Death at the Trade Show: Target Practice Mysteries 3

by Nikki Haverstock

  It was quiet in the car except the buzzing and chirping of Mary’s and Orion’s phones. I looked out the window at the buildings flowing by. I’d been living at the Westmound Center for Competitive Shooting Sports in rural Wyoming since fall, but I already felt like the city was a foreign environment, the lights and cars closing in around me in the night. I nestled in closer to Liam in the dark car.

  He pulled his eyes away from his phone. “You excited?”

  “Yes, of course.” Four whole days with Liam—of course I was excited. The thought hit me that he meant the show, and I deflated a little. “Mary was telling me all about it. She’s super excited.”

  “Mary’s always excited.”

  I chuckled. “Yes, she is. She keeps me entertained. You know, I am still not clear on what we will be doing.”

  Mary perked up and looked our way. “Yeah, boss, what are we doing?” She unzipped her backpack and pulled out a notebook and felt-tip marker, carefully writing “OIT SHOW ASSIGNMENTS” across the top in block letters.

  “Errr.” Liam looked at Orion, who chuckled. “We don’t really know what you guys are doing.”

  Mary’s eyebrows flew up. “What? You don’t know?” Her pen hovered over the paper, yearning to organize our assignments into an orderly pattern.

  “Jess and Robbie really wanted to come to keep an eye on the industry, see the new products, and celebrate their anniversary. Since they were coming anyway, they decided to set up a table in the Westmound booth. We brought the box of literature, but beyond that they weren’t going to do much.”

  Mary leaned forward, her eyebrows scrunched up in confusion. “Why did we come, then?”

  Liam shrugged. “We had already ordered the badges, there was space in the jet, and their room is in our suite, so why not?”

  Orion flashed a big smile. “Plus, you two are comic relief.”

  Mary smiled at Orion. There was an openness around her eyes that was normally reserved for Tiger, an archer that she insisted she did not have a crush on. This could be interesting.

  Orion laughed and ruffled her hair. Mary patted it back into place with a laugh then turned to Liam with a smile. “Does that mean we can wander the floor all week?”

  Liam chuckled. “How about this: you can set up the table with the literature that Jess sent, and tomorrow at lunch we’ll meet with you to see how things are going. Orion, when’s our lunch break?”

  Orion pulled out his phone and tapped the screen. “One p.m. for an hour. We can grab lunch together.”

  The car stopped in front of a hotel. We all started to gather up our boxes and bags as the door opened. Moo burst up from the seat, bonking me on the head with his formidable snout. I grabbed his leash but not before he shoved Orion back into the seat and stomped on Mary’s notebook, crumpling up her list.

  “Whoa, Moo. Sit,” I said, pulling him back by my side. He wagged his tail, smacking me across the face, and looked back at me over his shoulder. His tongue hung out in a doggy smile. We were still working on basic obedience training, but it had been a long day and was getting late.

  After everyone filed out of the car, I exited with Moo, holding him behind me. Liam offered me his hand at the car door. Perhaps this could be our new pattern, holding his hand whenever I passed through a doorway. The entrance to the hotel had a large banner proclaiming “Welcome Outdoor Industry Trade Show Attendees.”

  It was more humid here; the air carried a deep chill that cut through my jacket straight to my bones. Moo whined and huddled close. Mary grabbed my arm and dragged me inside the hotel behind John and Elizabeth while Liam and Orion unloaded the luggage onto a cart. I turned back to offer to help them, but Liam waved me to stay inside.

  John had left, and Elizabeth hung away from the counter while an older man in suspenders spoke to the female employee at the counter. The hotel was beautiful, with granite countertops and a well-appointed entrance. The hallways of the hotel all faced inward, with the center of the hotel open all the way to the top of the roof. The center had a fountain, large planters overflowing with palm trees, ferns, and flowers, and chairs spread in clusters, creating cozy nooks to talk in. Right now it was empty except for a few people milling about inside a bar tucked into a corner off to the right.

