"I'm sure. How bad can it get?"
Famous last words.
Solomon called Killjoy to meet us out front, and a moment later, he was there, looking around for Marissa. I swear, he galloped over the moment he saw her, enveloping her in a bear hug; and for the second time today, she burst into tears, her arms cinched around him. They got into the backseat and Solomon grinned as they embraced again.
Well, who knew? Solomon liked romantic endings.
I gave them a brief look. Someday, I hoped someone would hug me with that kind of passion. Though preferably, not after hiding for two terrified weeks in jeopardy of having my name ruined as well as my relationship, not to mention the fear of getting thrown in jail.
“Show time,” I said, mostly because it was something I’d always wanted to say, and climbed out of the SUV. I walked through the lobby, nodding to Peter, who waved back before refocusing on the handsome uniform currently addressing him. I walked past the lingering police officers and made my way to the employee areas, headed towards my office.
Instead of walking into my room, I stepped past, pausing at Louisa Moore's door.
"Hey," I said. "How's it going?"
"Lexi?" Louisa started in surprise. "Oh my gosh. I wondered where you were. I thought maybe you decided working for The Montgomery was a bit too much. Glad to see you're still here."
"Here I am," I agreed. "But you're right, that it's gotten to be a bit too much. This is my last day."
"Sorry to hear that."
"Me too, but don't worry, I got you a replacement."
"From the agency?" Louisa frowned.
"No. I found Edward's previous assistant, Marissa Widmore. Isn't that great?" I grinned brightly, waiting for her reaction.
"Marissa?" Louisa stammered, then sighed, shaking her head. "Oh, Lexi, I wish I'd warned you. You better come in."
"Something wrong?" I rolled off the doorjamb and stepped inside.
"The thing is, Lexi, if Marissa hadn't up and left, I would have let her go. She was bad news." Louisa sighed again, as if it were really hard for her to say. "I caught her stealing. More than once, I'm sad to admit."
"Marissa was behind all the thefts?"
"I think so, yes."
"And what about the other sabotage?"
"Some of it, maybe. I think she was working with someone. Sylvia, perhaps."
I raised my eyebrows. "Sylvia?"
"Sylvia has been retaliating ever since Chef Fabien broke off their engagement and Marissa... well, Marissa was seducing Edward. I've seen it before. Handsome, older man, younger woman who thinks she can relieve him of some of his money. Very sad that he couldn't handle the situation. I'm glad to tell you actually. I needed to get it off my chest. It wasn't any fun telling the board earlier. Edward will lose his job."
"Are you sure it wasn't fun?" I asked, my face impassive.
Louisa blinked. "Pardon?"
"Well, it sounds to me like you've been having a lot of fun."
"I don't know what you mean."
I stepped closer. "You know exactly what I mean. The thefts, the sabotage, the cancellations. It wasn't Marissa, or Sylvia, it was you."
"I don't know what you mean."
"Cut the crap, Louisa. Marissa told me everything. What I can't figure out is, why? Why sabotage the hotel? Why risk your own job?"
Louisa smiled. "You think you have it all worked out, don't you? Well, you're wrong. Marissa did all this and I'll testify to it." She stood, matching my pose. Strange thing was, she didn't even look remotely rattled. She was deadly calm. Deadly.
"I'll go one further. I'll testify," I said. "You murdered Greg Conlan and you hit me on the head when I tripped over him. You could have killed me."
"You didn't see a thing. It was too dark," Louisa spat, then stiffened.
I hoped Maddox got that on tape; and I hoped, in a room not far away, someone high-fived.
"Not dark enough,” I bluffed. “Why did you kill him?"
"Greg saw me," said Louisa. "He saw me in a guest room and when I cut the power at the conference. He took a video on his cell phone. When he called you, I knew I had to get to him first. I knew he had money problems. I offered him enough that he could have moved on."
"You shot him!"
"I took the gun to wave around, scare him, but when he saw it, he went for me. We struggled and it went off. It was completely an accident!"
