, but he’s going to see what he can do.”

  Finn just looked at me. I think it was the first time I made him speechless.

  “I know, we’ve officially entered the twilight zone. But for whatever reason, I’m okay with that.” It was true. After speaking with Claire, I was suddenly more comfortable with trying to solve this case. Ghost and all. Or maybe it was because we had only 36 hours left of our honeymoon and then regardless we’d be leaving Puerto Rico behind. I’d brave anything for 36 hours. I hoped.

  “Aren’t you impressed?” I asked Finn. I had started the week not sure if I even believed in ghosts and ended it by soliciting one for help. I believe they called that growth.

  Finn didn’t answer my question. Instead he said, “I’m going to leave the paranormal front to you. But while you were taking a minute by the pool, a much-deserved minute,” he added, “I contacted State’s archeology department. They gave me the number of a Dr. Sue Hopkins. They said she was Carmen’s advisor.”

  “Oh, awesome. Okay. Did you give her a call?”

  “Not yet, I thought you might want to.” Finn punched in the number and handed me the phone.

  “Hi, Dr. Hopkins, I’m hoping you can help me out,” I said when our lines connected. “My name’s Ziva Hudson and I’m trying to track down Carmen Davis. I think something bad may have happened to her as a result of her research at The Casa. Have you heard from her?”

  “Carmen? No, not for about a week. She sent me an email saying that she had found her big break and she was running with it.”

  “Big break? What was she working on?”

  “A destination truth piece. You know, looking into local legends and searching for evidence to support it?” That would explain her interest in The Casa.

  “I did put her in touch with a local history professor. He might have heard from her. Hang on.” Dr. Hopkins gave me the man’s information.

  “Did Carmen by chance tell you what her big break was?” I asked.

  “No. I was expecting more detail, but she kept her message short. Please keep me posted. Carmen is definitely the adventurous type. Who knows what trouble she got into.”

  “Yeah, for sure. If you think of anything else, or if you hear from her, give me a call. I’ll email you my contact information.”

  “Please do, and I will,” she said.

  I hung with Dr. Hopkin and looked at the contact information she had provided me with. “How do you feel about going back to college?” I said to Finn, handing him back his phone.

  “Back? I’ve never been,” he replied.

  “True. Okay, let’s get you initiated then, shall we?”

  12

  Professor Robert Javier was a history professor at the University or Puerto Rico. For the record, the university’s architecture and art museum warranted a visit to the campus on their own. The main campus’ clock tower, The La Torre, as locals refer to it, was an impressive sight. Designed in Spanish revival style, the tower had an ornate facade and included carvings of the emblems of Harvard as well as the University of San Marcos in Peru.

  I gave Finn the briefest of tours and we walked across campus. “Too bad we don’t have time to hit up La Placita,” I said. But this wasn’t a social visit. There would be no partying tonight.

  I knocked on Professor Javier’s half-opened door.

  “Come in, come in!” The professor called to us. I had called ahead to make sure he would be in and he readily agreed to talk with us.

  “Hi, professor. I’m Ziva, and this is my husband, Finn.” Finn waved hello.

  Professor Javier’s office was not what I expected. Usually, faculty offices were cluttered with textbooks, un-graded papers, academic journals, and comic strips. Yes, comic strips. And humorous posters. For whatever reason, both were mainstays in college faculty decor.

  Professor Javier’s office had none of the above.

  “Yes, have a seat,” he said. We looked around for a place to claim. Dr. Javier’s office held a treasure trove of artifacts—globes, sculptures, cargo chest, paintings—wow. He was really into his work.

  “Just knock that stuff off,” he said, referring to the thick leather books that were stacked on the chairs.

  “Thanks so much for meeting with us on such short notice,” I said.

  “Of course. Anytime someone wants to talk history, I’m available.”

  “Well, I’m not sure it’s history we want to talk about—” I started to say.

  “Everything is history,” Professor Javier said with a smile.

  “Right. Okay, so I’m trying to track down Carmen Davis. I understand she was in touch with you? I’m afraid something bad might have happened to her.”

  “Bad?”

  “It’s a long story,” Finn said, continuing as Professor Javier tried to interrupt him. “One that we’d love to tell you once we track down Carmen.”

  “Absolutely,” I said, nodding in agreement. “So, what can you tell us about her?”

  “Well, I met with Carmen a few times. Bright girl.”

  “Can you tell us more about what she was working on? Her advisor, Dr. Hopkins, was a bit vague,” I said.

  “Myths and legends, if I remember correctly. She is most interested in the work that I did on The Casa.”

  “What sort of work?” Finn asked.