  The cheerful lady at the counter responded to the man. “Yes, sir, we heard the noise as well. We think it could have been the pipes or maybe even a boiler.” She gave him a dazzling smile as a man and woman in matching employee uniforms came through a doorway behind her, carrying flashlights.

  The old man pulled on the corner of his rather sizable walrus mustache. “I know my eyes aren’t too great, but I swear I saw something fall from over there.” He pointed a gnarled finger toward the far corner of the hotel, his knuckles swollen and knobbly.

  There was a dining facility on the ground level, though it was dark and had a heavy wall of trees around the edges that obscured the interior.

  “Don’t worry, sir. Sometimes people hang jackets on the railing by their hotel door and they slip off. We’ll check it out. Thank you so much for letting us know, and sleep well.”

  The man turned and tipped his hat at us. His mustache twitched left and right a few times as if it were doing a quick dance step. He winked at us then left.

  The blond woman turned to the two employees and said something to them before they left. She turned back to us with a smile. An employee badge displaying the name “Becky” was visible.

  Elizabeth stepped up to the desk. “Hello, Becky. We’re checking in. The reservation is under Westmound or Elizabeth Andersson, two s’s in Andersson.”

  Orion and Liam pushed the carts with our luggage piled high. Liam reached out for my boxes, but I pulled them to my chest on instinct.

  He gave a chuckle. “I’m not trying to steal them.”

  “Right, sorry. I’m just so happy to have them. Thanks for bringing them.”

  I handed Liam the boxes and stepped closer to the check-in counter.

  At the counter, Becky was gathering up a number of baggies from behind her. “I just need a credit card and driver’s license. We have you in the deluxe suite, three bedrooms, three baths, on the top floor. There were some things left for you at the counter.”

  She read through the names on scraps of paper stapled to each Outdoor Industry Trade Show bag. “Orion, Elizabeth, Mary, Di, Liam, and…” We stepped forward to gather our bags as she pursed her mouth and stared quizzically at the last bag. “I’m sorry, I can’t read this last one. It looks like it says… Moo?”

  Upon hearing his name, Moo barked once. She leaned over the high counter and laughed. “How did I miss him? Nice to meet you, Moo.” She stepped back and reached under her desk. She cast her eyes around the group. “Would it be okay for me to give Moo a treat?”

  Moo barked again and jumped up to place his front paws on the top of the counter. He looked over the top and raised his nose to sniff the air, looking for the treat.

  I laughed. “That’s fine.”

  She offered him the treat, which he carefully took from her hand with his lips then hopped down to lie on the floor and eat it. His mouth smacked, and bits of treat exploded from his mouth as he chomped. His eyes were squeezed shut, and the corners of his mouth were pulled up in a smile. Once the treat was gone, he sniffed along the floor to pick up every crumb he missed.

  “If you follow the hallway down past the bar, there is a door that leads out to a graveled pet area. There are doggy bags and a light. Please let us know if you need anything. Bring your key with you to get back in.”

  I nodded my thanks to her and collected Moo’s bag from the counter. Inside his bag was a name tag in a clear plastic pocket that hung from an elastic cord. His said Moo Westmound, which made me giggle.

  I checked my name tag, holding my breath. I avoided using my last name. Once the divorce was finalized, I would go back to my maiden name, but until then I was keeping my married name, though I had always hated it. I pulled out the tag and flipped i
t over. To my surprise, it said Di Westmound.

  I leaned over to Liam. “Uh, what’s this about?”

  His eyebrows rose, and he laughed. “I didn’t expect that. I know that you don’t want to use your married name, so I left it off the email this afternoon. I guess they winged it. Hey, Mom. Look.” He turned the name tag to show her.

  She smiled at it. “Welcome to the family, Di.”

  I’d need to cross it off or hide it before tomorrow. Otherwise I would spend all week trying to explain who I was.

  Becky handed out room keys, plastic cards that slid into the locks, in individual plastic sheaths with the number and Wi-Fi password written on the front. “If you walk to the end of the counter and make a left, you’ll see the elevator half way down the hall. The restaurants open at five a.m. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to call.”

