by Elle Dalton
“Come on, Diana, it’s not like that. You just experienced a loss. Everyone wants to help out. That’s what friends and family do. Take the help, everyone completely understands.”
I still felt terrible, but I accepted the offer because I was mentally and emotionally exhausted.
When we got back to the room, Ervin sat with me on the bed and I continued to weep in his arms.
“This isn’t how I thought today was going to be,” I said between sobs.
Not only was it the grand reopening, but it was also the day Ervin proposed to me. The huge milestone in our relationship would forever be tainted by Donny’s death, along with the reputation of the Ivory Rose.
“We will get through this together,” he said into my hair.
“What if we don’t?” I asked. “What if this is the end of the Ivory Rose Hotel and I need to move back to New York?”
He pulled away to gaze into my face. He wiped a tear from my cheek with his thumb. “There’s no reason to assume Donny’s death is going to kill the Ivory Rose’s reputation.”
“What if he was murdered, though? Then what?”
He paused, as if questioning whether he should say what was on his mind.
I frowned. “What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking about the last murders, about how perhaps it was a staff member who was involved. If this was indeed another murder—”
“Then you think the person who did it is on staff?”
He nodded. “I don’t want to believe it. I’ve come to know and like everyone just as well as you. Heck, I may know them better since I worked here a few years before you came along. But it just doesn’t make any sense how so many crimes have occurred here without someone on staff being involved in some way.”
“We found all the people responsible, though. I helped send them to prison, remember?”
“I do. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t possibly someone on your staff who helped commit those crimes.”
I didn’t want to consider it. It was all too much after everything that had happened.
“I’m really tired,” I whispered as my stomach churned with anxiety.
“Okay, I’ll let you sleep.”
I wished Ervin could spend the night with me. When I stayed in my family’s old cottage, he frequently did. But on the hotel grounds, we slept in our own rooms. During the preparations for major events, it was always easier to be at the venue.
My aunt didn’t like the idea of cohabitation before marriage and I wanted to be respectful to her, even though she was no longer the hotel owner.
“You call me if you need anything though, okay?” Ervin kissed my forehead. “I’ll keep my ringer on all night.”
“Okay. But I’ll be fine.”
Even as the words came out of my mouth, I wasn’t sure of them. Nothing felt okay right now.
Chapter 4
It was late now and I couldn’t sleep. Despite the exhaustion, the weight of the day was too heavy on my mind for me to give in to rest.
I couldn’t stop thinking about what Ervin had said. Could someone at the hotel be responsible for all these crimes after all? There was no denying how strange it was that so many murders occurred on the hotel grounds. Yes, the people responsible had been sociopaths, but why did they choose the hotel as the place to commit their crimes?
With each second, I was starting to feel like Ervin was right, but the thought only added to my guilt.
If a staff member played a part in all the crimes, perhaps I could have prevented Donny’s death. If only I had realized who they were earlier.
I was still clinging to the hope that Donny’s death wasn’t a murder. I felt sick thinking about him being gone forever, how the entire world was going to grieve the loss of a brilliant chef.
I should never have asked him to come to Shadow Creek.
I had just been so desperate for the hotel reopening to be perfect and his cooking would have been the cherry on top. Instead, it ended up being more disastrous than I ever could have imagined.
I needed to talk to someone, but at the same time, I also wanted to be alone to stew in my guilt.
I reached for my phone and switched it on. My thumb hovered over Ervin’s name. I dropped the phone again. I couldn’t bring myself to wake him.
What could he do anyway? He’d already tried to comfort me and I didn’t feel any better. Even Aunt Jolene came to comfort me. She, too, failed.
I pushed back the sheets and swung my legs out of bed.
I’d to take a walk through the botanical garden, my favorite spot in the entire hotel, the place that brought me the most peace.
It would be dark outside, but I had string lights placed in the garden to enable guests to enjoy it at all hours of the day.
Since I was still dressed in my power suit from earlier, I put my blazer back on to keep warm and headed down the hall.
I found Clover meandering in the lobby. Aunt Jolene hadn’t gone to bed yet either. She wouldn’t be sleeping without Clover curled up in bed with her.
“How about a walk in the garden with me?” I asked Clover. “I need some fresh air.”
He meowed in response.
“Okay, let’s get going,” I said.
I decided to enter through the banquet hall, although there were several different doors in the hotel that led to the garden, but paused as my hand was on the doorknob of the French doors.
I heard some muffled yelling and looked up to find that about ten feet away from me, Karen was speaking to Chloe. I stood still, feeling awkward that I was interrupting, but they didn’t seem to notice me. The banquet hall didn’t have any lights on, so they couldn’t see in.
I couldn’t tell what the conversation was about. The voices were not that clear, but I knew it was tense. Karen looked furious as she shook her finger at Chloe, her hand movements dramatic. I knew Karen well and she didn’t gesticulate much unless she was furious. I couldn’t see Chloe’s expression because her back was turned to me. But the sound of her voice as she snapped was like the crack of a whip.