"What kind of accident involves waiting in the dark to hit someone over the head? You locked me in and set the alarm?" I accused her, although I was guessing.
Louisa nodded, then shrugged, a smile spreading across her face. "I figured they'd find you there. Later, the police would get a tip about the gun and find your prints. You were simply expendable."
Thanks a bunch. I knew I hated temping.
"Were you going to try and pin the sabotage on me too? You know that wouldn't stick."
"Marissa can still take the fall for that. You'd spend so long in court, fighting the murder charge that everyone would forget all about you. Plus, I could get rid of Edward. He should never have gotten the job. My husband should have gotten it!"
"That's what this was about? Getting your husband a job?"
"Richard slaved for years, but did the board take that into consideration when they bought The Montgomery? No, they gave the job to Edward!"
"Because Edward worked for it," I said. "He was the right man for the job."
"And by the end of today, he'll be out and Richard will be in." Louisa stepped towards me. "And instead of taking the fall, like you should have, you'll be eulogized as a very sad case of suicide, a person full of remorse for what you've done."
Huh?
Louisa whipped out a gun, aiming it straight at me. I squeaked and stuck my hands up. "We're going up to the eighth floor," she said. "It's quite a long drop, especially when you take a dive, head first."
"Or what? You'll shoot me?" I emphasized the word shoot, looking around me, as surreptitiously as I could at the moment. Where was Maddox? Where was Solomon? Where was the MPD now? When I needed them? Did they all take a donut break after their high-fives?
"Let's go," said Louisa, waving the gun towards the door. "And put your hands down. We're going towards the service elevator; then we're going up."
I lowered my hands. "You're making a mistake," I warned her.
"I don't think so. It's very sad. I'm going to cry at your funeral and try to say really nice things to your mom."
Oh God, my mom. She would be distraught. She'd never get over the loss of her last baby. I wished I'd taken her up on the Krav Maga. If I'd taken a few classes, I could have twisted Louisa into a pretzel by now and rolled her out to the cops. As it was, I now had a gun stuck into my ribs. We edged out of the office, and I stiffened, waiting for the MPD to play pile on. But there was no one. The corridor was disappointingly empty.
"Get moving," said Louisa. Nudge, nudge in the ribs. "I have to get home and make dinner."
"Anything special?" I squeaked, my nerves getting the better of me.
"Lasagna. Richard's favorite."
How nice for Richard. Where was everybody? Hadn't they gotten enough to make an arrest? I scrambled to think of what else they could possibly need? A thought made me pale. What if the wire stopped working? What if they thought I never went to Louisa's office? Oh God. I was on my own and about to become parking lot pasta.
"Did you have anything to do with the stabbing?" I asked, stalling for time, hoping someone would come looking for me. "At the convention?"
Louisa was quiet for a long moment, then she said, "The pony weirdos? No. Like I said, I just cut the power. The stabbing was all their doing. Quite the coincidence though, don't you think? The board loved the newspaper clipping I emailed them."
"How thoughtful of you." We neared the swinging doors, the other side of which stood the service elevators.
"How do you plan on rationalizing my suicide?" I asked.
"Does it matter? You'll be dead."
"Just curious."
"Well, I guess I'll say you were extremely depressed. Sad, alone, in your thirties, no kids."
"That's not depressing!”
"It is a bit."
"No, it's great! I go out a lot and I spend my money on heels, not diapers. And I'm not in my thirties. I’m twenty-nine! Twenty-nine is young!"
"If you say so."
"I do. And I have a boyfriend. See? I'm very happy. Depressed won't stick."
"I'll think of something. The temping is enough to make anyone depressed."
“You’re not wrong there,” I agreed, against my better judgment.
I pushed through the doors at Louisa’s direction, my heart pounding as we stepped towards the elevators. I pressed the call button when she nudged me in the back with the hard barrel of the gun. "Going up," I chirped, looking around for a weapon. I wished, for the first time ever, that today was “Bring your gun to work” day.
"What if I just don't get in?" I said, turning around, trying to look braver than I felt. "What then?"
