Page 9 of Dirty Liars

“Was anything out of place?” I asked.

“No,” she said, moving into the bathroom. She tossed damp towels out onto the floor, and then I heard the shower go on. “I did regular turndown service. I made sure the minibar was stocked, turned on enhancement lights, put on some mood music, and made sure the robes and slippers were in the closets.”

“Did you notice anyone hanging around while you were inside?” Jack asked.

Her head popped out the door. “No, but I’ll tell you I hate doing the turndown service to some of those villas at night. Not that there’s any reason not to feel safe here at The Mad King, but there’s just nothing out there. All you have is your imagination and the sound of trees and rushing water. It like to have scared me to death when Aidan came in to set up the back deck for a romantic scene.”

“Aidan Chisholm?” Jack asked, checking his notes from the names Margaret had given us. “From food service?”

“Yes, that’s right,” she said, getting her mop from the cart. “Sweet kid. He’s working his way through school. He’s doesn’t work on Saturdays because he’s on the rowing team at Roanoke College. He usually works Sundays though if you need to talk to him.”

“I appreciate the information,” Jack said. “What time did you finish with turndown service?”

“Around nine I would guess,” she said. “That’s one of the larger villas so it takes a little longer.”

“What about Aidan? Was he still there when you left?”

“He was,” she said. “But don’t think he had anything to do with this. He’s a good kid.”

“We don’t think that,” Jack assured her. “I just need to put a timeline together. How’d he arrive?”

“We each had a staff golf cart,” she said, setting out fresh towels. “That’s the only way to get all the way out there. I waved goodbye to him on my way out, but he was just about finished setting everything out as far as I could see. He probably didn’t leave too long after me.”

“You’ve been a big help,” Jack said. “Thanks again.”

“I hope you find whoever did this,” she said. “We’re a family here at The Mad King, and the thought that this could happen right under our noses has shaken everyone. We’ve had a few early checkouts, this room included. Mr. Harris is offering refunds to any of the guests who chose to leave.”

“From what I can see this is a safe and well-run property,” Jack said. “Sometimes there’s nothing we can do about evil.”

She nodded sagely. “That’s the scary part.”

We left her to her cleaning and then headed back down to the lobby. I saw Oliver Harris greeting new arrivals and gesturing them toward the check-in desk. Jack caught his attention, and we waited near the front doors until he was free.

“I know you’re headed to get some sleep,” Jack said. “But I had one more question after talking to Dorinda.”

“Doesn’t look like I’m going to get to sleep after all,” he said, with a tired smile. “So ask away.”

“Did you notice the mood music playing when you let the Vasilioses into their room?”

His brow furrowed, and he opened his mouth to answer and then closed it again. “Actually, now that you mention it, there was no music playing. Turning on the mood music is standard procedure when we do turndown service.”

“Thanks again for your time,” Jack said.

“Y’all come back and stay for a weekend when you’ve got some free time,” he said. “I’m happy to comp a couple of nights for you.”

“I told you I liked him,” I whispered as we left the resort.

* * *

“We need to find out more about our bride and groom,” Jack said once we were back in the car and headed toward Bloody Mary. “There has to be a pretty good reason to hunt down a couple on their honeymoon in a well-secured resort and gun them down.”

“Between the guest and staff list, the golf cart logs, and the security footage we’ve got a lot of information to sift through,” I said.

“I’m sure Doug can help us narrow things down with the security cameras and the golf carts,” Jack said. “He’s got to earn his keep somehow.”

“You know Doug will enjoy the technology. It’s pretty fancy that all the EV golf carts have a tracking system. We can see if anyone was in close proximity to the honeymoon villa. Maybe we’ll get lucky.”

“Because things always turn out that easy,” Jack said, rolling his eyes. “I’ll bet you a hundred bucks we’re not dealing with a simple double homicide.”

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