I considered opening the door so I could hear the conversation, but the creak of the handle might alert them to my presence. I didn’t know what was going on but I didn’t want to interrupt Karen. I trusted her, and if she was yelling at Chloe, it must have been about something important.
I didn’t have to wait long to get the scoop. A moment later, Chloe stormed off and Karen was left standing there, shaking her head. I drew in a breath, then let myself into the garden. Karen jumped, startled.
“Oh my gosh.” Her hand flew to her chest as she heaved. “You scared me. Were you at the door the entire time?”
“No, just a minute.” I paused. “What was that about?”
Karen’s face contorted and she averted her gaze. Whatever it was about, she didn’t want to tell me.
“What’s going on, Karen?” I pressed.
“I’m just… I’m feeling a little suspicious of Chloe, that’s all.”
“Suspicious how? Is she all over Ervin again?” I asked, though if she was, that was the least of my problems.
“It’s not that.” Karen met my eyes again. “I think she may have had something to do with Donny’s death.”
Despite the trauma of the day, I laughed. “Karen, that’s crazy. I mean, she’s an unstable person, but a murderer?”
There was a time during the past murder investigations that I suspected Chloe of murder, but after her reaction, I was more careful of accusing anyone without clear proof.
Karen raised her shoulders and dropped them again. “I don’t know. Maybe I’m completely off base. But I just confronted her on why she’d come back to the hotel today of all days. She had this manipulative little smile on her face. I’m telling you… something is off.”
“I see,” I said, ignoring the knot in my stomach. “But let’s not jump straight to conclusions. We don’t even know how Donny died…” It broke my heart to say the words out loud.
“Y
ou’re right.” Karen pushed a hand through her hair. “I’m just letting my emotions run away with me. How are you doing? I’m so sorry about what happened to your friend.”
I blinked away tears and forced a smile. “Thanks. I guess I’m doing as well as can be expected. Just processing everything right now. I couldn’t sleep. How are all the guests from the tea party?”
We walked along the edge of the garden as Karen let out a long sigh.
“To be honest, a lot of them are annoyed. Some of them are busy people. They didn’t want to be locked up at the Ivory Rose for days. I’ve offered a lot of free massages and other spa treatments, but I don’t know if it will be enough to appease them.”
“Right, of course,” I let out an exasperated moan. I had no idea what else to say.
“We can still turn this around, Diana. The reputation of the Ivory Rose isn’t dead.”
I wasn’t so sure about that. And at the moment, I didn’t care so much about Ivory Rose’s reputation as I did about my future. I wanted to spend my life here in Shadow Creek, married to Ervin and spending time with my best friend and my aunt.
I suddenly remembered that I was keeping something important from Karen.
I reached for her arm to pull her to a halt. “I have something kind of crazy to tell you.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Crazier than a celebrity chef dying on the hotel premises?”
I shook my head. “Not quite that crazy…” In that context, my news seemed quite mundane.
“Well, go on then. Spit it out.”
I reached into my blazer pocket where I had last left my ring and pulled it out.
“Ervin proposed to me.”
Karen squealed, then her hand clapped her mouth. “Diana, you’re kidding. Oh my goodness, this is such great news!” She paused. “But, wait, Ervin proposed after Donny’s death?”
“No, he proposed this morning. I just didn’t say anything earlier because I wanted to focus on the tea party.”
She pulled me in for a hug. “I’m so happy for you, Diana. I’m sorry the day of your engagement took such a horrible turn, but this is still a beautiful day. It’s the first day of the rest of your life. You and Ervin are going to be so happy together.”
I squeezed her back. I could not change what happened, but I needed a moment with my best friend to celebrate my news. Her joy sparked a bit of happiness inside me that diluted some of the sadness.
After what I told her, Karen insisted on spending the night with me. She wanted to hear every detail of the proposal and even went online to look at wedding dresses.
Making wedding plans was the last thing on my mind, but I went along with it, trying hard to be excited.
Tomorrow, I’d get to work figuring out what the hell happened to Donny.
Chapter 5
“Wake up, my love,” I awoke to Ervin’s whisper tickling my earlobe.
My eyes felt heavy with sleep even though I didn’t get enough of it. I stayed up far too late with Karen. I feared going to bed knowing that when I next woke up, I’d have to face the harsh reality of what had happened.
Though waking up to Ervin did make things a little easier. When I finally got the energy to open my eyes fully and sweep the room with my gaze, I found that he had a tray of breakfast laid out on my nightstand. A soft smile curled my lips.
“What is this?” I asked, then yawned.
“I wanted to make sure you ate this morning. I thought you might not feel like going down to the dining hall.”
He was right about that. Facing everyone would be a nightmare.
“Thank you. So sweet of you. Come on, sit with me.” I patted the empty space next to me on the bed.
As he poured me a glass of orange juice, I grabbed the remote and turned on the news.
“Are you sure you want to do that right now?” Ervin asked.
“Not really, but I need to be aware of what the media is saying.”
