Page 27 of Jane's Story
We crossed the lobby, and Charles pushed the elevator buttons for us. “Perfect—it would ease my conscience a bit if you both enjoyed some of your time here. Just charge everything to the room.”
Of course, Aunt Penny happily joined me at the Great LakesRadiance Spa. Tranquil music filled the essential oil-scented air. A well-groomed gentleman in a white tunic with tan pants greeted us at the counter. “Good evening ladies, what can we tempt you with today? Massage, mud bath?”
“Oh, I was thinking of a pedicure,” I answered and looked at my Aunt Penny.
“And I’d like a facial.” She smiled and shrugged at me. “Hey, it’s free.”
Apparently, spending Charles’s money thrilled her.
“I suppose you’re right. Thank you again for coming to help.” I wrapped my arm around my aunt and gave her a squeeze.
We wore fluffy white robes and reclined in leather easy chairs, silently agreeing not to talk about the case until the facial technician finished her magic.
For our pedicures, I chose some delicate silvery-pink polish, and Aunt Penny chose a wild mix of purple and yellow stripes and gold glitter. It fit her personality beautifully.
“So,” I whispered to her as we waited for our toenails to dry. “Did you learn anything interesting while you were, um… out and about?”
“Oh, Jane,” she raised an eyebrow at me. “Do you know me at all? Of course I did!”
“Well?”
“Well, it was hard to get close to the staff at first. I mean, you really need to work at a place to get the inside scoop. So I said to myself, why not? And I marched up to the concierge desk and asked for an application.” A smug smile formed on her lips.
“You didn’t?” Igaped.
“Of course I did. So they asked me about my work experience and all this—well, I figured I could tell them anything I wanted since I wasn’t actually applying for the job.”
“Oh, Aunt Penny!”
“I mean, I wore my disguise. So I told them I was new to the city, and I’d come from a cute little town where I’d owned a bed-and-breakfast for years… told them my name was Penelope Pleasant. They loved me.” She flicked her wrist as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “So the concierge—a lady named Belinda, said I had to meet the manager. Of course, you’d already pointed him out to me before I had my disguise, so I worried he’d recognize me. So to be safe, I used my Southern accent—I’m quite good at it, you know.”
“Are you?” I shook my head, not sure I wanted to know where she was going with this story.
In a perfect Southern drawl, she continued, “Well, the manager wanted to see me right away since I was obviously so qualified, and they’re looking for an assistant manager right now. I should have brought a resume.”
“But you’re not really quali… never mind. So how did the interview go?”
“Well, I got the job.” She smiled like a peacock.
“Penelope Pleasant got the job,” I chided.
“She nailed it.” Aunt Penny chuckled to herself. “So I told the manager the only way I’d accept the job was if he assured me everyone working here was trustworthy.”
I saw where the story was going, and clapped my hands over my face, shaking my head. “You spoke to a lot of people, didn’t you?”
She resumed her Southern accent. “Well, yes, sweetheart. You know I did. I patted the manager’s arm and said, ‘Why don’t you let me try my hand at the desk and you can judge for yourself’.”
“And just like that, you were an employee for the afternoon?” I shook my head.
“Just like that.” She overdramatically batted her eyelids and fluffed her hair. “Of course, it’s a good thing I took some acting classes in college. I smiled sweetly at the hotel guests and agreed to whatever they wanted. The manager said I was doing superbly, so he let me continue. Then I chatted with everyone at the desk and listened to their conversations. Did you know there’s another entrance into the suite? You know how they havethose connecting double doors on the main floor. Well, there should be another set upstairs.”
“I didn’t think of that as a possibility. But if that’s the case, whoever got in would have to be a hotel employee, right?” I furrowed my brow.
“You’d think so, but it turns out someone from Haven Corp had booked the adjoining suite under Armond’s name. It’s the suite on the opposite side from yours. In fact, whoever booked it may have done so to access the Charles’s suite with no one knowing.” Aunt Penny folded her arms across her chest and smiled smugly.
“Wow, I’m impressed, Aunt Penny. That creates a problem for me, though. Because if Armond and Lance were arguing about the extra room charge, then it might rule out Lance as a suspect.” I drummed my fingertips on my chair’s armrest.
“I don’t follow.” Aunt Penny shook her head.
