Page 22 of Jane's Story
“Yes.” Charles focused back on Catalina. “When you were up there, did you see anything suspicious?”
She thought for a moment. “Armond and Lance stopped by. Both were all right when I left. Well, I suppose Lance was a little stressed. Armond, I think, had forgotten something important.”
“Do you have any idea what?” I asked, trying to keep the tension from my voice.
Catalina brushed a piece of lint from her sleeve. “I don’t know.”
“Are you sure? Someone mentioned Lance and Armond had fought about something. Do you know anything about that?” I crossed my arms.
“I don’t.” She shrugged as she stood and checked her phone. “This is an urgent text about a seating arrangement. Maybe we can finish this later.”
She left the room without closing the door behind her.
“Well.” I stood and narrowed my eyes at the open door. “She didn’t want to help.”
Charles stood as well. “Not sure that gave us any useful information. But I’ve got to make sure we still have rooms reserved for Darcyand Georgiana.”
“So Darcy’s still single, right?” I followed him toward the lobby, which we’d be in after descending the grand staircase. Hopefully, I didn’t sound overly curious. But I’d seen Lizzy and Darcy together, and whether or not she was ready to admit it, I’d never seen two people who belonged together more. They were like two sides of the same beautiful, albeit stubborn, coin. I was sure Darcy wasn’t as bad as the rumors surrounding Wickham suggested.
“He is. Are you one of his admirers?” Charles asked as we approached the concierge counter, and I sensed a touch of alarm. Then his cheeks flushed. “I mean, it’s okay if you are…”
“No. I wondered if he and Lizzy had spoken recently.” I may not have found my happily-ever-after yet, but the idea of Lizzy finally meeting her match in love gave me hope.
“Lizzy and Darcy… they seemed good together, didn’t they? Though he’s… well, you’d never suspect, but he’s a bit of an introvert. I think he’s had to be careful because of his status.” Charles seemed to struggle to talk about something so personal.
His sudden embarrassment was contagious, and I wished I hadn’t brought it up at all. I changed the subject. “Oh, look. There’s the concierge from this morning. His name is David. I met him earlier today.”
Charles released a slow breath. “Yes, he’s been very helpful.”
David joined us at the counter, blessedly ending whatever awkwardness had just ensued. “Awful news today.”
“Word travels fast.” I blinked. If David knew, I suspected the rest of the staff did as well. Maybe Aunt Penny was having better luck finding clues than we were.
“The manager keeps us informed, but discretion is also a skill we’ve mastered. The public is none the wiser,” David responded, lowering his voice as more guests approached the counter.
“Thank you,” Charles said.
“Is there anything I can do for you?” David placed his hand over his heart. “I mean it, anything at all.”
“I have a few guests coming tomorrow. I’d gotten everything in place, but with us moving rooms, I need to be sure.” Charles had tiny beads of sweat forming on his brow. “There’s a chance he’ll just go back to his own penthouse, but we always have a suite reservedjust in case.”
David frowned. “The police have blocked off the executive suite.”
“I can give them ours,” I offered without skipping a beat.
“Yes, I don’t know if I have another room for you, though.” David tapped his computer screen.
“My aunt has room at her…” I started. Of course, Charles wouldn’t want to stay at my aunt’s little apartment. Why would I suggest that?
“Wait. We have a luxury room on the eighth floor. It’s not as nice as your suite,” David cut in before Charles responded.
“Yes, hold that for now—just in case. It’s better than nothing,” Charles trailed off. “One more thing. Earlier today, your manager brought you up to my original suite. Do you remember why?”
David stiffened, shuddering. “The room whereithappened? For some of our more prominent guests, the manager likes to make sure the accommodations are up to their standards. So we stopped by to check. Of course, we had no idea someone would die.”
“But did anything seem strange or unusual?” I asked.
David hesitated before speaking. “Well, I noticed the balcony doors were open, which seemed odd for such a cold winter day.”
