way I would hope a security guard’s never would be. “And then Linda called. You know, from the laundry room, and I went down there and all, and I’m going to have to call somebody, only Zack, my boss, he’s gone for the day and all, and—”
By this time, Ralph had already punched the button to call the service elevator at the end of a corridor off the lobby. The doors whooshed open, and he dragged me inside. “You’re not going to believe it,” he said. “I don’t believe it. And I’ve seen it. And I’ve got to call somebody. Fast. Only I can’t think straight; you know what I mean? Because these kinds of things aren’t supposed to happen. Not at a nice hotel like this.”
The elevator bumped to a stop, the doors opened, and Ralph, who was still hanging on to me like a limpet on a rock, pulled me down a hallway with green-tiled floors and bare walls. Down here at basement level, there were nowindows, and the overhead fluorescents buzzed and flickered. The air was heavy with steam and the scent of bleach.
Ralph veered to the left and into a room lined with metal shelves that were stacked with freshly laundered towels.
“Over there.” One hand to the small of my back, he pushed me forward. “You’re not going to believe it.”
He was right. I didn’t believe it. But then, I was having a little trouble believing my own eyes and the fact that Thad Wyant was slumped against the far wall of the linen room in a pool of blood. There was a gorgeous hand-carved cherry-handled awl plunged into his neck.
Chapter Five
R ALPH THE SECURITY GUARD DID NOTHING TO MAKE ME feel secure. Or guarded, for that matter. In fact, Ralph was so upset at finding Thad’s body, he crumpled up in a corner and whimpered, and I was the one who called 911. I was also the first person Nevin Riley saw when he walked into the basement hallway, where Ralph (still trembling and crying) and I were waiting.
“Hey.” OK, it doesn’t sound like much, but for Nev, this is the equivalent of Hello , how are you? and Boy, you’re looking fine all rolled into one. To say he’s not much of a talker is something of an understatement. “You find the body?”
I hadn’t, and I told Nev as much and pointed him toward Ralph, then got out of the way so he could calm Ralph down and so the crime-scene techs who streamed in behind Nev could get into the linen storage room.
That gave me a chance to pull out my cell, dial Helen’snumber, and whisper a silent prayer that the banquet wasn’t so loud that she couldn’t hear her phone ring.
“Josie?” I could tell she’d seen my name pop up on caller ID, and I imagined her giving the phone a quizzical look. “Where are you, honey? And what’s going on? You were here, and now you’re not, and they’re already serving the entrée. And I hate to tell you this, honey, but Thad Wyant isn’t here, either.”
“I’ll explain later about why I’m not there.” Yes, that was my voice, rushed and breathless. But then, I wasn’t exactly at my best. Sure, I’d once found the body of a famous actress at the Button Box, but truth be told, not even previous experience can prepare a person for this sort of thing. Nothing would ever make me immune to the blood, or the horrible thought that a life had been so violently cut short. I gulped, and rather than watch the techs examining Thad’s body, I stepped down the hallway and into the cavernous room opposite, where row after row of industrial-size washers and dryers stood silent, waiting for the next morning’s delivery of sheets and towels, and a couple of uniformed officers were checking above, below, and inside everything in sight to make sure no one was hiding there. “I need you to do me a favor, Helen.”
“Of course, dear. Anything. What’s that?” This question obviously wasn’t meant for me because Helen’s voice was suddenly muffled, as if she’d turned in a different direction. “It’s Josie,” I heard her say, and I wondered who
By this time, Ralph had already punched the button to call the service elevator at the end of a corridor off the lobby. The doors whooshed open, and he dragged me inside. “You’re not going to believe it,” he said. “I don’t believe it. And I’ve seen it. And I’ve got to call somebody. Fast. Only I can’t think straight; you know what I mean? Because these kinds of things aren’t supposed to happen. Not at a nice hotel like this.”
The elevator bumped to a stop, the doors opened, and Ralph, who was still hanging on to me like a limpet on a rock, pulled me down a hallway with green-tiled floors and bare walls. Down here at basement level, there were nowindows, and the overhead fluorescents buzzed and flickered. The air was heavy with steam and the scent of bleach.
Ralph veered to the left and into a room lined with metal shelves that were stacked with freshly laundered towels.
“Over there.” One hand to the small of my back, he pushed me forward. “You’re not going to believe it.”
He was right. I didn’t believe it. But then, I was having a little trouble believing my own eyes and the fact that Thad Wyant was slumped against the far wall of the linen room in a pool of blood. There was a gorgeous hand-carved cherry-handled awl plunged into his neck.
Chapter Five
R ALPH THE SECURITY GUARD DID NOTHING TO MAKE ME feel secure. Or guarded, for that matter. In fact, Ralph was so upset at finding Thad’s body, he crumpled up in a corner and whimpered, and I was the one who called 911. I was also the first person Nevin Riley saw when he walked into the basement hallway, where Ralph (still trembling and crying) and I were waiting.
“Hey.” OK, it doesn’t sound like much, but for Nev, this is the equivalent of Hello , how are you? and Boy, you’re looking fine all rolled into one. To say he’s not much of a talker is something of an understatement. “You find the body?”
I hadn’t, and I told Nev as much and pointed him toward Ralph, then got out of the way so he could calm Ralph down and so the crime-scene techs who streamed in behind Nev could get into the linen storage room.
That gave me a chance to pull out my cell, dial Helen’snumber, and whisper a silent prayer that the banquet wasn’t so loud that she couldn’t hear her phone ring.
“Josie?” I could tell she’d seen my name pop up on caller ID, and I imagined her giving the phone a quizzical look. “Where are you, honey? And what’s going on? You were here, and now you’re not, and they’re already serving the entrée. And I hate to tell you this, honey, but Thad Wyant isn’t here, either.”
“I’ll explain later about why I’m not there.” Yes, that was my voice, rushed and breathless. But then, I wasn’t exactly at my best. Sure, I’d once found the body of a famous actress at the Button Box, but truth be told, not even previous experience can prepare a person for this sort of thing. Nothing would ever make me immune to the blood, or the horrible thought that a life had been so violently cut short. I gulped, and rather than watch the techs examining Thad’s body, I stepped down the hallway and into the cavernous room opposite, where row after row of industrial-size washers and dryers stood silent, waiting for the next morning’s delivery of sheets and towels, and a couple of uniformed officers were checking above, below, and inside everything in sight to make sure no one was hiding there. “I need you to do me a favor, Helen.”
“Of course, dear. Anything. What’s that?” This question obviously wasn’t meant for me because Helen’s voice was suddenly muffled, as if she’d turned in a different direction. “It’s Josie,” I heard her say, and I wondered who
Similar Books
