Page 87 of Nightshade

“She paid with a credit card?”

“That would be required, yes.”

“When was the last time she was here?”

“I would have to look that up.”

“Can you do that for me? The name is Leigh-Anne Moss.”

“Do I need to have a search warrant for that?”

“Not if you volunteer the information. I’m sure you want to help your local law enforcement, Gilbert.”

“I just don’t want to get in any trouble.”

“If you can’t do it for me, I’ll need to see your boss. I don’t know if that will cause you trouble or not.”

Gilbert took one step to his left and started typing on a computer keyboard.

“That’s L-e-i-g-h, dash, then Anne with ane,” Stilwell said. “M-o-s-s.”

“Got it,” Gilbert said.

Stilwell couldn’t see the computer screen. Gilbert studied it for a moment before speaking.

“The last time she was here was May ninth and tenth,” he finally said. “Before that, it was May second and third.”

“Anything before that?” Stilwell asked.

“Yes, two other times—both weekends in April. Do you want the dates?”

“Yes, please.”

Gilbert gave the details of two more stays, one for three nights and one for four. Stilwell calculated that Moss’s stays at theAda coincided with when she stopped living at Leslie Sneed’s apartment.

“Is there anything else you need?” Gilbert asked.

“What kind of room did she reserve?” Stilwell asked.

“She took the grand suite each time. It has the balcony with a wonderful harbor view.”

“I bet it does. What credit card did she use to pay for the room?”

Gilbert checked his screen.

“A Visa.”

“I’m going to need that number, Gilbert.”

Gilbert read the number off the computer screen without question or protest. Stilwell asked him to write it down. He did so on a small pad with the hotel’s name embossed on it.

“What was the name of the cardholder?” Stilwell asked.

“It was her name,” Gilbert said. “She would have been required to show ID.”

“Of course. Is the grand suite occupied right now?”

More typing followed the question.

---