Page 51 of Little Shattered Dreams

CHAPTER26

Per my request, Grace gathered everyone together, employees and guests alike. I entered the great hall and looked around. The tone was somber, all those in attendance eyeing me like they’d rather be anywhere else.

Tough crowd.

The workers had gathered in a group huddle, like bees swarming around their hive, whispering to each other. I couldn’t make out much of what they were saying, but as I walked by, I heard Quinn’s name.

Simone took a seat at the back of the room, and I walked to the front. I asked her to keep an eye on everyone as I spoke. I wanted her to assess everyone’s body language to see if anyone was acting “off” in any way.

Grace joined me at the front and addressed all those who’d gathered. “Thank you for coming. You’ve all been informed about the unfortunate death of one of our guests. The police department has asked us to let you know Quinn Abernathy’s death is under investigation. They’re working hard to find out what happened and why. Standing next to me today is Georgiana, one of our guests, who also happens to be a private investigator. She’s working with the police on this case. I’ve asked you here in the hopes that you’ll cooperate with the investigation in every way possible. And on that note, I’ll turn it over to Georgiana to say a few words.”

Grace took a seat, and I began by saying, “I want to reiterate what Grace just said and thank you all for being here today. I own the Case Closed Detective Agency in Cambria. I work alongside Lilia Hunter, who couldn’t be with us today, and Simone Bonet, who is seated at the back.”

Heads turned, and Simone waved a quick hello.

“As you know, late Tuesday night Quinn Abernathy was found dead in her residence. We thought it best to keep the details under wraps until we had more details, but as of this moment, there’s reason to believe her death was a homicide. I know this may worry some of you, but I want you to know that Simone and I are remaining here to keep an eye on things. San Luis Obispo's Chief of Police, Rex Foley, has also assigned two officers to join us, and they’ll be here for the remainder of the week, if not longer.”

I paused a moment to gauge their reaction, and a hand went up.

Kelly, one of the spa attendants, said, “Are yousureit’s a homicide, or are you just guessing?”

When I worked a case like this one, it wasn’t often that I gave away a lot of details. This case was different in that I believed the killer was among us now, right here in this room.

“I believe it’s a homicide, yes.”

“Why?”

“I’ll be meeting with each of you later on, and we can talk more about that as well as address any concerns you may have.”

“We’re all here. Why can’t we talk about it now?”

“Chief Foley will be arriving soon,” I said. “He’d like me to hold off on answering too many questions until he has the chance to speak to you himself. You may be feeling frustrated and distressed, and that’s understandable. While this isn’t the week you all thought you’d be having, we would ask that everyone remain at the resort and cooperate with this investigation.”

Kelly crossed her arms and slouched in her chair. “And if we don’t want to be poked and prodded with questions? We didn’t even know Quinn. Why should we care enough to get involved?”

“Quinn was a human being, just like you, with family and friends. It’s up to all of us to help her get the justice she deserves.”

“Are you questioning us because you want justice, or are you questioning us because y’all believe one of us is responsible for her death? You think one ofusdid it, right?”

It wasn’t the way I saw the meeting going, and Kelly was wearing on what little patience I had.

“All we want to do is to ask a few questions,” I said. “It’s standard procedure, nothing to worry about.”

“You wanna ask questions, and then what? Y’all decide who to pin the crime on?”

Kelly was coming from the place of a woman who’d been through the criminal justice system before. She’d riled everyone up, and I stood there, trying to figure out how to deescalate the situation. Karl, who’d been leaning against the wall next to Simone, walked to the front of the room and stood beside me.

He glanced at me and said, “May I?”

I nodded and stepped aside.

“Good morning, everyone. I understand you’re all a little rattled by what’s happening here, and that’s normal,” he said. “I spent some quality time with Quinn before she died. She was a woman who struggled a great deal in her life. She came here to heal, to let go of her past, and to find new beginning for herself. I believe every person in this room knows what that feels like. We’ve all been there at times in our lives. Just when she thought she was in the right place at the right time, making a real effort to change, her life was taken from her. And now, it’s up to us to help give her the peace in death that she was never able to achieve for herself in life. We all want that for her, don’t we?”

Most everyone in the room nodded.

A few did not, including Kelly, who remained resolute on sabotaging any strides we were trying to make.

“When you sayall,” Kelly said, “there are several guests missing, if I’m not mistaken.”

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