The Hotel

by Melanie Jones Brownrigg

  “I did. I really did.”

  He ran his hand all over his face and sighed. “No. Taylor is a man. Very much a man.” He shook his head. “No wonder you were so livid. I can’t believe you thought I would stoop so low.” He blew out a breath. “Look, I’ll schedule a dinner together soon and you can see for yourself.”

  “Oh, I’ve met her ... her parents too ... after I confronted her.”

  “You what!” He looked at me with wide eyes. “What did you do?”

  I explained about my visit to the DA’s office and then to Chris’ house. “I asked Julie not to mention my being there. I take it she didn’t.”

  “No. I spoke with her once. But she didn’t say anything about you.”

  “Julie mentioned Tracy Williams having a thing for you. So, I thought you might be cheating on me with her. Then I wondered if Taylor might have gone to the seminar and you were having an affair with Chris. Somewhere in there I thought it might be Lisa Jacobs, or even Joyce. I’ve confronted all of them, except Tracy Williams. But Lisa said you weren’t—”

  “Hold on.” His forehead creased into a frown. “Stop right there. When you made the connection to Taylor being a man, why did you continue this ludicrous notion that I was having an affair with anyone? Emily, I love you. I absolutely love you. I would never cheat on you. The risk of losing you and Ava and what we have together would never justify it. Besides, you’re the only one I have eyes for anyway. Why in the world would you doubt me, or our marriage?”

  “Well, you know why I thought it was Taylor. But at a nail salon, I overheard a conversation Lisa Jacobs was having with, as it turned out, Tracy Williams.” After a long explanation about that, I said, “So, that’s why I suspected she might be the one.” When Greg looked too stunned for words, I continued. “Then Ava told me about your arm being around Joyce at the Science Museum, so I confronted her.”

  “Anyone else you think I might be sleeping with?” he asked in a bit of a tone.

  “No. But I was still searching, trying to figure out who it might have been.”

  “But why, Emily? Why did you believe it just had to be someone?”

  “At first I thought you were lying about always working late.” I gave him a scorned look. “After quitting racquetball, where have you been spending those nights?”

  He closed his eyes and held his head down. For a moment I thought he wasn’t going to answer me, or even look at me. Finally, he did. “Don’t be mad,” he started, which under normal circumstances would have made me mad.

  “Okay,” I said in a skeptical tone.

  He heaved a heavy sigh. “Okay, here goes ... against everything we agreed, I took the money we were saving for the bathroom reno and invested it in Paul’s firm. I thought he could make it grow faster than we could pinch and save, and I knew you wanted Ava to have her privacy.” He stopped and drew in a ragged breath. “This happened around the first of the year. A few months later, he told me the investment went belly-up and we’d lost the entire amount. I’m so sorry, Emily. I had wanted to surprise you with earning the money, but when I lost it, I couldn’t bring myself to tell you. It was weighing heavily on me and I wanted to tell you about it the night we were at the French restaurant. But after you blew your stack, I decided the timing wasn’t right.” His eyes filled with enormous pain when I shook my head, my I-told-you-so eyes bearing down on him. He squirmed, feeling the need to apologize even more. “I’m sorry for losing that money. I wanted to make it up to you, so I took an extra job, working nights at Home Depot ... Roger got me the job. I’ve been working there to make up the lost money.” He pinched his brow. “Paul was always going on about how he could make us rich, and I took a chance. I shouldn’t have without your approval. I’m truly sorry. But I want you to know that I couldn’t stand being away from you and Ava and I quit the job the week before. That’s why I was able to be home early every night the week before the seminar.”

  “Greg, I wish you would’ve just told me. It led me to believe you were hiding an affair from me.”

  He nodded. “I’m sorry. I should have and it won’t ever happen again.”

  “Paul probably stole the money. I found out he’s under investigation right now. Several people have filed complaints against him. We probably should too.”

  “Paul is?” he asked with a shocked look on his face. “Jeez, I guess you never can tell about someone.”