  “I published a piece on the iconic hotel. The ownership of Puerto Rico may have changed hands over the centuries, but The Casa has stayed in the Roberto family since its inception.”

  “Did your work include mention of Mariah?” I asked.

  “No, it didn’t,” Professor Javier replied, nodding his head in amusement. “And Carmen didn’t believe in the paranormal either. In fact, it was my understanding that her mission was to shed light on the truth.”

  “Any idea how she was going to do that?” Finn asked.

  “Find the gold.”

&n
bsp; “The what?!” Finn and I said in unison.

  “At the center of the Ghost of Mariah legend is a treasure hunt,” Dr. Javier explained.

  “You’re going to have to elaborate on that,” Finn said.

  “Yeah, what does the actual legend say? No one we’ve talked to knows much about it. Mariah was a maid, right?”

  “Not in the sense you’re thinking of. She wasn’t a maid at the hotel. She was a maid as in an unwed woman.”

  “Oh, so she didn’t work at the hotel?” Finn said.

  “No, but the nickname Mariah the Maid stuck, and The Casa never cared to set the record straight. You’ll soon see why.” Professor Javier’s eyes twinkled. It was apparent he loved telling a good story. I imagined his lessons were just as entertaining.

  “See, Mariah was engaged to be married to Mr. Frederick Roberto, the owner’s son. The night before their wedding, she found out he was in the company of another woman. So, Mariah dressed up like a maid and snuck into his room to see for herself. Frederick didn’t even recognize his fiancée in the get-up and proceeded to carry on with the other woman. Outraged, Mariah gathered her father’s dowry and planned to flee. Frederick caught her in the process and killed her. Of course, he was never charged with the crime and her body was never found.”

  “And neither was the dowry.”

  “Exactly.”

  “How much are we talking here?”

  “By today’s prices? Possibly millions. The dowry was paid in gold.”

  “Millions?” I mouthed.

  “People have looked for the gold over the years, but most people just assume that the Robertos slowly invested it back into the hotel.”

  “That makes the most sense,” I said.

  “Except…” Finn said.

  “The diehard treasure hunters. They believe Mariah hid the gold before she was murdered, leaving it somewhere on the hotel grounds,” Professor Javier said.

  “And Carmen was hoping to find the gold?” I asked.

  “Yes, and bring the facts and the legend together.”

  I sat back and thought about it.

  “I told her to be careful. While legends and myths might not be fact, there’s usually an element of truth to them. And people don’t always want the truth to come out,” Professor Javier said.

  Especially Mr. Roberto, I thought.

  “When’s the last time you talked with her?” Finn asked.

  “Let me think. Just a few days ago. Wednesday night? She told me she found something much bigger than ghosts.”

  That would’ve been the day before I witnessed the attack. “Okay, thank you so much. You’ve been very helpful.”

  “No problem. If you think of any other questions, give me a call.”

  “We will. And if you hear from Carmen, please let me know.” I passed Professor Javier my card.

  I called Claire to update her on the ghost front while Finn grabbed us a cab. Maybe Nick could find out how much of the legend was true. Was there gold still up for grabs? Did Mariah’s fiancé really murder her? Is that why she was hanging around, to haunt his family?

  “Nick’s on it. I’ll call you back in an hour or so,” Claire said after I brought her up to speed.

  “Oh, he’s on it like, right now?”

  “Yeah, why?” Claire asked.

  “Um, I don’t know, I thought ghosts only talked at night or something.” Even as I said it, I realized how ridiculous that sounded.

  “Ha, no, they only seem to like to bother us at night. Ghosts don’t sleep and as far as I know, there’s no conversation etiquette.”

  “I guess you can call them before 9 AM then, huh?” If anyone called me before then, it had to be an emergency.

  “Right.”

  “Okay. Let me know what he finds out, regardless of the time.” I had already resolved myself to the fact that I wouldn’t be sleeping again until the plane ride home tomorrow.

  13

  “You know one place we haven’t looked for clues yet is the employee locker room,” Finn said on our ride back to the hotel.

  “Oh my gosh, you’re right. Why didn’t I think of that?” I said.

  “I don’t know. It just came to me.”

  “We need to check it out, stat. I bet my aunt’s card can get us access.”

  “Any word on the victim?” Finn asked me. I had been scrolling through my phone reading the local news feed online.

  “No, nothing. There’s not even a mention of it.”

  “Don’t you think that’s odd?” Finn asked.

  “Not if Mr. Roberto has any say in it,” I replied. I assumed he would shell out big bucks to keep the press away. “Maybe there’ll be something on the nightly news.”

  I tried not to run back inside the hotel when we got back, but I was eager to check out Carmen’s locker. Mr. Alvarez was quicker and waiting, holding the door open for us.

