A Day Tea Die For

by Elle Dalton

  Although I would have preferred to lie in Ervin’s arms all day, I eventually got up and headed down to my office to get the police chief the lists of people he needed to interview.

  After I’d faxed over both a guest list and all the contact info for our staff, I drafted an email. I had to let the employees know that the police would be conducting interviews on all of them.

  Without my noticing, Clover had followed me into my office. He now hopped up on my desk and nudged his head against my typing fingers.

  “I’m sorry, Clover. I really don’t have time for you right now. I have so much work to do.”

  He meowed as if to argue and started pressing his paws to my keyboard. I didn’t have anything particularly important on the screen, so I allowed it while I called the chief to let him know I’d sent over the information.

  As I was hanging up, Karen entered the room. From the moment I put the phone down, her eyes were trained on me.

  “That was the police? Do they know what happened to Donny?”

  I hadn’t had time to fill her in yet.

  “Yes.” I swallowed down the tears lingering inside my throat. “He was poisoned.”

  “Oh, Diana, I’m so sorry.”

  I didn’t let myself pause because I feared if I did, I’d fall back into disarray.

  “And, apparently, a lot of the hotel guests have since left the hotel. So, I had to send the police a list of the tea party guests so they can continue their investigation.”

  “Well, no need to continue it.” Karen folded her arms across her chest. “I know who’s responsible.”

  I sighed. “You still think it’s Chloe, don’t you?”

  “I know she did it, Diana. I just know it. My instincts are screaming at me. I saw her in the dining room this morning actually smiling and laughing while she spoke on her phone. Who could do that after a tragedy?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe she just heard something funny. Maybe she’s relieved to have her job back and is in a decent mood despite what has happened.”

  Karen groaned. “Come on, Diana, that makes no sense. Would you be in a good mood with all that’s going on, even if you had recently gotten good news? Hell, you got proposed to and you’re not happy.”

  “But that’s because Donny was my friend and I own the Ivory Rose. I have to deal with everything that comes next, and obviously Chloe doesn’t.”

  Karen dropped into the chair in front of my desk. “You have to believe me. It was her.”

  “But you don’t have any evidence?”

  “No, of course not. But you need to tell the police your suspicions, so they can investigate her.”

  “They already will. The chief asked me for a list of my staff members. He will be interviewing everyone, including Chloe.”

  “Oh,” Karen said. “Well, good.”

  “But I’m still not convinced it’s Chloe, and you shouldn’t be either. I know she’s done shady things in the past, but that doesn’t make her a murderer. Most of the awful things she did were motivated by jealousy. There’s no real reason for her to kill random strangers simply because she’s envious of me and Ervin.”

  “Donny was no stranger, though, was he?”

  I blew out a breath. She was right. He wasn’t, and Karen was starting to get me to overthink everything. Would Chloe kill an old friend of mine just to get back to me? Could anyone be that evil?

  No, I doubted it.

  “Chloe seemed really genuine when she apologized. I believed her when she said she was over Ervin, so there’s not a lot of motivation for her to kill someone I care about. I mean, why risk a life in prison over a guy you went on a few dates with? Nobody is that crazy.”

  Karen rolled her eyes. “We’re talking about murder here, Diana. People do crazy things everyday. You really overestimate people sometimes.”

  “No, I don’t. It’s not that I like Chloe or see the best in her. I don’t. I gave her a job again out of pity, not because I trust her. But now that the police are investigating every staff member, I’m sure they’ll get to the bottom of it.”

  Clover jumped onto Karen’s lap and she stroked his back as she continued.

  “Yeah, like they got to the bottom of all the other murders? They solved those with your help. And if we don’t start investigating on our own, there may be yet another murder in the hotel. I don’t want to see that happen. And I know you don’t either.”

  “Of course not,” I said, my tone sharper than I intended it to be.

  “Then we need to start doing our own research.”

  I didn’t disagree with her. I just wasn’t ready to accuse anyone without concrete evidence.