  “Yeah, well, wait until you hear what else is going on with Paul.” I told him first about Molly finding out about Paul’s secret condo for him and Felicia Winslow. That had to come before Ava, because I knew it would be hard to regain his attention.

  He shook his head. “What a scumbag. I had already told you I wanted to cut the ties with him. Now I know there’s no reason to ever speak to that asshole again.”

  “Brace yourself,” I warned, and he took on a wary look. “Ava confessed as to why she’s wanted me or my mother in the bathroom with her whenever she bathes.”

  When I told him about Paul watching her and drying her off with an erection, I thought Greg was going to lose it.

  He jumped up from the kitchen chair in such a fierce motion it fell to the floor. Then he began pacing and running a nervous hand repeatedly through his hair. “Where is he? At that condo? I’m going over there and kill him right now. That son-of-a-bitch isn’t getting away with touching my daughter, even if he had a towel between his hands and her body. And, my God, Emily, that’s if Ava admitted everything. What if he...” He looked like he was going to throw up. “What if he did more?”

  I nodded, already having had the same horrid thoughts. “I’ve already filed a police report and been assigned to a detective. We have to let this matter go through proper channels because...” I took in a long breath. “Because the police believe that I’ve killed you.”

  He stopped his pacing because now I was saying something equally disturbing. “What? Why would they think that? How did you jump from me having an affair, to ... to killing me?”

  “The night you left, I saw your car and followed it to The Bliss Hotel. That’s a seedy—”

  “I’ve heard of it. It’s a staple around the office. While it’s a place for prostitution, the police use it to go after drug offenders.” He took in a breath. “Darlene, Roger’s wife, actually works there.” He rolled his eyes. “I know, I know. You’re thinking it fits with Roger and Darlene and I know you haven’t ever thought much of either one of them. But Roger has been my friend since high school and that’s just the way it is.”

  “Okay fine,” I agreed because I didn’t want him to pick my friends either. Besides, Roger and Darlene weren’t what I was leading up to anyway. “The point was, I followed your car to that motel where I thought you were in one of the rooms with your little chippy, whoever she might be.”

  His stood still and gaped at me. Then he picked up the chair and reseated himself. “My car was at that motel?” His face took on an angry look and his complexion began to redden. “That damn scumbag. Now I know I’m going to kill him.”

  “Who?” I asked. “Who?”

  “Paul Jensen. That louse volunteered to drive me and Taylor to the airport. I thought he was doing it because he felt bad about that investment tanking and it was some small, but kind gesture, to save me the parking fees.” He bit at his lip. “He probably had it in his mind all along to use my car to show up at that place. God knows his Porsche would’ve stood out. Instead, he was only taking advantage of me again.” His jaw was clenched tight, and anger reddened his face. “Now I am going to find him and ... and.” He noted the look on my face. “Well, maybe not kill him, but at least beat the crap out of him.”

  “Someone probably already has ... beaten the crap out of him. If he had your car, it was probably his dead body I found in a motel room.” For the next hour, I told him everything about the hotel, getting drunk, finding a dead body, renting a room, my search for the missing girlfriend, and finally about the police believing I’d killed him. And when I w
as through, Greg sat in his chair and, shocked beyond belief, couldn’t utter a word. “So, Paul had your car,” I confirmed. “Do you think he might’ve loaned it to someone else? It might’ve been someone else in that room.”

  “Have you hired an attorney?” he asked, ignoring my question. “Please tell me you didn’t give a statement without representation.”

  “I’ve hired Lucas.” I paused. “Although we didn’t talk about retainers and I haven’t given him any money. Jeez, I should’ve acted more professionally. I don’t want him to think I’m using our friendship inappropriately.” I paused for another moment. “I’ve also hired a private detective to try and find the girl. I haven’t given him any money either, but we have discussed the terms.”

  He nodded. “Yes, it sounds like you’ve handled the situation properly ... at least at this point.”

