Murder in March Read online

  "Did anyone see you?"

  "Probably. Let's see. There were some diners on their way to the restaurant we had lunch in, but I don't know if they would remember me. I spoke to the bartender when I got back and anyone who came through the lobby could have noticed me but I suppose that's moot because you're my alibi for that part."

  I nodded. "Yes, I am."

  "I did happen to notice the reception desk has a very discreet camera aimed at the lobby so that probably helps too. I probably should have told you I mentioned that to Detective Logan last night when I got back."

  I relaxed. "You could have started with that!"

  "I should also mention I helped a motorist change a blown tire about a half hour into my walk and since I was lost, they gave me a lift back to the hotel."

  "You didn't think of leading with that either?"

  Mark grinned. "It would have been a short conversation if I had. Are you convinced of my innocence now?"

  "I always was," I told him. "Now I need to work out who would have wanted to kill Esther."

  "That's what the police are for."

  "But for all Esther's faults, I knew her, and I need to know what happened. I feel responsible. She came to visit me and now she's dead! And someone might be setting me up too. It was my manuscript!"

  Mark nodded slowly. "I bet if we find them, we’ll find the rest of the manuscript. It wasn't in Esther's room. Detective Logan already confirmed that."

  "We?" I frowned.

  "We," confirmed Mark. "I also want to know who turned Esther into the victim of a novel."

  Chapter Seven

  "How do you propose we start?" asked Mark. "Should we go to the police station?"

  "No, I don't think Detective Logan will appreciate us butting in on his investigation. I thought we'd start a little closer to home. Or home away from home." I waved a hand around the orangery. As we spoke, most of the remaining breakfast diners had already emptied out. All that remained were a couple on the other side of the room, who were engrossed in private conversation, and a lone woman reading a paperback. A server in a hotel uniform, her long curly hair pulled back in a ponytail, crossed between them with a coffee pot in hand before moving back to her station.

  "Here? In the breakfast room?"

  "In the hotel," I clarified. "We should speak to all the employees and ask if they saw or heard anything. I'm sure Detective Logan spoke to the graveyard shift employees last night, but they might not have remembered something then that they could happen to recall now."

  "Esther isn't the type of woman you can forget in a hurry," said Mark.

  I nodded. "She was definitely larger than life." I winced. "Bad choice of words, sorry. The night employees won't be available now but perhaps someone working the day shift can tell us something. Why don't we start with you telling me everything you know about her? Were you good friends?"

  "Not especially. As you are already aware, I took over from my predecessor in a hurry and inherited all the associated agents and authors, including her and you. I was barely at my new desk for an hour when Esther turned up and demanded a meeting. She spent the next hour talking up her clients and making noises about signing you all for new deals."

  I could imagine her dominating the meeting, but I asked anyway, "Was that typical of Esther?"

  "According to what I'm told. She usually called me every couple of days to appraise me of progress from the authors on her end, or to get an update from my end. If I weren’t there, or I didn't call back fast enough, I learned to expect a stern email from her."

  "Did that bother you?"

  "Not particularly," Mark said, shaking his head. "It's the nature of doing business and besides, I have a thick skin. So long as I published her authors, and both of us were making money, I was prepared to deal with her. I had to. And I fully intended to deal with her for a long time. Her client list is, was, excellent."

  "So you wouldn't have benefited by her death?"

  Mark's eyes widened in surprise. "Not at all! If anything, Esther’s sudden absence makes it all the more difficult. Agents like Esther have a natural talent and they invariably manage to get the right authors in front of the right publishers. That's not to say she didn't make mistakes, or overlook some very talented authors, like the thriller manuscript you said she rejected, but working with her proved quite lucrative for me and my firm. Not only do I have a good alibi, I also have every reason to wish she were still alive too."

  "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to imply anything."

  "No apology necessary. It's exactly what Detective Logan asked me. Esther brought me here to meet you and we're together now because of what happened to her. The least we can do is find out the truth. Where do you want to start?"