Louisa took two quick steps backwards. "Then I'll shoot you here." She raised, the gun, and aimed. “And say you shot yourself as I tried to stop you. Hey, I’ll be a hero!”
"Help," I said softly.
What happened next was a blur. I heard a faint whistling noise, then Louisa dropped to her knees as a pane in the door we just walked through shattered. Every door exploded open, bouncing off the walls. Kevlar-vested police officers streamed through, shouting for Louisa to "Drop the weapon!" and "Get on the floor now, now, now!"
I stepped back, pressing against the elevator doors, waiting as Louisa's hands were cuffed behind her back. A police officer pressed a wad of gauze to the wound in her arm. Another officer scooped up the gun and nodded at me. I tried a smile, but I think I actually pulled something of a demented face.
Maddox extricated himself from the crowd and made his way towards me. He grasped both my arms, looked at me long and hard, then pulled me into him, crushing me against his chest. "You did really good," he said. "Really good. This evidence will put Louisa away. We have the whole thing on tape."
I held onto him until it seemed indecent, especially as Louisa was being pulled to her feet. Maddox stood back and Louisa looked straight into my eyes. She breathed in sharp breaths, her eyes burning with venom.
Behind me, the elevator doors slid open.
"Going down," I said. This time I smiled.
We waited while Louisa was escorted out. Maddox kept his arm around me the whole time.
"Sorry, had to wait for backup," he said.
"You had to wait for backup? Did you hear what she was going to do to me?" Maddox nodded. My voice rose to a pitch only dogs could hear. "And you left me with her?"
"You weren't alone. We were here the whole time."
"Where?"
Maddox fiddled with the wire, removed it, and steered me towards the doors. "You did great," he repeated. "Very smooth. I'm impressed. Slightly scared to death that you took her on, obviously, when she produced the gun."
"You said it was okay!"
He grimaced. "I didn't know she had a gun."
"You didn't... Oh what the hell, I'm alive and I need a drink and I am not old. Twenty-nine is not old."
"Is that all that bothers you? That she called you old?"
"And sad! I am not sad. I have a great life. I have lots of friends. I love kids," I said grumpily. "And I like my job, except for all the death threats. I can live without them."
“She would never have gotten away with it. No one would have believed suicide.”
“I know. I would never do that.”
“I meant no girl who goes with a good-looking guy like me would off herself.” Maddox grinned, squeezing my shoulders. I gave him a little eye roll.
Solomon was waiting in the lobby for us and walked over as we came through. Maddox nodded to him, excusing himself to debrief his team.
"Take a few days off," Solomon said, his eyes assessing me for damage and finding none.
"Is the case closed?"
"Yes." Solomon inclined his head towards the suits standing with Edward. He still had his hand wrapped around Marissa's, and she looked a little uncomfortable in the middle of all of them. She held my purse. "That's the board. They're very pleased this has all been resolved."
"They aren't going to fire Edward?"
"No. And there's more good news."
"There is?"
"The board might be interested in our services."
I rolled my eyes. "You turned my near death into a business meeting?"
"You seemed to have it under control."
My mouth split into a broad smile, the shock having receded. "I did, didn't I?"
"Yes, you did. I’ll send someone to get your car." Solomon leaned down and kissed me on the cheek. "Take a home day to file your report. Maybe a few days off. See you when you come back," he said. He left, making way for Maddox, who returned, my purse in his hand.
"It's all over," I said. "I solved the case. Two cases!"
"Solomon outta here?"
"Back to the office, I guess" I told him. "How about you? Anywhere you have to be?"
"I have to go to the station. I still have cases to work on. We’re drawing straws on who gets to interrogate Louisa."
"Montgomery's finest never sleeps, huh?"
"Something like that. Do you need a ride home? I can get someone to take you.”
“No, I’ll be fine.”
“I'll catch up with you soon, okay? I’ll call you as soon as I can. You did real good," he said again, kissing me quickly, signaling to another officer to follow him as he exited.
And as for me? It was time for me to go home. I dug in my bag for my car keys and sighed, my shoulders slumping. I still had a nail in my tire. Instead, I pulled my cell phone out and called Lily.