  “We will. I’m more than willing to investigate Chloe, I just don’t want to accuse her without proof, that’s all.”

  There was a knock at the door and Clover immediately hopped off Karen and started meowing loudly.

  “Come in,” I called out.

  I already knew before she opened the door that it was Aunt Jolene. Clover only reacts that way to one person.

  “Honey, how are you holding up?” she asked me in a soft voice.

  “I’m fine, Aunty Jolene, thank you. I just got word from the police that Donny was, indeed, murdered. He was poisoned.”

  Aunt Jolene’s eyes grew wide with horror and she clutched her chest. Despite the history of the hotel, it was obvious that she wasn’t expecting yet another muder. I couldn’t blame her, I hadn’t expected one either.

  “I’m so sorry, my sweet girl.” She walked over to my desk and reached out to take my hand in hers.

  When she grabbed it, a long pause fell between us. I followed her gaze to see she was staring down at my engagement ring. I’d completely forgotten that I put it on this morning. I was planning to tell her today anyway, so I thought I might as well keep it on.

  “What’s this?” she asked.

  A smile sneaked up on me. “Yesterday morning, before the tragedy, Ervin proposed.”

  “Oh, Diana!” She walked around to the back of the desk and came in for a hug. “That is so wonderful. Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I just got so caught up in the whirlwind yesterday. I wanted to tell you when I was feeling happy, not when I was falling apart.”

  “Oh, of course. I understand completely. I’m just so glad to hear of this. Ervin is a sweet boy. I love him dearly. You two are going to be very happy together.”

  “Who’s going to be very happy together?” my mother’s voice rang out.

  My stomach clenched. I had planned to tell Aunt Jolene, but I didn’t care to tell my mother. I had no doubt she would find something negative to say. I couldn’t handle any more negativity.

  I cleared my throat. “I’m engaged. Ervin proposed.”

  Unlike Aunt Jolene, she only gave me a small smile. “How lovely.”

  It wasn’t exactly a negative comment, but the statement was devoid of any real joy.

  “I’m going to have the kitchen make us a special brunch to celebrate,” Aunt Jolene said after an awkward silence. “All of you ladies must be in attendance. We will meet in the banquet hall in one hour.”

  “Sounds great,” I lied. I didn’t have time for brunch. I certainly didn’t think it would be great to be stranded with my mother for an hour. But I wouldn’t disappoint my aunt.

  “Yes, I’ll be there,” Karen agreed.

  “Splendid.” Aunt Jolene rubbed her hands together. “We’ll see you ladies soon.”

  Chapter 7

  If it weren’t for my mother’s presence, I would probably enjoy a brunch to celebrate my future with Ervin. The chaos happening around me and the judgmental glances also made it hard for me to breathe.

  “So, any decisions on the wedding?” she asked. “Will it be in New York or… here?” The latter was said with a tone of disgust.

  “We actually haven’t talked about wedding plans yet. We haven’t had the time. But I don’t see why we’d have a wedding in New York.”

  “There would cer
tainly be some financial benefits,” my mom pointed out. “I could find several designers who would make a dress for you for free. Caterers would jump on the occasion as long as you have press in attendance.”

  I was in the middle of taking a sip of champagne and nearly choked. “Why on Earth would I have the press at my wedding? It’s a private affair.”

  “A private affair that could be very lucrative.”

  “How are you guys enjoying these muffins?” Karen interrupted. “They’re delicious, right?”

  She was trying to defuse the situation and I appreciated her for it.

  “Well, I, for one, am thrilled that you and Ervin are cementing your future together,” Aunt Jolene spoke up. “I’ve always noticed the way he looks at you, Diana, as if you light up his entire world. And it’s not hard to see why. You are truly lovely.”

  “Thank you. I’m really excited too. I’m just scared…”

  I was going to talk about my concerns about the future of the Ivory Rose and how realistic it would be to stay in Shadow Creek, but I caught myself in time. I didn’t want to give my mom anything to latch on to. If she knew I was doubting my future in Shadow Creek, she’d jump on the opportunity to shame me into returning to New York.

