Page 30 of Jane's Story
“Oh, Jane. We should call the police.”
“I don’t know who or what we’re up against, though. If whoever left this note finds out I contacted the police, it puts us in danger.” I rubbed my temples and flopped down on the sofa. Of course, not contacting the police could also be a mistake. “I’m going to text Charles.”
Hey Charles, I have a big problem. Can you meet me in the lobby?
I stood to leave, but before we made it out the door, Charles came rushing down the spiral staircase from the suite’s second level. He stopped about halfway down. “Jane? Your text soundedurgent, so I…”
“You were here the whole time?” I asked.
“I was trying to do a bit of research on different employees—hoping for clues. This day’s been something else.” He continued down the stairs. “What’s going on? How was the spa?”
“It was lovely… until we got locked in the sauna.”
“You what?” Charles’s jaw tightened and his complexion paled. “How?”
“Someone jammed the door closed.” I bit my bottom lip. “Take a look at this.” I held out the note for Charles to read.
He took the note and read it over. “Where did you get this?”
“We found it on the sideboard.”
“Here in the suite? I haven’t shared the key cards with anyone.” He shuddered. “If someone is getting in and out of here, we’re not safe in the suite.”
“No, I don’t think we are.” I shook my head, and my knees weakened, so I braced myself against a doorframe.
“You two should come stay with me and Terrance for a bit. I don’t trust this hotel.” Aunt Penny wrung her hands together.
Charles paced back and forth. “We need to think about this.”
“If we leave, it might draw more attention. Isn’t there supposed to be a company dinner soon?” I asked.
Charles nodded. “I agree. If you’re okay with it, we’ll go to dinner together and act like nothing has happened. Then we can observe to see who acts strangely. But I think staying somewhere else for the night is a smart idea.”
“Aunt Penny, why don’t you head back to your apartment now? If you don’t mind, can you take a small suitcase for Charles and I? That way we can sneak out after dinner without making a scene.” My fae ability often picked up on subtle or subconscious cues. So I learned to trust my gut, and this seemed to be the right course of action.
“I’ll meet you back at my place. But Jane, though I’m not as nervous about things as your mother is, I’m going to need you to text me every so often. Leaving you two on your own in a hotel with a potential murderer doesn’t sit well with me.” She shook her head as she packed her things back up into her weekend bag. “Don’t go anywhere alone and hurry back over right after dinner.”
“We’ll be careful.”
“I’ll keep Jane safe,” said Charles as I hugged my aunt.
Haven Corp reserved a banquet hall for the evening. Close to a hundred people filled the room. The hotel catered an Indian-style buffet which filled the room with the tempting scents of chicken tikka masala, vindaloo, and buttery garlic naan. We found seats near the same people we’d had lunch with. Though we weren’t greeted the same way as before.
Kyle, Owen, Catalina, Lance, Ashley and a few others whose names I didn’t know sat together, picking at plates of food.
Owen and Catalina were talking, but when we sat down, he looked up at us. “Oh, hi. How are you holding up?”
“Not too well.” Charles frowned.
“Fair enough.” Owen slowly nodded.
“I’m under a lot of pressure right now,” Catalina sighed. “I’m hoping to salvage this event. But every time I turn around, someone else is talking about the incident.”
“I know it’s only been, what? Maybe six hours? But I hope the police notified Armond’s family,” I said more loudly than I should have, watching for reactions from the group. Ashley nodded as she twisted her fingers through her long necklace chain. Owen shrugged. Catalina and Lance both looked neutral but uttered sympathetic agreements. Kyle’s face glazed over like he hadn’t heard a word I’d said.
Against my better judgment, I used my phone to discreetly shoot photos of everyone as they reacted. Though everyone seemed normal considering the circumstances, looking over the images later may prove useful.
If I were going to risk my life and possibly Charles’s, I might as well try to solve this mystery. Two people had already lost their lives, and we didn’t even know why. “Do any of you wonder if Armond was mixed up in something? Maybe he and Margery Blake knew each other? I mean, I know they say an ex-boyfriend is a suspect in her death, but how likely is that if she just recently moved across the country?”