"Can you come pick me up again?" I asked. "I'm at the hotel and I need a ride home."
"Are you on the lam from another dead body?"
"No. This time, I quit."
"Right on!" said Lily. "I'm on my way."
I decided the best exit was a quiet one and slipped out the doors while everyone was distracted by the police. Three feet later, I stopped, seeing Chef Fabien with his arm around Sylvia. She smiled at me and held up her hand. On her ring finger, something sparkled.
"We're getting married," she said. "I can't believe I was a suspect! They read me my rights! Fabien yelled at them to ‘back off.’ Can you believe that?"
I could. Fabien yelled at everyone. Except Sylvia, apparently.
"What were you talking about with Amanda in the conference center?" I asked. "I saw you right before the stabbing." It was the one thing I couldn't work out.
"Oh, that? Amanda was trying to patch things up with Fabien for me. He gave her the ring, and asked me to change my mind. I wasn't sure what to do. All the sabotage was getting us so angry and stressed, but he's been my rock." And now she wore his. I was glad something great had emerged from Louisa's mess.
"I'm happy for you," I told them, "both of you. But I have to go. Good luck with everything."
Sylvia looked puzzled. "You aren't staying?"
"No. This is it for me. Besides," I pointed over to Edward and Marissa, their hands still tightly grasped together “I think Marissa decided to stay on after all.” I stepped around them and slipped outside. Crossing the gardens, I left the grounds, walking a little way down the street, putting more distance between The Montgomery and me while I waited for Lily.
"What are you doing now?" I asked Lily as I climbed in a few minutes later. "Aside from the obvious."
"What do you have in mind?"
"Short skirts, dancing, expensive cocktails with funny names."
"I'm doing that," said Lily and we sped off.
Chapter Eighteen
After Louisa got arrested, I took Solomon up on his offer and had a few days off. With the bump on my head back to normal, I had plenty of time to lou
nge and think, wondering what my colleagues thought about me reeling in a big case. The thinking seriously ruined my lie-ins.
Instead of being at the hotel by nine, today, I was curled up on Lily's sofa while she passed me coffee and an icepack. "Should I get more of these?" she asked. "Now that your life of danger and intrigue is full time?"
"Maybe," I said. "I hope not.”
Lily hopped onto the sofa next to me, curling her feet under her. "I have to know the details. Tell me everything."
"It was obvious, when you think about it," I explained. "Louisa had access everywhere in the building, just like Sylvia. There was nowhere the staff wouldn't expect to see Louisa; and she could easily make up a reason to be in any part of the hotel. After all, she was the human resources manager. It was her job to represent the employees."
"And that's how she got into the kitchens and behind the concierge desk?"
I nodded. "Yep. She didn't stand out at all. Plus, she knew a lot about the business. She could get any key card she wanted and she had issued herself a secret all-access pass too. Maddox found it in her pocket when they booked her. Like mine, it could get her anywhere in the building, so she didn't have to use her own pass."
"Sneaky."
"Totally," I agreed.
"What happened to all the stolen stuff?"
"It was still in the hotel. Louisa just snatched stuff and ditched it in the basement. She knew which areas were unused. Anyway, she couldn't get rid of the stuff. She didn't want to get caught with it. It was easier to dump it on site. And who would notice if the HR manager were walking along with a laptop under her arm? Or a cell phone in her hand? The police got her fingerprints on most of the stuff. That's where she got sloppy."
"And the murder?"
"An accident, just like she said." I pulled a face. Edward called again to thank me, mentioning that the board planned to establish a fund to help Greg Conlan’s wife and kids. "Murder wasn't part of Louisa's game. She merely wanted to discredit Killjoy. The thefts, the extra money the hotel owners had to plow into clearing up the chaos she caused, the staff quitting—that should all have been plenty to get Killjoy fired. And that's exactly what she wanted. She wanted that spot free because she had someone perfect for the job. Richard Mayer."
Who Glares Wins (Lexi Graves Mysteries) Page 26