  The rest of the meal went off without a hitch, and afterward it was right back to work for me. I’d promised Karen that we’d spend all day searching for the truth of what happened to Donny.

  As we walked out of the banquet hall, I stopped my aunt.

  “Can I ask you a favor? I know I’m the owner of the hotel now, but I haven’t been in charge for long. I know the staff still respect you deeply and I was wondering if you could help me pull them into my office for interviews about what happened the afternoon Donny died?”

  My aunt had a way of asking people to do difficult things without them freaking out.

  “Oh, Diana, of course I will. It isn’t as if I have much else to do with the hotel in lockdown. You get back to your office, I’ll start rounding up the staff members.”

  “Thank you so much. I really appreciate you.”

  Karen, Aunt Jolene, and I all gathered in my office to hear what everyone who had been working on the day of the murder had to say.

  Most of the interviews weren’t helpful. A lot of the servers and kitchen staff said the same thing. They worked with Donny on breakfast and when he disappeared after that, they assumed he’d taken a nap prior to the tea party since Donny was a great fan of naps and he made no secret of it.

  The staff never went back into the freezer because they had no need to, as they were waiting for Donny’s direction to start cooking again. Nobody had any clue about what happened between breakfast and the tea party.

  That was, until Aunt Jolene called Jordan into my office.

  “Hello, Jordan, have a seat,” I tried to say with a semblance of authority.

  “What’s up?” Jordan asked casually. He was young, in his early twenties, with dark, shaggy hair. He was good at his job but I occasionally felt that he sometimes had an overly casual attitude while on the job.

  “We wanted to ask you about anything you might have seen on the day Donny died, anything that may provide a clue into what happened. Did you perhaps see where Donny went after the breakfast shift?”

  “No, I didn’t. I never actually saw him leave the kitchen.”

  “Did you see other people leaving the kitchen after breakfast?” Aunt Jolene asked.

  “Yes, everyone on staff as far as I could see. And then the same staff members piled back in before the tea party.”

  “And you didn’t see anyone who shouldn’t have been in the kitchen head that way?” I asked as I lifted a glass of water to my lips to take a sip. The cool liquid soothed my parched throat.

  “No… I mean, well…” Jordan shifted in his seat.

  Alarm bells went off inside my head.

  “What? What is it? You can tell us.” I pushed.

  He stared down at his feet for a second. “Look, I really like this job. I’d like to stay on for a long time, if I can. I have no interest in upsetting someone who is higher up on the food chain than me…”

  “Jordan, look at me.” I said in a firm tone and his eyes shot up to mine. “You’re not going to get fired for telling me what you saw. We just want to get as much information as possible.”

  “Okay.” He sighed and tucked his hands between his knees. “I saw Karen head into the kitchen a few minutes before you found Donny dead.”

  I shot Karen a look, perplexed. She hadn’t mentioned it before.

  It was Karen’s turn to look uncomfortable.

  “What?” She laughed awkwardly. “I was just going in there to check on why the food was taking so long.”

  Her voice sounded a touch deeper, which it always did when she was nervous.

  I clasped my hands tight on the surface of the glass desk. “So you realized the food was coming out late but didn’t think to mention it?”

  “I just didn’t want to stress you out. I told the servers to find Donny right away and get started. When I came into the banquet hall, I thought they had. I didn’t think you needed to know about any delay. You had enough on your plate.”

  “Thank you, Jordan,” Aunt Jolene said, “I believe that’s all that we need.”

  Jordan awkwardly excused himself, then stumbled out. Aunt Jolene followed him through the door. I was left staring at Karen alone.

  “Diana, are you being serious right now? How can you even look at me like that? You know I didn’t kill Donny.”

  She was right. Karen was my best friend. I just found her reaction suspicious.

