Page 45 of Jane's Story
“Glad you like it. This is my girlfriend, Jane.” Charles peeled Georgiana’s arms from around his neck and gestured toward me. “Jane, this is high-fae princess Georgiana Valemont.”
Georgiana giggled. “Don’t call me that. I’m so happy to meet you. I didn’t know Charles had found a girlfriend. Jane, your dress is divine. Wow, if I had an older sister, it would be you. Charles, don’t you think we look alike?”
Charles took a step back and looked between the two of us. “Now that you mention it, wow. You certainly could be sisters.”
Though I wanted to dislike Georgiana—fae royalty, sweet, incredibly rich, young, beautiful, and her brother wanted her to marry Charles—I liked her. Her genuine smile, easy compliments, and warmth pulled me in.
I took a second look at her. She was petite for Darcy’s height and fair while he was dark, but their bright green eyes and dark lashes matched. “Thank you. Your dress is lovely as well. It’s so good to meet you.”
She bounced on her toes, smiled broadly, and pulled me into an unexpected hug. “Oh, we’re going to be great friends.”
I dragged my lips into a quick smile. “Of course.”
But reality stung. This entire trip had been an accident. Charles was just a kind friend, and I wanted to go home. Georgiana would be a perfect match for Charles.
Now we could leave and spend the rest of the time safely at Aunt Penny’s apartment.
I waited with Charles as he said goodbye to the last of the investors. A few people remained in the room when a housekeeper turned on the overhead lights. Lance was nowhere to be seen. Catalina stood near the exit, talking and flirting with Darcy. A cleaning crew pushed a cart into the room.
I wanted to take Charles’s arm and pull him from the room, from the entire hotel. But something made me pause. It was too calm, too easy. I scanned the room once more and focused on the stage and podium. A foot peeked out from under the drapery.
“Look.” I pulled on Charles’s arm, then pointed. “Someone’s under the curtain.”
Charles and I dashed to the podium and looked around the corner. I stifled a scream. Apparently, Kyle wasn’t the killer. His dead body lay sprawled across the floor with foam on his lips.
Chapter 17
CharlesandIsatat one of the circular tables, waiting to talk to the police. My arms shivered, and he draped his tuxedo jacket over my shoulders.
“I’m so sorry, Jane. This was the last thing I expected to happen tonight.”
“It’s not your fault,” I said. “But it is scary, isn’t it?”
The same detective from the previous day, Megan Laurence, approached us. “Well, I didn’t expect to interview both of you about another murder within the week.” Detective Laurence had a sideways grin. I stared at her blankly. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound callous. Were you friends with the victim?” she asked.
I shook my head, but Charles answered aloud. I sensed his despair. “We were coworkers, friendly. We knew each other fairly well.”
“I’m sorry for your loss,” Officer Laurence said. “What can you tell me about Kyle? Did either of you see or hear anything?”
Neither of us had. Everything had gone very smoothly. But it hadn’t escaped my attention that we found Kyle near the front of the room. The same area where Lance and Darcy had spent much of their evening. Chills ran down my spine.
“Has anyone questioned Lance Patel?” I asked. “I don’t know if he had anything to do with this, but I wondered.”
Detective Laurence muttered something and gave me an inquisitive look. “Sounds like you know something you’re not telling me.”
“I don’tknowanything,” I answered. “But I pick up on things sometimes and have gut instincts.”
“We’re looking into everyone at Haven Corporation, all the way up to Darcy Valemont.” Megan Laurence glanced at Charles. “We need everyone to check with us before leaving the hotel.”
I stopped myself from overreacting. Charles and Darcy were innocent. “Of course.”
As Officer Laurence walked away, I turned to Charles. “Hey, come stay with me at my aunt’s house again. It’snot safe here. We should do some research. I took a lot of photos tonight.”
“Thank you.” Charles rubbed his chin and narrowed his eyes at Officer Laurence. “I wish she’d tell us what she’s thinking. If someone else gets hurt… I’m going to send out a reminder message to all employees. They’re free to leave the convention early if they choose to. No one has to stay. I can’t believe Kyle is gone.”
“We’ll keep looking.” I patted his arm. “Let’s go for now, though.”
Chapter 18
