Later, we were each in our beds and Porsche talked about her growing feelings for Johan. It was like sleepovers when we were in high school. She had it bad for Detective Larson, with no real idea of what a cop faces regularly and how a life with him would be many compromises on their time together. But I could only be there for her.
Chapter Fourteen
I was up a little early the next morning sitting in bed with my laptop. I tried a search for Kara and awards. I found her business website as a realtor with a section dedicated to her awards. An “I love me” award wall some might say, I suppose it is good for her work. I guess. There is a fine line between self-promotion and self-aggrandizement.
I opened a second search window and looked up Debra Graham. She was self-employed with her own grant writing business. I finally found her listed as a volunteer for a big charity luncheon from a few years back. I went back to Kara’s awards page and saw she received an award that year for the same charity luncheon. Maybe this was the award that Debra was ranting about Kara stealing from her. Kara had several awards but Debra had none. Recognition was important.
I poked around a bit more and finally found a photo in the local paper that showed Kara at the luncheon with the executive director of the charity. Behind Kara, posing with the director was Debra looking much like a deflated balloon, not envy but genuine pain.
I felt I had discovered the moment that any friendship that might have existed came to an end. The photo didn’t give me the full background or details of what happened. But it was clear that Kara being buddy-buddy with the charity director in the photo had deeply wounded Debra.
In light of how Kara acted at dinner my first night, I could believe what was captured in the photo was intended to rub something in Debra’s face, show her up in some way. I think the award going to Kara was the extra thrust that drove the proverbial knife deeper into her back and caused such bitterness to easily be brought to the surface. But, did it make her snap? Could Kara have flaunted something recently that pushed Debra too far?
I should have stopped there, shut the laptop off and gotten ready for the conference. That would’ve been the sane thing to do, but I looked up Mason and got plenty on him and his client at a Hollywood hotspot. They were sitting very close together and he looked to be whispering in her ear. I shut down the laptop and jumped in the shower.
Even if he was keeping everything strictly business and only acting like they were a couple as his cover, it still hurt. I don’t think I could ever get that picture out of my mind. I vigorously scrubbed my hair with shampoo as if I were scouring my mind of the last several days of celebrity photos out of my memory. I didn’t know all the words to the Rodgers and Hammerstein Broadway hit I’m Going to Wash that Man Right Out of My Hair so I hummed the tune with gusto. Humming doesn’t allow for much conviction.
But it didn’t change the sick-to-my-stomach feeling. The fact of the matter remained that I didn’t know him that well. He swore to me he wasn’t a playboy, but does a man who claims he knows what he wants (presumably me in a long-term relationship) give me limited time during in our foundational phase, does a man continue to take jobs that require him to pose as a boyfriend if he is serious about us? I ask you.
Sure, he sends flowers, an occasional text, and sporadic phone calls. But, I didn’t know him any better than I did last fall with the limited time we’ve had together. My feelings bubbled up, all the uncertainty with Mason, the anxiousness from being trapped with the killer, even a little bit over the death of Brandon and my relationship, my failed dating, and my concern over Porsche. It all came gushing forth and I let tears roll down my face in the shower.
I had a new resolve by the time I toweled off. I had opened myself to working with a counselor on my relationship issues. It was scary and intense work. But Mason clearly wasn’t ready for the long-lasting relationship he claimed he wanted. It was a... crying shame because I believe I was finally at that place. I wasn’t going to delude myself that I could change him either. That was a useless pursuit and I was so done with those.
I was somber and subdued when I got my breakfast items this last day of the conference and sat in the same spot as the last few days. I normally would have loved the eggs benedict with smoked salmon covered with real hollandaise sauce, but this morning I just had some oatmeal. I wouldn’t have tasted the gourmet breakfast anyway.
I got my second cup of coffee when others finally started arriving. It wasn’t just me, everyone was less boisterous. I figured the fact it had started snowing again had everyone collectively holding their breath or swearing under them. I was in no hurry to rush home to Mason living smack dab across the street and Brandon hoping to resuscitate our relationship. I let my mind drift and imagined a few days at the Four Seasons Resort in Hualalai on the Big Island of Hawaii to sooth and warm me both.
Tammy had just sat down next to me dragging me from my daydream when Detective Larson stepped up to my table.
“I need to talk with you. Please follow me outside.” He was grim and brusque. Tammy raised her eyebrows and I shrugged my shoulders in answer.
Uh oh, did he find out I had followed Leona and was there when he spoke to her? I didn’t hear what they said, honest. Really, I didn’t. My palms started to sweat and I was composing my defense. He walked all the way to the spa room of the interview fame. It was the same as the last time I visited, but the smell of Eucalyptus permeated the room and the small gas fireplace was roaring. This was looking mighty official. What had I done? More importantly, how would I explain myself.
He motioned for me to sit and then he began. “This morning housekeeping found another person killed.”
My sharp intake of breath seemed so loud in the room. Oh no, please no. It felt like a horror movie where everyone is trapped and getting killed off one-by-one, only it was real. My mouth was open, my stomach churned with acid, and I wanted to be held by my mother more than ever. Johan’s head dipped down a second before popping back up and looking me in the eye.