I hoped they’d be saying nothing, that the news of Donny’s death had not yet broken, but I knew that would be too good to be true.
Sure enough, when I flipped on the television, the Ivory Rose Hotel was featured on the channel five morning broadcast. A male newscaster with curly blond hair gazed into the camera as he announced the tragic news of Donny’s passing.
“Last night, we learned of yet another mysterious death at the Ivory Rose Hotel. On their reopening day, celebrity chef Donny Cahill was found deceased in the kitchen freezer. Police are not currently at liberty to reveal what the cause of death was.”
The newscaster turned to the female brunette next to him. “Well, Stacy, I don’t know about you, but I certainly expect another murder investigation to proceed.”
I let out a loud groan and lowered the glass of orange juice Ervin had just given me onto my nightstand. Without asking, Ervin reached for the remote and flicked off the TV.
“What are you doing?” I asked him.
“I don’t think this is helping you in any way. They clearly haven’t heard exactly happened to Donny, and neither have we. Now that we know that the media is aware, we don’t need to listen to all their speculation.”
I bit my bottom lip. “This is awful. It’s just a matter of time before they start gossiping about my relationship to Donny. People are going to blame me for his death…”
“Hey, nobody is going to blame you. For all we know, it wasn’t anyone’s fault. You just need to relax until we have more information. Come on, eat some pancakes.”
I doubted I could hold anything down, but I didn’t want to worry Ervin. I forced a few bites of the fluffy cakes into my mouth. He had drizzled them with my favorite blueberry syrup and the butter had melted in. Normally, it would be the perfect breakfast, but today, the pancakes may as well have been cardboard.
Before I could finish eating, the phone to my room shrilled. I dove over Ervin’s body to get to it. Even though I startled him, I wasn’t able to apologize because I had already answered the call.
“Hello?”
Jordan, the receptionist, spoke on the other end.
“Diana, the chief of police is on the phone. He’s waiting to talk to you.”
“Go ahead and put him through.” My voice was calm, but my heart started to race.
I prayed for good news even though when someone dies, there is no real good news to be had. Still, I hoped that it was an unpreventable medical incident and not something I brought upon Donny.
“Diana?” The chief’s voice rang through.
“Yes, it’s me. Do you have any news?”
“I do, in fact. Are you sitting down?”
I already knew I wasn’t getting any good news from him.
“I am, yes.”
“I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but your friend Donny was murdered.”
The tears started flowing again. “How?” I asked, my voice empty.
“It appears he was poisoned.”
The words rang out like an alarm in my ear. He was murdered… Not just murdered but poisoned, like the other victims before him.
My whole world started to spin and bile touched the back of my throat.
“And, of course, you don’t know who did it…” I said softly.
“No idea at this moment. But it is odd.”
I swallowed hard. “What?”
“He was killed with arsenic, the same poison used on Andy Brown, the father of the bride in the first wedding we investigated at the Ivory Rose.”
I felt sick to my stomach. He didn’t need to tell me what it meant. I already knew.
Ervin had been right all along. The murderers at the Ivory Rose didn’t act alone. There was someone on the inside helping them. Why else would the same poison be used twice?
“And I have some other unfortunate news,” the chief continued.
“What else could there possibly be?” I sighed.
“Well, I sent two officers to the Ivory Rose this morning to start conducting interviews. They’re in the lobby now. Appar
ently, a few of your guests decided to make a run for it.”
“You’re kidding!” I shut my eyes so tight my eyeballs ached. Never before had any guests left when the hotel was locked down. Now that I hired actual security, they managed to escape?
“It’s a huge concern for us, especially considering the amount of out-of-town guests you had in attendance. I’m going to need a list of everyone who was at the party.”
“Yes, of course. I’ll get it to you right away.”
He cleared his throat. “And you may not like this, but I’m afraid I’m also going to need a list of all your staff members. We will be interviewing them as well.”
I expected it. He also thought my staff had to be involved at this point.
It was the worst-case scenario for the future of the hotel. The news would spread like wildfire that there was a murderer working at the Ivory Rose. It wasn’t a proven fact, but people would still believe it.
“I’ll send you both lists, just as soon as I get off the phone.”
“Good. Until then, we’ll continue our investigation with the people still remaining at the hotel.”
“Okay. Let me know if I can be of any more assistance.”
When I hung up, Ervin was staring at me, questions in his eyes.
“What happened?” he asked.
“Donny was murdered. He was killed with the same poison that killed the father of the bride at the first wedding event I organized. You were right, I think a staff member is involved and so do the police.”
Tears sprang to my eyes and I started sobbing.
“Oh, Diana…” He held me in his arms, one hand cradling the back of my head.
“I did this, Ervin. I let this murder happen, I’m responsible for Donny’s death.”
“No, baby, no. This isn’t on you. We’re going to get to the bottom of this, I promise. Donny will get the justice he deserves. I’m going to help you through this.”
It was not something he could help me through, but I didn’t argue. I didn’t want to. I just wanted to be held by him for a while before all hell broke loose.
Chapter 6