Page 19 of Shifted

It had never occurred to him that he was asking for trouble by poking around. With sudden clarity, he realized just how much of a fool he’d been.

Now, not only did he have to find Moore’s killer, but he had to do it without being killed himself.

CHAPTER TEN

What should’ve been a five-hour drive for Greer had turned into an epic slog. One of the major tunnels was closed, and she’d had to sit for several hours in traffic. She had always admired the tunnels in Europe. They were huge. Tall, wide, and clean. The ones in the US were much shorter and darker. These were always well-lit and graffiti free but there were so many of them because of the mountains and when they were closed it was a nightmare. When she pulled into the hotel parking lot, she was frazzled, starving, and just generally pissed off.

After getting her stuff out of the car, she walked to the reception area. “Checking in,” she mumbled.

“Good evening. Do you have a reservation?”

Greer gave the young woman behind the desk her details and spent the next few minutes getting everything sorted.

“Do you need help with your bags?” the woman asked.

She shook her head. “No, I’ve got it. Can you tell me if there’s still space for dinner?”

“Yes, of course. It’s just across the hall. You can go in and sit. Someone will help you. The restaurant opens at seven-thirty.”

She nodded her thanks, grabbed her key, and trudged through the building. She crossed a courtyard into the second stone building that looked like a refurbished barn. The antique structure only had two floors. A spa occupied a corner on the ground floor, down from the elevator, and a set of stairs going up to the second floor adjacent to the spa. The stairs were open with only a low wall. She pulled her roller bag, with her backpack on top, behind her into the elevator. After getting off on the second floor, she walked down the hallway to her room. Number twelve.

She sighed as she unlocked the door and went in. The room was a suite with wooden floors and a large living space. A set of stairs led to the sleeping loft and full bathroom. On the main level, two large sliding glass doors took up most of the end wall. The balcony overlooked a cherry tree with the Alps rising in the distance. She spied what she thought was a private horse barn with a fenced-in paddock at the back end of the parking lot.

The view was stunning. Or it would be if she wasn’t too tired and hungry to take in the majesty of the countryside. Turning away from the sliding doors, she decided she needed food and a game plan, in that order. Losing time on the road had cost her. She’d been trying to think of the best way to deal with Dalton the whole way here, but despite the extra time, she still had no ideas.

Evening thinking Dalton’s name sent excitement through her veins. And fear. The butterflies in her belly were partly because she couldn’t be sure how he would react when he saw her. Likely, he was going to be pissed. There was no doubt, but maybe he’d get over it quickly. After all, wasn’t she bringing good news? His insurance policy might pay out, and he would get a large lump sum of cash. That had to make him somewhat happy, didn’t it? Might pay out. There were no guarantees. It would depend on what happened but she couldn’t imagine there was any fault besides driver error on this one. Still, she had to keep an open mind.

Dalton may not be happy anyway. He did lose a driver. Maybe he’d be so pissed off he wouldn’t want to see her. Her breath caught at that thought, and a small sigh escaped her lips. She wasn’t going to dwell on that. It was tomorrow’s problem.

She unpacked her stuff and took a quick shower without washing her hair. The hot, stinging spray helped unwind her muscles and made her feel marginally more human. All the effort she’d gone to that morning was for naught. So, she pulled on a fresh pair of jeans and a pale blue sweater. She re-arranged her messy bun and tucked a few stray hairs behind her ears. She touched up her makeup and then grabbed her key before heading out of the room.

“I have no idea how long it will take,” a woman said into her cell phone. She was standing down the hallway at the top of the stairs. She, too, had blond hair, but hers was pulled into a tight bun. She was wearing a designer tan cashmere coat over a black skirt and black turtleneck. Her tall boots were also black. The woman looked like she was ready for fashion week in Paris.

“I will be out of here the moment I’m allowed. I can’t wait to get back to you, baby. I miss you so much.” she crooned.

Gag. Greer walked toward her, trying to keep her face blank. Did people really talk like that to each other? So not her thing. The woman finally spotted her and stopped talking. Greer was almost at the top of the stairs when she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. A man dressed in a hoodie and baseball cap sprang from around the corner and shoved the woman at the top of the stairs. The woman screamed, stumbled, dropped her phone, and started to fall. Greer lunged at her, grabbed the back of her coat, and yanked her back as she reached out for the railing. The man flew past them down the stairs.

“It’s okay,” Greer said, “I’ve got you.” She guided the woman to the railing where the woman grabbed on with both hands.

“Oh, my God. He tried to kill me!” she exclaimed.

Greer held onto the railing with one hand and sat down on the top step. Her knees were wobbly. If the woman had fallen down the stairs, she would’ve been seriously injured or maybe even died. “Are you sure it was on purpose?”

The woman jerked her head to look at Greer. Her eyes were wild, and she clung to the railing so hard her knuckles were white. Greer didn’t blame her one bit.

“Sit for a moment,” she suggested.

The woman sat sideways on the third stair down. “I… Thank you. You saved me from a nasty fall.” She shuddered. “Did you see who did it? Who pushed me?” she demanded.

“Not clearly. Just some guy in a gray hoodie with a black ball cap. I didn’t see his face.” She had seen his sneakers, though. They were orange, and she could’ve sworn they had a 7-11 logo on them. Weird. “Are you okay? Do you want me to call the police? Do you need medical attention?”

The woman just sat there, staring out into space. Her face held no expression. “No, no. I’m fine.” She stood. “No need to call anyone.”

“But if you think he pushed you on purpose, you should report it.”

She put a hand to her face. The woman appeared to be about Greer’s age, maybe slightly older. “No. It was just me being silly. Probably some kid in a hurry, and I got in his way.” She tried to laugh it off, but hysteria edged the chuckle, making it brittle. She held onto the railing with a death grip as she turned and then walked back up the stairs around Greer. “I think I’ll eat in my room. Thank you again for saving me.” With that, she lurched down the hall and around the corner.

Greer watched her go. The whole encounter was odd. She was inclined to believe, as the woman first had, that whoever it was had hit her on purpose. She thought it was a man based on build, but she couldn’t be sure. She couldn’t be sure about anything really. And it was none of her business.

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