“You dug up the information about Leona Dolman having an argument with Kara. Who told you or where did you hear it?” His eyes were those of a pissed off Doberman’s and I knew he could rip a person’s arm off in that moment.
I had to tell him about the Resort Irregulars if Porsche hadn’t already. Then I explained how Kylie passed the information to me feeling it was important.
He leaned back in his chair and sighed. He looked old this morning. Not wrinkle or worry lines, long hours without sleep, or anything like that. It was his eyes. They reflected anger but tinged with either regret or guilt. I could only imagine a ski town saw its share of violent crimes and I understood it had some cocaine drug-related problems like many ski resorts, too. He had no doubt seen enough during his time in Vail, but this case was getting to him.
“You’re telling me you were gathering information from a few employees and filtering it to me?” His smooth voice hit an incredulous note.
“I figured it couldn’t hurt and any information that was useful you’d follow up on anyway. I picked carefully, not just anyone. I made sure they knew not to ask questions, just listen and report.” Okay, I omitted Tammy, a guest, helping out. But she had only gotten slightly involved. I shifted in my folding metal chair.
“It could’ve been worse I suppose. I was the one who opened that particular door and got you involved.” He scrutinized me with a scowl on his face. “I don’t think it’s any coincidence Ms. Dolman was killed within hours of my talking with her. It could be that Ms. Dolman knew something about the Caine woman’s murder, or she was involved in the same something that got the Caine woman killed.” He fiddled with the pen and paper he used for notes.
So, Leona Dolman was the victim all right. If I had worn more comfortable shoes last night and stayed there watching like I instinctively wanted to...
“Did she tell you anything about the fight? Anything useful?” What the heck, I was in this deep, might as well ask.
“No, she claim
ed Ms. Caine was mad at her for cutting her off from a parking space. At least, that’s what she claims. But if the person who witnessed the hushed but serious argument was correct about its intensity, it sure wasn’t over a stolen parking space. I’m going to track down who saw the altercation.” He began tapping the pen on the makeshift desk.
Over a parking place... but I thought all parking was done by valet here. Seems the detective wasn’t buying that pathetic excuse either. What did that indicate about their heated spat? That it was personal and maybe something Leona didn’t want anyone to know. Which meant it could be anything.
I took a deep breath, “How was she killed? Another nail gun? Are you thinking it’s the same killer?” I am not morbid or a ghoul. I swear. It could be important.
“The hotel locked up the nail guns that were being used in the remaining rooms undergoing renovations. No, she was strangled then left out on the balcony.” He placed a hand over his eyes.
“Wow, insult to injury. Left her out in cold, so to speak. Think that indicates something?” I was thinking out loud.
“I think it makes it damn near impossible to establish time of death with any accuracy. The best we can determine is it was after I spoke to her and before the maid found her.” He let out a long breath.
“Was a key card used that could be traced? Or was it jimmied? Or are you thinking she knew the person? Because Kylie said she went to a few classes but didn’t seem to be here with anybody.” I was chattering, a sure sign I was shaken. Probably because I was watching her room only a few feet away in that stairwell. Fortunately, I didn’t see the killer, and hopefully the killer didn’t see me. Too close.
“Initial evaluation of her room tells me she was surprised by the attack, so either the killer was let into the room and she trusted that person, or the killer by passed the lock.”
I remembered the online videos that had me thinking I could get into Kara’s room to look around. If those videos were to be believed, it wasn’t hard at all. The easily bypassed key-card system was going to be my prime lesson from the conference for Chad, I guarantee you that.
“Hey, isn’t that newspaper guy and his wife on the same wing and floor as Dolman? Maybe they heard something.” I hoped that knowledge didn’t seem suspicious. I shifted in my chair again and leaned forward.
“Yeah, I’ll be talking to them after you.” He scrubbed his face with his hands in obvious frustration. “Plus the damned snow just had to start back up. We were just getting traffic and emergency issues under control.”
Time for me to leave, he was stressed and I didn’t want to get on his bad side.
“Did you want anything else from me?” He shook his head no.
I returned to the conference to hear the last of the weather report. “Snow for today, if we’re lucky it will stop by nightfall. Not much accumulation expected.” Then the announcer was handed a paper.
He cleared his throat. “One final bit of news. There has been a second death. The police are calling it suspicious and will be investigating. They may need to go through the workshops and begin questioning people.”
The mood went from sedate conference attentive mode to paranoid and panicky in zero to sixty. Mouths were gaping open and eyes bugging out. Then the room exploded in noise.
“Who was it?”
“What are the police doing for our safety?”
“Is this a serial killer?”
“Dear Lord, we’re stuck here with a serial killer picking us off.”
And my personal favorite: “Is this the Shining Hotel?”
Come on, everybody knows the book’s famous haunted hotel was in Estes Park, not Vail. Geesh.
It took ten minutes to convince people to move to their various sessions. I was in an event planning session with the promise to “make dealing with clients easier.” I laughed internally, that’ll be the day!
