“Excuse me, but do you know if Mindi Mills is still staying here?”
The maid frowned as she said, “There’s nothing here. I got a note to clean this room and that the previous guest had checked out.”
“Any idea when she left?”
She checked her list again, and then said, “Three hours ago. Can I help you with something?”
“No, thanks,” I said. “I’ll catch up with her later.”
We walked back to the elevator, and after I hit the down button, I asked Jenny, “Where do you suppose she went?”
“Back to Richmond?” she asked.
“I guess so, but I thought Murphy asked everyone involved with the case to stay in town.”
“He couldn’t order them to, though, not without more reason than he had. If he let her go, then I guess we’ll have to mark her off our suspect list, too.”
“Are you kidding? I just moved her up near the top. Running away is the worst thing she could have done. It just makes her look guilty.”
“I suppose it could at that,” Jenny said. “What should we do now?”
“Let’s go back to the lobby and collect Zach. I’m dying to tell him what we’ve found out so far.”
THE SECOND WE GOT BACK IN THE LOBBY, I SCANNED THE room for Zach, to no avail. I knew his promise to sit quietly and wait for us had been too good to be true.
“Where’s that husband of yours?” Jenny asked me.
“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out.” I started to take my cell phone out of my bag when she put a hand on my arm.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Don’t call him.”
“Why not?”
Pointing toward the restaurant, she said, “Because there’s no need to. He’s right there.”
I followed her gesture and saw my husband in deep conversation with Frank Lassiter.
“I thought he was going to stay on the sidelines,” Jenny said.
I smiled. “I’m willing to bet Lassiter came through the lobby, so Zach decided to brace him while he had the chance.”
“Should we join them, then?” Jenny asked.
I looked over at them and saw that my husband appeared to have things in hand. “No, I got tough with Lassiter the last time we questioned him. Zach probably has a better chance of getting something from him on his own. I’ve got another idea about what we can do next.”
I glanced at the desk and saw that there was a man on duty I hadn’t seen before. “I need you to do me a favor,” I said.
“All you have to do is ask.”
“Go to the front desk and ask for Benjamin Lowe.” I didn’t see him anywhere nearby, and if I started by asking for him, it would ruin the rest of my plan to get the information I wanted.
“I’ll be right back.”
In thirty seconds, she was as good as her word. “Benjamin’s not here. He’s gone for the night, and they won’t call him.”
“Then I’ll have to do something myself. Would you mind hanging back here while I talk to the clerk at the front desk?”
“Are you going to ask him about Mindi?”
“Sure, I’ll tack that onto what I had in mind, too.”
“Savannah, what are you up to?”
I shrugged. “I’m trying to get some information.” I pointed to a newspaper rack beside the front desk. “If you want to eavesdrop, there’s the perfect spot. Go ahead; I’ll wait for you to get settled.”
She was clearly confused by what I was about to do, and I didn’t really want to explain it to her. It called for a bold move, and I had to work myself up to do it. It would have made life a lot easier if Benjamin were still there, but I couldn’t wait until morning to ask him what I needed to.
After thirty seconds, I was ready.
I stormed to the front desk and slapped my hand down on the counter. It sounded like a gunshot as it echoed through the lobby, and I noticed a few people look up at the impact.
“I demand an explanation,” I said loudly.
“How may I help you?” the man asked timidly.
“I want to know why there were duplicate food service items billed to my room yesterday.”
He frowned. “I’m sure we can straighten it out. May I have your room number?”
I gave him Sylvia’s room number, and then said, “The name is Sylvia Peters.”
He tapped a few keys, studied the screen, and then said, “There appears to be a single charge yesterday.”
“That’s not what I was told,” I said, again raising my voice. I saw Jenny flinch, and it took me a second to realize that she was trying to keep from laughing out loud. “Let me see that.”
He complied by turning the screen around, and I saw that Sylvia had indeed ordered a salad when she said she had.
“Very well, but that doesn’t explain why it was so late in arriving to my room.”
He lowered his head instantly. “We had a miscommunication,” he said. “All of our room service orders were delayed by over an hour because of a computer glitch.”
“And that is my fault how, exactly?”
I saw the man bite his lip, and then he said, “Again, we apologize for the inconvenience. If you’ll allow us, we’d like to treat you to dinner for two at our restaurant as a way to make up for it.” He slid a voucher toward me, and I took it quickly.
“Thank you,” I said, easing the harsh tone of my voice. “You’ve been very kind.”
He nodded, clearly relieved to be done with me.
The only problem was, he wasn’t, though he didn’t know it yet.
I started to go, and then turned back to him. “My friend, Mindi Mills, seems to have checked out before she had a chance to let me know where she was going.”
“Sorry, but I have no idea where she went,” he said.
“Can’t you find out?”
“No, ma’am. Again, I’m sorry.” Funny, he didn’t seem the least bit remorseful, though I really couldn’t blame him.
“Very well,” I said.
I walked toward the restaurant, and Jenny joined me.
“I can’t believe you got him to show you that Sylvia’s alibi for the attempt on Kelsey’s life was valid.”
“It just took a little bluster,” I said. “But we still don’t know where Mindi went.”
“Perhaps I can help,” a man’s voice behind me said.
It was Benjamin Lowe, and I had some fast talking to do.
“I SUPPOSE YOU’RE WONDERING WHAT JUST HAPPENED,” I said.
“On the contrary,” he said with a smile, “I’d rather not know at all. Garrett warned me that your behavior could be eccentric at times, but that you were to be indulged whenever possible.”
“Remind me to thank him the next time I see him,” I said. “Did you hear everything? You weren’t supposed to be here.”
“Officially, I’m not, but I had some paperwork to do in back, and when I heard you claiming to be Sylvia Peters, I couldn’t help eavesdropping as long as I didn’t spoil the show.”
“I hope the clerk isn’t going to get into trouble because of me,” I said. “It wasn’t his fault.”
“He didn’t do anything wrong, given the way you presented yourself,” Benjamin said. “By the way, I hope you and your husband enjoy your meal at our restaurant.”
I started to hand the voucher to him when he held his palms up. “I wouldn’t dream of taking that back. You earned it.”
“Thanks,” I said, adding a grin. “Since you’re here, maybe you can help us find Mindi Mills.”
“That’s why I came out here. I happened to check her out myself, so I know exactly where she went.”
“Go on, I’m listening.”
“She wanted me to order her a limousine to take her to the Brunswick Hotel from here,” he said.
“A limo? Really? I was under the impression she couldn’t afford anything that nice.”