  Of course, he was limiting his praises to discount my irrational thoughts of an affair, checking into a seedy motel room, going into a murder scene and then leaving without reporting a crime. Other than that, I had properly handled the situation.

  We talked late into the night before finally retiring to our bedroom. “We’ll get through this Emily,” he assured me, pulling me close and hugging me.

  “I’m sorry about everything, about having misread so much,” I said. “But with everything that was going on, I ... I just thought I was no longer important to you. I thought you didn’t love me anymore. God, Greg, I believed you were having an affair, or were looking to completely replace me.”

  “I love you. I’ll never cheat on you. You need to etch that into your brain.”

  I nodded, watching him slowly unbutton his pale blue shirt while I slipped out of the blue designer dress. As we undressed in front of each other, my eyes glued themselves to his beautiful blue ones. He crossed the room and pulled me to his chest. Then our lips locked, and my heart exploded. Entrenched in his embrace he held me tight against him. And then we made love to each other with the tenderness of a newfound devotion.

  PART THREE

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  (Saturday)

  Unfortunately, the alarm went off the next morning, rousing us from a peaceful sleep. It was my alternate Saturday to work at the bank until noon. While I had entertained the idea of having Jordan once again fill in for me, all I could think about was my accruing bill with Lucas and Liam. At some point I’d have to cough up money to pay them and our reno savings was no longer available, having been pilfered by Paul Jensen. Taking time off work wouldn’t help my financial situation.

  On the way to the bank, I called Liam. “Hey, I have amazing news,” I started out.

  “Oh yeah, what’s that?” he asked curiously. “You go first, because I have news of my own for you.”

  “Okay, well, I called to tell you Greg was at a seminar. He came home last night. He’s alive and I had it all wrong.”

  “Hmm,” he grunted. “Actually, I already knew it couldn’t have been your husband. I went by the morgue last night to look at the body. There wasn’t a scar on the leg like you indicated there should be.” He paused then asked, “Who was in your husband’s car?”

  “Most likely it was Paul Jensen ... unless he loaned the car out. He was probably there with one of his young girls. I just thought it was Greg.”

  “Paul Jensen,” he repeated. “I guess someone found out about his little hobby and decided to end it. Do you have any idea who he might’ve been in that room with?”

  “No. Maybe it was Felicia Winslow. If Molly cleared out Paul’s condo, they wouldn’t have had a bed any longer. Maybe they ended up at The Bliss Hotel.”

  “Paul could’ve taken her to a swanky place. Why go there?” he posed.

  “I don’t know. Maybe Paul wanted to keep his unhealthy fondness for young girls as a secret. The Bliss Hotel would’ve provided anonymity and there wouldn’t have been any chance of running into anyone he knew of social importance.”

  “Possibly. I guess it’ll all come out in the wash. I’ll relay this information to the police to see what they want to do. Once they realize it wasn’t your husband, you may be out of the hot seat. If you are, we can settle up our account.”

  “Okay, sounds good. Thanks Liam.”

  Stepping out of the car and gazing upward to light blue skies filled with wisps of white clouds, my heart felt equally light and airy. It was a relief, not only having Greg back home alive, but also believing the police would now set their sights on the real killer. When I entered the bank, a smile was on my face and my shoulders felt like a giant anvil had been lifted. It was going to be a wonderful day.

  So, I thought.

  ◆◆◆

  With happy thoughts of Greg being home, Ava being excited to see her father, and of my worries behind me, the morning passed by in a quick blur. Jumping in the car and starting for home, I couldn’t wait to be back with my little family.

  The default ringtone on my phone alerted me to a caller not among my contacts. Glancing to see who was ringing me, I noticed it was from the Fort Worth Police Department. This time I happily answered, thinking they were going to apologize to me for suspecting me of murdering my husband.

  “This is Emily,” I answered in an upbeat tone.

  “Mrs. Mills, this is Detective Tanner Sutton with the Fort Worth Police Department. We’d like for you to come down to the police station. We have several more questions for you.”