  I was about to ask what he told Detective Logan about me, but when he seemed so keen on collaborating to do a little sleuthing, I looked around and noticed the server. "How about with her?" I suggested, giving a discreet nod in her direction. "The hotel employees probably gossip about all of their guests."

  Mark raised his hand and waved to the server. She grabbed the coffee pot and quickly made her way over. When she reached us, I realized she was the same girl who served us lunch yesterday. "I'm so sorry, sir. I didn't realize you were out of coffee. I should have checked."

  "It's no problem at all," said Mark. "Do you work every shift here?"

  "No, sir, just breakfast and lunch. I saw you at lunch yesterday but I wasn't waiting on your table. I'm sorry about what happened to your friend."

  "Thank you."

  "I think you served us at lunch two days ago," I told her. "Derry, right? Perhaps you saw our friend around the hotel?"

  This time, Derry looked directly at me. "Yes, that's right. Sure, I saw her a couple times."

  "Do you know if she met with anyone else yesterday?"

  "Oh, I don't know. I left by two o'clock and I didn't get back until seven this morning. That's when I heard the news. I can't believe someone was murdered in our hotel! My mom said not to worry but I can't help it, you know... Oh, my gosh! I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything. Please don't tell my mom, I mean, my boss, I just said that!"

  "We won't," Mark assured her. "Your mom works here too?"

  "Dina Preston. She's the manager. This is my part time job."

  I looked at Derry closely. There was definitely a family resemblance in the aquiline nose and the big, brown eyes, but while Dina had straight hair, Derry's was a mass of tumbling brown curls. "It's nothing to worry about, and we won't say anything. Esther had a quick temper. Do you think it's possible she could have upset someone at the hotel?" I asked.

  Derry frowned. "Maybe, but we're all trained to deal with difficult guests. We just get them whatever they require, and try not to take it personally because they're gone soon enough. Anything weird happens, and one of the deputy managers takes care of it, or my mom."

  "Weird? Like how?" I asked.

  "We've had the odd male guest surprise a maid or two, if you know what I mean." Derry rolled her eyes.

  I wrinkled my nose in disgust and nodded that I understood. Derry continued, "Or someone kicks up a stink about their room not being big enough or clean enough. Some people just like to order the employees around like they're less than nothing just to make themselves feel like big shots."

  "Like Esther?"

  "As I already said, I don't know. I wasn't waiting her table at breakfast yesterday but you could ask Janey. She was on reception until five. She handles any calls from guests and deals with the complaints." She looked over her shoulder and nodded to a man across the room. "Excuse me, that's the day manager. We're closing breakfast in a few minutes but you're welcome to stay in the orangery for as long as you like; or I could take your coffees to the lounge, if you prefer?"

  We told her we'd leave in a few minutes and she hurried away.

  "I guess we need to find Janey," said Mark. "I think she's the blond lady."

  "That's right. She was at my dinner last night but she di
dn't say anything about Esther or a difficult guest. We should ask her anyway."

  "Do you know her well?"

  "Not particularly, but we sat at the same table and she was nice company. I'm sure she'll remember me and hopefully, she'll open up since I'm a familiar face."

  "Let's go." We got up and Mark shrugged on his jacket before I followed him out of the room. "What kind of dinner was it?" he asked conversationally.

  "Dinner?"

  "Your thing last night? The affair that you were all dressed up for."

  "It was an event at the town library. The head librarian puts on all kinds of special events and she's begun expanding them this year. Last night, she chose a romance from a famous literature collection. She put out large tables and chairs and a local restaurant cooked up an appropriate menu to complement the theme. It's part of a regeneration program for the library."

  "Sounds nice. What did your date think?"