  “I know that,” I said cautiously, hoping to God she didn’t play an indirect role in the murder. The thought made me sick to my stomach.

  “Okay, good,” she let out a chuckle.

  Before we could continue our conversation, there was a knock at my office door. A police officer stepped inside.

  “Ladies, I’m going to need both of you to meet the chief for questioning. We’re set up in room 103, please enter one at a time.”

  “Wait, does the chief want to question me again too?” I asked, confused. “He already interviewed me.”

  “He wants to question everyone again, no exceptions.”

  “I understand,” I said and got to my feet.

  A few minutes later, I stepped into the interrogation room.

  “Have a seat, Diana.” The chief’s tight expression made my stomach roll with anxiety.

  “Thank you.” I paused. “I thought you already asked me everything you needed to know.”

  “I’m afraid I have more questions for you.”

  I got the message. The friendly relationship I’d once had with him was gone. He was treating me as a possible murder suspect. He was just doing his job, but it did feel personal.

  I had a grueling hour-long interview with Chief Conrad during which he asked me every question I’d already answered. I’d watched enough forensic crime shows to know what he was trying to do.

  He was trying to catch me in a lie, to notice any detail that could have been amiss. When he was finally done, he thanked me for my time and dismissed me.

  I found Karen waiting on one of the sofas in the lobby, her heels tapping on the new wooden floor. She was clearly nervous.

  For a moment, I just watched her.

  If only I could read her thoughts. Would I even want to?

  When she saw me, she shot to her feet and came to me.

  “That took forever. I thought you were going to be in and out in just a few minutes?”

  “Apparently, the chief had a lot more he needed to know from me. You’re free to go in now.”

  She nodded and slid her bottom lip between her teeth. I couldn’t blame her for being anxious. I’d felt the same way even though I had nothing to do with the murder.

  I didn’t want to interview anyone else alone, so I decided to head back to my room to get some work done on my computer. When I turned the corner and the el
evator came into view, I froze.

  Ervin and Chloe stood a few feet from me, talking in hushed whispers. I couldn’t make out their conversation, but the sight of them together made me uneasy. Memories of catching them together in the past flooded back to me and my stomach rolled. The jealous feelings I’d felt back then unfurled inside of me now. I kept waiting for Chloe to kiss my fiancé, for another crack to appear on my heart.

  I squashed down the jealousy. Ervin was my fiancé now and he absolutely had no interest in Chloe. We were in a committed relationship. I had nothing to worry about.

  But why was he standing there whispering to her?

  The door to my right opened up and Fred Dane walked out. He was a middle-aged man, and a loyal guest of the hotel. Despite the scandals, he still sought a suite at the hotel. He had told me in passing once that he was often brought to Shadow Creek on business, which was at least once a month. He lived in Chicago. He claimed there was no better hotel than the Ivory Rose to stay in in Shadow Creek.

  “Mr. Dane, hello.” I pushed my shoulders back and switched into hotel owner mode instead of a jealous fiancé. “How are you? How has your stay been?”

  I only realized it was a stupid question after the words left my mouth.

  “It wasn’t too bad until…” He cleared his throat. “I’m sorry to hear what has happened. The Ivory Rose just can’t seem to catch a break, huh?”

  I forced a smile. “No, it would appear not. I want to thank you for your continued patronage. We truly appreciate you and always look forward to having you at the hotel.”

  “And I love to be here. You take care of yourself, Diana.”

  “You too, Mr. Dane.”

  He patted my shoulder and walked past me. When I glanced up, Ervin was no longer talking to Chloe. He was gone, and Chloe was staring at me, her eyes filled with tears.

  What drama was she going to bring me now? I was really starting to regret hiring her back. I didn’t necessarily agree with Karen that she had engaged in any criminal activity, but I could tell she was about to disrupt my day.

  She wiped away the tears with the back of her hand and hurried to me. “Diana, I need to speak to you.”

  “What is it?” I folded my arms across my chest.