  “Did you speak with Liam Marshall? He was going to relay that my husband is alive, and it was probably Paul Jensen that was in the motel room?”

  “Yes, he informed us. When can we expect your arrival?” Det. Sutton asked curtly. “We need for your husband to come with you.”

  “Oh, okay.” I assumed they wanted to take a formal statement from me about my husband being alive. And Greg probably needed to acknowledge Paul had taken him to the airport. It was just a routine formality. They were only tying up loose ends. “Of course. I’ve just ended my shift at the bank, and I’d like to grab some lunch first. Shall we say around two o’clock?”

  “We’ll be looking forward to seeing you.” Click.

  Det. Sutton’s tone had seemed so rude, not apologetic like I had expected. Perhaps his demeanor was always naturally curt, and his personality leaned toward being all about business. So why was there a troubling feeling growing in my tummy?

  ◆◆◆

  My mom was at my house when I pulled into the driveway. When I went inside, she ran and hugged me. “I know you said Greg was alive. I know you even confirmed it by text. But I had to see him with my own eyes.” She tossed Greg a genuine smile. My mother had always thought Greg hung the moon. “I’m just so happy,” she gushed.

  Greg smiled back at her and then kissed me hello. “We’ve decided to go down to Chuck E. Cheese for lunch,” Greg informed me. I raised a questioning brow. “Well Ava has decided,” he clarified, knowing I wasn’t keen on ruckus eateries.

  “Okay, but it has to be quick. The police want us to come in for statements at two o’clock. I suppose they want to make sure you’re alive and that Paul had your car.”

  Greg nodded. “Yeah, they’re probably just wrapping up loose ends so far as you’re concerned.” He smiled. “Good. Now we have reason to celebrate.”

  Ava bounded down the stairs. “Are we ready? Let’s go.”

  “Aren’t you forgetting something, young lady?” I challenged.

  “Uh ... oh.” She ran and gave me a hug. “Now are we ready?”

  “I believe so.”

  “I’ll follow you guys,” my mom said.

  “I’ll ride with Gigi,” Ava said. “I don’t want her to be all alone.”

  “Okay, we’ll meet you guys there,” I said.

  On the way, I gazed over at Greg. “Do you think Lucas should be there with us?”

  “They’ll probably take me into a separate interview room from you to take my statement about Paul having the car. I think it might be wise to have Lucas in the room with you.”

>   “I’ll call and see if he’s even available. It is a Saturday, you know.”

  Lucas answered his phone on the first ring, expecting my call to be about making funeral arrangements for Greg. We had discussed Kay either going with me, or alternatively staying with Ava to allow for my mother to accompany me. “Emily, just tell us what we need to do, and Kay and I are here for you,” he said in a glum voice.

  Then I told him, “Greg’s alive.”

  “What?” He was so confused. By placing Greg on speakerphone, we were both able to tell him what happened. “So, Paul Jensen, we think?”

  “Yes, the police want us to come in for statements,” Greg told him. “If you can spare the time, I’d like for you to be in with Emily.”

  Lucas, overwhelmed at hearing Greg was alive, sounded ecstatic. “Dude, you know I’ll be there, if for no other reason than to see your ugly mug. I just can’t believe it. I have to see you with my own eyes.”

  “Okay, then, we’ll see you later,” Greg said wrapping up the conversation.

  The place was just as I expected ... crowded with kids running amuck, game noises, lights, sirens, whistles, loud birthday wishes and the buzz of conversation, all going on at once. While we waited on our pizza, we took Ava around to play the various games. She had us all rolling skeeball, even my mother. She was having so much fun. My eyes held to her smiling face as she flipped a ball into the center circle, putting her ahead of Greg’s score. “I’m going to win,” she bragged to Greg.

  “No way,” he challenged. “An eight-year-old is not getting the better of me.”

  I laughed inwardly, watching my husband as his age reverted to the same as my daughter’s.

  My mother, on the other hand, looked like it was killing her back to bend over to reach the balls. “Lordy, I’m not as young as I used to be,” she complained.