  "I went alone. Part of my effort to regenerate my social life," I said, rolling my eyes as if I were making a joke. For some unfathomable reason, I didn't want Mark to know I wasn't really that social. I hadn't been on a night out since the New Year’s Eve party that was hosted by my brother, Connor, and his new wife, Melissa. My social ineptitude was basically of my own making. Now that Cynthia was busy raising her toddler, and Rob and Tony had their own lives to lead, I was usually busily writing my books, and had been for several years. I suddenly realized all at once how lonely I was. Finding and making new friends in my early thirties wasn't easy, especially when everyone else seemed to have close-knit families and friends surrounding them. Forcing myself to attend events solo was an integral part of my plan. I had to put myself in the paths of like-minded people who might turn into friends. As much as I loved my characters, I needed real people in my life too.

  "That sounds like a good idea. I like that sort of thing."

  "You should try one of the local restaurants. The food is really good here, although I expect you're leaving soon?"

  "I planned on staying a few more days to go over your book. My firm says I should nurture you," he said smiling, but before I could ask what he meant by nurture, he continued, "but I might be persuaded to extend my stay. Is that Janey?" he asked, just as I decided to ask why he would suggest extending his stay. Was he being flirtatious?

  "Hi, Janey," I said, waving in what I hoped was a friendly manner as we approached the desk. The lobby was empty of people and Janey was concentrating on the computer partially hidden behind the desk.

  She looked up and smiled warmly. "Hi, Ava. Wasn't dinner great last night? I had such a good time," she cooed.

  "Me too, and the library looked so beautiful after its new makeover." The pleasantries completed, I continued, "Janey, I hope you don't mind me asking, but Mark and I both knew Esther Drummond..."

  "The lady who was killed here last night?" Janey's voice dropped to a whisper. "I am so sorry, Ava. I know you said you worked for her but I had no idea she was your friend! It's so terrible. I didn't find out what happened until I spoke to my manager this morning when I arrived for work."

  "Detective Logan didn't interview you last night?" asked Mark.

  Janey shook her head. "Why would he? I went straight home after the dinner Ava and I attended. Mrs. Drummond looked fine when I last saw her."

  "When was that?" I asked.

  "Let's see. A little before five. I remember because, well, she was pretty hard to miss, and also, she was very loud," Janey said with a wince.

  "Loud?"

  "She stormed out of here late morning, yelling at me to hold her calls… and later on too..."

  "She shouted at you again?"

  "No, she was yelling at someone else. I remember it was strange though."

  "Because she was yelling?"

  "Oh, no!" Janey pulled a face. "Mrs. Drummond didn't stop yelling at people from the time she first checked in. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. She was your friend." She gave me a sympathetic look.

  "More of a business associate," said Mark. "We know all about her nasty temperament. Where did she go when she left yesterday?"

  "Main Street, but I'm not sure where exactly. I called her a taxi."

  "Did you know the person she was yelling at later?" I asked as Janey's eyes lingered on Mark.

  Janey dragged her attention back to me. "I'm sorry but I don't."

  "Could it have been another guest?"

  "Oh, no! Definitely not. That's why I thought it was strange. Mrs. Drummond was in the employee stairwell. Guests aren't even allowed back there. I was going to get some stationery supplies from the closet next to Dina's, the manager's, office and I had to walk through there. I looked up and saw her on the stairs on the floor above me, but I couldn't see who she was with. Do you think that's relevant?"

  "It could be. Who else could have been using the corridor at that time?"

  "Probably not housekeeping since they're usually finished by two pm, but any one of my colleagues could have taken that route. It's a shortcut between the reception desk, the employee's offices and private areas, and the kitchens and storage closets. The stairwell leads to the guest bedrooms too."

  "Are the other entry points to the stairwell locked?"

  "Not always. We get the occasional guest wandering down there, thinking it's the main staircase."

  Mark and I exchanged a look. Anyone could have been on the stairwell with Esther at that time, not necessarily an employee. Searching for that person would be incredibly hard, even with a full list of employees and guests, which we didn't have. If Esther had a run-in with her killer prior to the murder, he or she would hardly admit it, and even if it were nothing, that person probably wanted to avoid becoming a suspect.