  “Thank you, kind sir,” Finn said to the doorman.

  “Mr. Roberto isn’t letting you leave either?” I asked.

  “Leave? I live here.”

  I did a full stop. “You do?”

  “For the past twenty years. Ever since my wife died. Room 101.”

  “Oh, well that’s convenient,” I said.

  “Makes the commute nice,” Mr. Alvarez said with a smile.

  I looked over at the front desk, remembering our mission, and was instantly defeated. Mr. Roberto was standing behind the counter, his expression icy. He glared hard at us. As if it was somehow our fault that a man was found murdered in his freezer.

  “Do you know where my aunt went?” I asked Mr. Alvarez.

  “Mr. Roberto cut her shift short. Sent her home about an hour ago.”

  “He did?” I was surprised my aunt hadn’t texted me to tell us. She was probably just thankful to be heading home for the afternoon.

  “Listen, I’m sure you heard about the body we found in the freezer. And here’s the thing: I think Carmen might somehow be involved. I was hoping to check out her locker.”

  Mr. Alvarez whistled. “Mr. Roberto wouldn’t like that.”

  “Don’t worry, he already doesn’t like us,” Finn replied.

  “Can you help us? I promise I won’t take anything, I just want to take a look.”

  “I don’t know…”

  “Our flight leaves tomorrow and then we’ll be gone. We’re running out of time,” I said.

  “I’m sorry, I just can’t. Mr. Roberto isn’t a very forgiving man. I can’t afford to be on his bad side.” The old doorman looked away.

  I felt defeated but still managed to say, “That’s okay. I understand.”

  “Now what?” Finn asked.

  I looked around, trying to think who else to ask when the answer walked in the front door.

  “Angel!” I said to Finn.

  He pointed at Mr. Roberto. “Just getting my stuff. I’ll be gone in five minutes.”

  Mr. Roberto wanted to shout at Angel. I could see it in his face, but at that moment he was working the counter and he wasn’t about to cause a scene in his hotel. He had no choice but to allow Angel to walk on through, and Finn and I followed him closely.

  “Angel,” I whispered as soon as he was in the hall. “Hey, are you headed to the employee lounge?”

  “Yeah, why. What are you guys doing?”

  “I’m trying to figure out what happened to Carmen. We can’t get a hold of her. Will you let us in the lounge so I can check out her locker?”

  “Sure, I don’t care. What’s Mr. Roberto going to do? Fire me?” Angel looked over his shoulder, but Mr. Roberto wasn’t behind us.

  We quickly followed after Angel. He came to the employee lounge and punched a code into the keypad on the door. The lock clicked and he pulled down on the handle.

  “The women’s locker room is down and to the right,” Angel said.

  “Sweet,” I said.

  “I’ll just wait right here,” Finn said.

  “Okay, I’ll just be a couple of minutes.”r />
  I walked through the door swiftly and on a mission. If anyone questioned me, I’d pretend to be a new hire. Only once I was inside did I think to question how I would know which locker was Carmen’s. I really should have checked in with my aunt. But Mr. Roberto, of course, had the answer to that. On each locker was a printed-out tag complete with the employee’s first and last name, along with the department they worked in. I was reminded that the employees had very little rights at The Casa.

  Thankfully the room was empty. I beelined it for Carmen’s locker and lifted the metal latch. It was full. Her street clothes and purse were both hanging up inside. And there was her phone.

  Okay, so I had lied.

  I pocketed Carmen’s phone and shut the locker.

  As I rounded the corner I came face to face with two other women just walking in. Their uniforms gave them away as members of housekeeping. I wondered how I should proceed. Ignore them? Or chance it and ask about Carmen?

  “You’re the investigator,” one housekeeper said to me. I started to protest, but I recognized the older woman from outside Mr. Hayden’s room on Thursday night. I believe Marie was her name.

  “Excuse me,” the younger of the two women said to me as she continued to her locker.

  “Of sorts,” I replied. “I was hoping to catch Carmen, but I haven’t seen her. Do you know where she is?”

  “Carmen doesn’t work here anymore.” Marie was very matter-of-fact about this.

  “Oh, she doesn’t? Any idea when or why she quit?” I asked.

  “No, not really. I wasn’t particularly close with her. Susan, do you know?”

  “No ma’am,” the younger woman replied. I was surprised to see that she had already changed back into her street clothes and had her keys in her hand.

  “Did Carmen work here long?” I asked.

  “No, most definitely not,” Marie replied. “I’d say less than six weeks. Although I’d have to look at her file to be certain.” Susan just shrugged her shoulders and started walking to the exit.

  “How about you guys?” I asked them both anyway.