I sat through the session letting my phone record everything for me to review later, while most people gave up any pretext of caring. I was busy looking through my notes on what myself and the Resort Irregulars had pieced together so far. Bits and pieces mostly, scraps.
Bryce Caine, Kara’s ex-husband claims an abusive relationship and I couldn’t discount it from her behavior, and he had an argument with his girlfriend over Kara’s presence and probably doesn’t have an alibi. Did he snap a year after the divorce, or maybe revenge is best served cold?
Christopher Burns is suing Kara believing she knew his house would be in the path of a major road development, he has no alibi since he also had an argument with his wife and supposedly spent the night in the reading room.
Debra Graham, the slighted and betrayed former best friend had said she wanted to dance on Kara’s grave, she had no alibi I was aware of, and would likely be strong enough to kill Kara... but strangling a struggling woman was another thing. She was plenty strong though.
Wade Lochran, the newspaper editor who seemed to have a running public feud with Kara on the paper’s message boards for the whole world to see. He reportedly had a discussion, no raised voices, with Kara in the lobby and she said something to the effect “as a newspaper editor, surely you understand the public’s right to know.” As far as I knew he was in his hotel room with his wife that night.
Then there was Preston Pinder, a fellow realtor who had a heated argument with Kara in the lobby over a real estate deal gone wrong and he lost some earnest-deposit money her clients never gave back and it hypothetically hurt his reputation and cost him money. I couldn’t see that as a motive, but I found it hard to even understand the passion remaining for him to have a yelling match. Perhaps Preston holds grudges and doesn’t let them go, in which case Kara likely continued to prod and poke the anger like she did with others.
Of course, there was the mysterious Leona Dolman who had a hushed but heated argument early on my arrival day, before all the other suspects had their encounters. She was staying alone, so she presumably had no alibi. Not that it mattered one iota now that she was dead.
If it was difficult finding information on the handful of people who were prime suspects for one murder, then connecting a killer’s motive to two deaths was double the headache. What in the blazes did Kara and Leona have in common? Kara pissed people off at every opportunity. Could Leona have angered the same explosive person? But, even with the stress of being stuck by the storm, treacherous temperatures, and icy roads out of town, nobody seemed explosive. Stressed and suffering from cabin fever, sure. Whoever the killer was, he or she seemed to be very good at hiding their murderous nature.
I thought about how many arguments there had been yet nobody could say what any of them were really about. Two murders and nobody is jumping with their hand up to say they saw somebody around those times, suspicious or otherwise. Of course, Leona’s murder was in a pretty wide time-frame. I estimate from about ten o’clock when the detective was at her door to when the maids found her, say eight-thirty-ish because Johan came to talk to me just before nine.
I was guessing the cleaning crews had a challenge with everyone stuck at the hotel (roads still weren’t safe for even hotel transfers), so they probably started early because they had plenty of doubling back to clean rooms that were occupied the first or even second go around. That would explain her body being found so early.
What about the green sweater yarn and green buttons found in the snow with Kara? I wish I could examine them on the outside chance I might place them to a person. Although, thinking over the last three days I saw at least eight or so men and women wearing green sweaters or flannel button shirts.
But, this time the killer might have left more evidence this time. How did the two connect? Johan thinks Leona knew something about Kara’s death or was involved in what got Kara killed. But what if I had been right and somebody, Leona, had actually seen a person out that night? I hadn’t found out if Leona had been at the pool or in the lounge drinking late that night. She could have seen the killer out and about, perhaps a little ruffled? That
was a pretty iffy motive. Maybe he or she slipped up this time. I was hoping for a fingerprint.
The session was over, not that it had been much of a learning experience. Most people were in semi-shock or couldn’t stop talking. I stopped my phone recording and hoped I got the speaker and not the multiple nervous talkers around the room. Sadly, I had more questions than answers from reviewing my notes.
I texted Porsche “Are you having dinner with Johan tonight? I would like to tag along and catch up.” I hated to impose on the two lovebirds, but his scant personal time was definitely going to be interrupted anyway with the second murder.
I plodded to the next session and found Tammy. I plunked down next to her.
“Everyone is ready to be done with the conference. By now people are typically energized because they’ll be going home shortly. Not this time, so people are just frazzled.” She looked at me with concern in her eyes. She was a kind person, sort of motherly.
“Then another death and people are getting scared and feeling trapped,” I added.
“Think they’ll cancel the masked party?” She asked. I noticed her face showing signs of the prolonged tension, she looked older today.
“I imagine the police will be consulted about having a few hundred people wearing masks running around at a big party. They’ll make the call whether it’s riskier than being in your room.” I surmised.
Tammy swallowed and grew pale. I had just scared her. Way to go LaMere.
I ducked into the main meeting area where they were setting up for the final lunch to get myself more coffee. I was tired, but mostly I was hoping to chat quickly with Kylie or Zack. I was in luck, Zack had a trolley of items just going into the lunch area. I caught up with him and had to talk while he worked.
“I wanted to ask you or Kylie if anyone has spoken to the maids to see if they saw anybody out and about.” He looked at me with vacant eyes. I noticed his movements were mechanical. He was in a bit of shock too.
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