  We thanked her and gathered up our luggage to move to the elevators. I checked my watch. “Let me run Moo outside before we head in for the night.”

  I briskly walked past the bar and pushed on the door. Moo set right to work sniffing and arranging himself to take care of business. I waved through the clear glass door at everyone where they were waiting for me. I urged Moo to hurry up, but instead he slowed down. He individually sniffed every piece of gravel before he finally finished up and came from the end of his leash back to my side.

  After I unlocked the door, we scooted inside. Laughter bubbled out of the bar as I passed. As I got back to the group, I checked the time on my phone. It wasn’t too horribly late, but the hotel was virtually empty beyond the people milling about inside the bar.

  Turning to Liam, Orion, and Mary, I remarked, “I thought there would be more people here.”

  Orion checked his watch. “Not right now. The opening concert is going on for another hour or so. Normally we’d go, but with all the last-minute changes, we arrived too late. Plus, a lot of the attendees will arrive in the morning to save on hotel bills. Tomorrow night this place will be packed.”

  I nodded. It made sense. A buzz of excitement started in my stomach. I hadn’t had much time this afternoon to contemplate how much fun this trip was going to be. Elizabeth pushed the up button on the elevator. I was just thinking about all the adventures we were going to have when a shrill scream pierced the air.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Liam and Orion gave each other an almost imperceptible head nod before they took off running in opposite directions. Liam ran straight down to the adjacent corner of hotel hallway, while Orion cut diagonally across the center of the hotel. I had a loose grip on Moo’s leash, and when he took off after Liam, it slipped through my fingers.

  “Moo!” I took off at a run. Liam disappeared around a corner, hidden by the trees in planters. Moo galloped a few feet behind, while I trailed at a considerable distance and much slower. My beautiful boots were slippery not just on ice but also on carpeting. I carefully rounded the corner and spotted Liam leaping over the railing around the restaurant. Orion was already inside, standing next to a hotel employee. At their feet was a man lying down on the tile floor.

  As I approached, Moo was already on his belly, trying to scoot underneath the railing. His front paw and chest were flat to the floor, while his rear end was high up in the air. I grabbed Moo’s leash and pulled him to my side.

  A second employee appeared and used a walkie-talkie to request that someone call 9-1-1. Now that I was closer, I could see the pool of blood surrounding the man’s head. His face was turned away from me, and the back of his head was covered in blood. I thought of another head covered in blood that I had found in the dead of night at the Westmound Center a few months ago and reached out to Moo. I pulled him against my side, feeling the weight of him on me as he leaned against me. His body heat seeped through my pants and warmed me from the chill I had gotten when I saw the man on the ground.

  Just like the last time, Liam was suddenly at my side, holding my arm. “Are you okay? Wanna sit down?”

  I turned and gave him an awkward smile. “I feel fine, thank you. I guess after a few times, you get used to it.” Orion moved to join us, hopping over the railing.

  Footsteps came trotting up behind us.

  “Jiminy Christmas,” Mary said.

  I turned at the sound of her voice. Her face was white, and her eyes locked onto the dead man on the ground.

  Orion reached over and caught her as she swayed. “Hey there, kiddo. Look at me.”

  She did, and her pale face flushed red. She recovered far faster than I had the first time I had seen a dead body. Her white teeth flashed as she stared up into his face. “Thanks, Orion. I was just so surprised and upset.”

  He smiled back at her and patted her back.

  A noise behind me pulled my attention back around. A group of people had emerged from the bar. Many carried pint glasses with amber liquid or margarita glasses. A small, beautiful blond lady led the group.

  “What’s going on? We heard a scream.” Her eyes were round and shockingly blue, even from a dozen yards away. She blinked at us a few times, staring at us but not looking around.

  The rest of the group trailing along behind her swung their heads around, looking up and back, searching for the source of the scream.

  The male employee from the hotel stepped around the body and approached the group from the other side of the railing. A line of planters with tall, skinny plants was blocking the group’s view of the employees and the body on the ground.

