I might not have a lot of money, or ever be famous, but in terms of my friendships and the love my husband and I shared, I was the richest woman in the world.
Chapter 6
“WOW, YOU’RE EARLY,” I SAID AS MY HUSBAND WALKED into our hotel suite later that evening.
“It’s nearly seven,” he said as he looked around and whistled. “Man, this place is something else, isn’t it?”
“Just wait. Let me give you the grand tour.”
“Forget that. Look at that skyline. I can’t wait until it gets dark.”
“While you’re admiring the view, let me order something from room service.”
“I thought you wanted to go out,” he said, stifling a yawn.
“I’ve got a feeling you wouldn’t be very good company,” I said. “We’ll eat in tonight, and you can take me somewhere special another night. Did you make any progress since I saw you?”
“You know how it goes. I’m still trying to wrap my head around things now. It will take some time to digest it all.”
“Don’t push yourself too hard,” I said.
He rubbed his eyes. “I would have stayed later tonight, but I kept falling asleep reading the police reports. Order me a steak, would you? I’m going to take a quick shower.”
I doubted he’d be able to make it quick. I’d already taken one myself. The shower was like everything else in the hotel, first class all the way. I’d never had a shower with water jetting out from three sides and above, and I doubted that I’d ever be content with a plain overhead nozzle again.
Night was creeping in as I placed our dinner order and settled in on one of the couches facing the bank of windows. I hadn’t had a lot of luck with room service in the past, but I had the feeling that the Belmont would be different.
I lost track of time staring out the window at the lights of Charlotte, and I was surprised when Zach came out dressed in one of the hotel’s luxurious bathrobes. He wasn’t the type of guy to wear robes as a general rule, and after a few failed attempts at giving them at Christmas and one birthday, I gave up trying.
“I didn’t think you liked robes,” I said.
“Normally I don’t, but I could get used to this.”
There was a knock at the door, and as I started to answer it, my husband shook his head. “I’ll do it.”
He pulled his gun out from his bathrobe pocket and moved to the door. I hadn’t even known he’d fetched it, but he must have had it in the bathroom with him. This case clearly had him more spooked than I’d realized.
“Who is it?” he called out.
“Room service,” I heard the muffled reply.
“What’s the order?”
“Two New York Strips, both medium, garlic mashed potatoes, cream spinach, and chocolate mousse for dessert.”
He looked at me, and I nodded.
When Zach opened the door, I could see that his gun hand was now in his robe, no doubt holding it on the unsuspecting waiter.
“Would you like me to set it up for you?” the man asked as he pushed the cart into the room.
“We’ll take care of it,” Zach said. “Hang on, let me get my wallet.”
“That won’t be necessary,” the waiter said. “Everything, including tips for service you receive, has been taken care of.”
“Then give the owner our thanks.”
The man looked at Zach as if he’d lost his mind, and I understood why. If the manager of the place had only spoken with Barton Lane a handful of times over the years, there wasn’t much chance a waiter would be able to talk to him.
He didn’t reply, but I could swear he bowed a little as he left the room.
“That smells great,” Zach said as he started lifting off lids.
“Did you really think that he might be a bad guy?” I asked.
“Are we talking about the gun? No, I realized he was probably exactly who he said he was, but why take a chance if I don’t have to?”
We decided to eat in front of the window, and the food was just as marvelous as I’d hoped it would be. The steak nearly came apart at the first touch of my fork, and as we ate, I knew exactly what I was going to order tomorrow. With delicious food like this available in our room, why go out and face the crowds?
“Want your mousse?” Zach asked as he uncovered his.
“I doubt I could enjoy it, I’m so full.”
“Great. That means there’s more for me.”
“Hey, hang on a second. I didn’t say you could have mine.”
He dug into his, and after a quick bite, he said, “You wouldn’t like it. It’s too rich.”
“Not that I don’t trust your opinion, but now I’m going to have to try it for myself.”
He wasn’t eager to give it to me, though. “You’re full, remember?”
“There’s always room for mousse,” I said.
It was everything promised, rich and creamy, with waves of chocolate in every bite. When it was gone, I was surprised to realize that I still wanted more, though I knew I would never be able to eat another bite.
I smiled with contentment. “I hope this place has a first-class spa and gym. If we keep eating like this, I’m going to have to start working out, or I’ll never fit into my clothes.”
Zach just grinned as he leaned back in his chair. “I hate the reason we’re here, but I’ve got to say, I like the way your friend Barton Lane is treating us.”
“He’s not my friend,” I said. “We’ve only spoken once.”
“Evidently that’s more than most folks around here can say. You must have made some kind of impression on him.”
“Don’t kid yourself. We’re getting all this so he can make your life easier and you can focus on who killed his assistant. The man sounded like he was still in shock over losing her when we talked.”
“I don’t doubt it,” Zach said.
I could tell that my husband was distracted as he continued to stare out the window.
“I’m thinking about redoing my hair.”
“Good,” he said, and then I knew he wasn’t listening.
“I’m going to start with a blue base, and then add red and green highlights. It should be nice, don’t you think?”
“Nice,” he mumbled.
“Zachary Harlan Stone,” I snapped.
That got his attention. My husband hated it when I used his full name.
“What?” he asked, meeting my gaze.
“If you want to go back to headquarters, I completely understand. I know how you get when you’re getting your teeth into a new case.”
He looked tempted—I could see it in his eyes—but he just shook his head. “No, I need some time to digest the facts I’ve collected so far.”
“Would it help to talk about it?”
“Sure, why not?”
“Wow, I can feel the love in the air.”
“You know what I mean,” Zach said.
“I know; I’m not trying to give you a hard time. Just say your thoughts out loud, and I’ll pretend to listen to you.”
“Okay, here goes. What I know so far shouldn’t take long to tell. The crimes are related, that much is clear.”
“From the letters the police got, right?”
“That and the photos the killer sent. This wasn’t some casual killing spree. They were planned out pretty thoroughly, and the knife used on the victims was the same type, if not the exact same blade. Both murders occurred in the victims’ domiciles, and there were no signs of forced entry in either case.”
“What exactly does that tell you?”
“They let their killer in without a struggle.”
“So it was someone they both knew,” I said. “That doesn’t look good for Grady, does it?”