  "Do you think someone here did it?" asked Janey, her face suddenly etched with worry. "I've worked here for three years. Everyone is really nice!"

  "I don't know," I said. "I hope not. I wish I had some answers."

  "Of course. She was your friend. You must be very upset. Both of you," she added, glancing at Mark again. Did I imagine the flutter of her eyelashes? "I wish I could be of more help."

  "You can," I told her quickly, thinking about what my heroine would do. She certainly wouldn't drop the investigation even if it looked so impossible. "I'd like to make sure Esther's things get returned to her family. Is everything still in her room?"

  "Yes, I think so, but I can't open it. The deputy manager, Don Pollard, said Detective Logan insisted the room remain sealed until he gave the go-ahead to release it. I don't think that's happened yet. Should I call him?"

  "No, that's okay, but if you could call me when Detective Logan says Esther’s things can be collected, I'd appreciate it."

  "Sure. Give me your number. Don wasn't sure what to do with her possessions so it will really help out if you can collect her suitcase and make sure it gets back to her people." Janey pushed a sheet of hotel paper with the signature logo over the desk. I wrote down my cellphone number and she tucked it into her pocket. "Can I help you with anything else?" she asked.

  "Yes, when I came here to meet Esther last night, I walked straight into the lobby and upstairs without anyone challenging me. Is that typical?" I asked.

  "Usually, we prefer that our guests sign in any of their guests, or we ask if they can meet them in the lobby."

  "I expected to meet Esther in the lobby but when she didn't come down, I went up to her room," I explained.

  "And you didn't sign in?"

  "No, actually, I walked up with Mark."

  "The night concierge probably thought you were a guest here too."

  "So anyone could have walked in?" asked Mark. "At any time?"

  Janey grimaced. "I guess so. The restaurant and bar are open to the public so we don't always recognize everyone. I wouldn't challenge you," she addressed Mark, "walking around because I recognized you from checking in; and, of course, we had dinner last night, Ava, so I know you too."

  I smiled when Janey did. I didn't w
ant to make her feel like she was under suspicion or unknowingly revealing details that might get her into trouble later. "Can you check one more thing? I know the family will want to settle the bill. Did Esther order anything from room service last night? Maybe a meal, or something to drink? Perhaps she called down for extra pillows?"

  "I wouldn't normally give out that information, but since she's... well, I don't think it will hurt." Janey tapped the computer. "She ordered some food at seven and a glass of wine. There's a note here that says... oh! That's not good."

  "What?" I leaned in.

  "She made the room service attendant cry."

  "She shouldn't take it personally," I told her. "Esther made me cry a bunch of times." Unfortunate, but true.

  "He. He refused to go to her room again. Apparently, she made a pass at him too, or he thought she did. I'm sorry. That was very indiscreet!" Janey winced.

  "I won't tell a soul," I said, lowering my voice to a conspiratorial whisper. Mark and I exchanged shocked glances at the unexpected revelation. "Did she order dinner for one or two?"

  "One. A burger and fries with a small salad. There's no record of the tray being collected but she might have left it outside the room."

  "I didn't see one," I said to Mark. "Did you?" He shook his head no. "Thanks for your help, Janey. I'm sure the family will be very grateful."

  "There was something I wanted to ask you," said Janey, brightening. "I heard some gossip that Mrs. Drummond was an agent who came here to meet a famous author and Holly mentioned at dinner she represented Miranda Marchmont. Since you're both her friends, do you have any idea who it is? I know it couldn’t possibly be Miranda."

  "I've no clue," I said, hoping that the surprise that flashed across my face registered as nothing more than astonishment to learn a famous author could be in our midst, and not because of how close Janey was to the truth. Literally.

  "If that were true, she never mentioned anything about it to me," said Mark smoothly. "Thanks for all your information, Janey."

  "If I can help with anything else..." she called after us as we said goodbye.