  The man raised his voice to be heard through the plants. “Go back to the bar. Everything is under control.”

  The group surged forward to the end of the planters so they could see inside.

  The blonde clapped her hands over her mouth as her head dipped to see the body on the floor. A strangled cry broke through her hands. “It’s Kenny. Why’s he here? What happened?”

  A bald man with muscles visibly straining the sleeves on his polo shirt put an arm around her shoulder. He turned to the rest of the group. “It’s Cash.” A murmur of shock rose from the group. People alternately leaned in to see or stepped back in shock. The bald man turned back to the employee. “This is his wife. Do something. Did you try to help him?”

  The blonde buried her face in the bald man’s shirt, her shoulders and body heaving as she screamed and sobbed, a margarita still held in one hand. Red liquid sloshed out of the glass and onto the bald man’s shirt.

  The male employee softly replied, “I’m sorry, there’s nothing that can be done. The police are on their way.” He urged people to step back.

  I turned to my group. Mary had her phone casually in front of her, but I could see that she was snapping pictures. I caught her eye, and she slipped it into her pocket. “We left Elizabeth with the luggage.” She grabbed my arm and dragged me back to the elevators, with Orion and Liam following.

  I gave one last look over my shoulder at the group huddled by the restaurant—the pretty blonde, sobbing into the bald man’s chest, a few women, one especially tall woman that towered over the group, and a variety of men from young twenties to fifties or sixties in every kind of plaid shirt I could imagine. They appeared to be the people I’d spotted earlier in the bar. If it wasn’t such a busy week, it would be tempting to poke around and learn more about them.

  Elizabeth was stranded with our luggage in front of the elevator. As we approached, she tapped her foot and pressed the call button. “It’s been a long day.”

  Liam grabbed her briefcase as she reached down to grab it. “Sorry, Mom, we shouldn’t have run off like that. A guy died over there.”

  The door to the elevator opened with a ding. Elizabeth turned to Liam in surprise as we shuffled in with the bags and the luggage cart. She pressed the top button. “Oh, the poor man. Heart attack?”

  Orion snorted. “Not unless he had it on the way down.”

  Elizabeth looked between him and Liam.

  Liam clarified. “It looks like he fell onto the tile floor from pretty high up.”

 
She shook her head. “That’s sad. I didn’t realize. Do you boys need to help?”

  We turned to the back of the elevator, which was all glass and allowed an unobstructed view of the scene. Someone had covered the body with a sheet. Mary was pressed to the back glass, taking pictures with her phone again. Moo shoved his nose into her hand, knocking the phone to the ground.

  We lurched to a stop. Liam pushed the cart out into the open-air hallway. “They have it under control.”

  The hallway ran between the solid half wall that reached my eye level and the long row of rooms. I walked over, stood on the tips of my toes, and could barely see over the edge.

  Mary hopped up and down next to me. “Can you see anything?”

  “Not really.” I tipped my head one way and tried to catch a glimpse of the floor, but all I could see was the endless rows of hallways of the lower floors.

  “Girls,” Elizabeth called to us in a low voice. She was propping open a door near the corner. Our suite was roughly over the front desk and opposite corner from the death scene. Mary and I pushed away from the wall and briskly walked to the door.

  “Thank you, Elizabeth.” I looked around the room. I had never been in a suite. There was a small, open room like a den with chairs, a table, a TV, and a couch. I let Moo off his leash, and he bounded through an open door into a bedroom.

  “The boys are staying there, I’m next to them, here, and girls, you’re over there. Each room has your own bathroom. Now if you’ll excuse, I’m going to bed. We’ll need to be ready to leave at seven a.m.” She opened the door to her room and closed it behind her.

  Moo came out of the boys’ bedroom, where a twin-sized bed was visible, and trotted over to our door as I opened it. He circled the room then hopped up in the middle of the huge king-size bed and started clawing the bedspread until it was a rumpled pile then flopped down on it.

  A knock on the bedroom door heralded Liam’s arrival. “Here’s your luggage. Oh good, Moo has a place to sleep.”