“There’s always that,” Zach agreed. “Where does that leave us?”
“Two steps forward, and one back.” I started thinking about what we’d learned, and how we could use it to our advantage. If the police were focusing on Mindi and Cary, we couldn’t do anything about that. It wouldn’t bother me one bit if they solved the case before we did. We weren’t in a race, unless I considered it a competition to free me from suspicion.
But what if they were wrong?
Zach and I could have the best chance of learning what had really happened to Derrick Duncan.
I took my husband’s hand. “It’s time we stirred the pot a little, don’t you think?”
“What did you have in mind?”
“We need to let them know we found the planner, and that we’ve got a copy of it.”
Zach looked at me oddly. “What good is that going to do?”
“Stay with me,” I said. “What if we claim there was something tucked away in it, an entry that pertains to the day he was murdered?”
“So, we use ourselves as bait,” Zach said.
“Exactly.” I frowned, and then added, “I’m not comfortable using Jenny’s place, though. She’s been through enough lately.”
Zach grinned at me. “We can always get a room here ourselves. As a matter of fact, why keep all of the fun to Brady and Kelsey? I think we should tell Cary and Mindi the same thing. That way we’re covering all of our remaining suspects.”
“Somehow I don’t think Shawn Murphy is going to approve,” I said.
“He’ll get over it pretty quickly if we hand him the killer. How should we do this?”
I headed back toward the dining room. “I think a breathless announcement is the best, don’t you?”
He grabbed my arm before I could make it two steps to the door. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”
“What’s that?”
He grinned. “We need a pair of rooms to lure the killer to first.”
“Why two?”
“If we get them with a connecting door, we can leave it unlocked and see who takes the bait.”
“That’s brilliant,” I said.
“I’m just trying to figure out how to keep us safe.”
“You don’t have to apologize for that. I appreciate it,” I said with a smile. “Sorry. Sometimes I get carried away when I’m excited.”
“Don’t apologize. That’s one of the things I love best about you. Let’s get the rooms, and then I’ll go upstairs and set things up. After that, I’ll call Cary Duncan.”
“How are you going to let Mindi know?”
“If I’m right, I won’t have to. I’m guessing they’re still together, so we should find something out soon.”
AFTER WE GOT THE CONNECTING ROOMS, 1421 AND 1423, it was time to set our trap.
I rushed into the restaurant alone, and was relieved to see that Kelsey and Brady were still there.
“I’m glad I caught you,” I said as I joined them, not even having to pretend that I was out of breath.
“What is it? Is something wrong?” Kelsey asked.
“No, exactly the opposite. Zach and I found a copy of Derrick’s planner among the telephone books that were in his suitcases.”
“It couldn’t be the one I had. Do you think there was a duplicate somewhere all along?” Kelsey asked me.
“It wouldn’t surprise me. We’re going to start going through it now in our room.”
“You’re staying here as well?” Brady asked.
I nodded, glad for the opportunity. “We’re in one-four-two-one. Zach thinks there’s something written in the planner that’s going to blow the lid off things. Sorry I can’t stay, but I’ve got to go.”
I took off before they could ask any more questions and took the elevator upstairs.
I knocked lightly on 1423, and then said, “Zach, it’s me.”
He opened the door and let me in. After I was safely inside, I asked, “What do we do now?”
“The other door’s unlocked, and I got some papers from downstairs and shoved them into a folder. It won’t fool anyone if they actually look at it, but from across the room, they’ll be fine. I moved the desk so we could see it from this door without being seen.”
“You’ve thought of everything, haven’t you?”
Zach frowned. “I’m still not positive this is going to work. We may have a long morning ahead of us.”
“It’s the best idea we’ve had so far,” I said.
We pulled the desk chairs to the door, and took up our positions. I started to talk in a whisper a few times, but Zach kept shaking his head and shushing me, so I quit trying to talk to him. I thought about tackling another puzzle as we waited, but I knew I’d be too distracted to do it.
I knew cops staked places out all of the time, but I didn’t know how they managed it without going completely insane with boredom.
SOMEHOW, I MANAGED TO NOD OFF, BUT I WAS JERKED sharply awake when I heard the fire alarm sound.
“I thought that could happen,” Zach said. “Somebody’s trying to get us out of here.”
“They’re doing more than that,” I said as I smelled the air. “That’s smoke. Zach,” I added, my voice rising, “they’re trying to burn us out!”
Zach looked in the other room instead of exiting like I wanted him to. The smoke was stronger in there, and I wondered if the hallway was on fire. “What are you doing? We need to leave.”
“Don’t worry. We’re going to be fine,” he said. He moved past me to the door where we’d been watching, and took my hand. “Come on, Savannah.”
“I’m hurrying,” I said, not sure how happy I was about running toward a fire, instead of away from it.
Zach pulled the door open, and as he did, the smoke got stronger and the smell of something burning intensified.
I was expecting to see a hallway engulfed in flames, and was preparing myself to stop, drop, and roll, just like I’d been taught as a child.
Instead, I saw a small guest trash can leaning against the door to the other room, with paper or something smoldering inside of it.
Zach grabbed a fire extinguisher and had the fire out by the time Hotel Security got up there.
“What happened here?” the lead man asked as he surveyed the damage. The name tag on his gold jacket said, “Greg.”
“It looks like somebody’s idea of a prank went too far,” Zach said.
I stared at my husband with open disbelief. I was about to say something when he shook his head sharply, so against my better judgment, I kept my mouth shut.
“We’ve been vandalized a few times this week already,” the lead man said. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.” He examined the scorched door, and then said, “It’s just on the surface. Jason, go get the fans and the maintenance crew. I’m going to reset the alarm.”
After his partner left, Greg turned to Zach and said, “That was quick thinking on your part.”
“Just trying to lend a hand,” Zach said. “Are we done here?”
Greg shrugged. “Did you see anything or anyone up here?”
“Not a soul,” Zach said. “We were in our room.”
“And which one was that?” Greg asked. Maybe he wasn’t as slow as he appeared.
“That one,” Zach said as he pointed to the one beside the room we’d been staking out.
“And that one,” I added.
Zach looked angry, but there was nothing he could do about it. If Murphy got involved, he’d find out we rented both rooms, and I didn’t want to have to explain that.
“Two people, two rooms?” Greg asked. “Are you two married?”
“We are, but he snores,” I said. Greg looked at Zach for confirmation, who sheepishly admitted, “Can’t help myself.”
“They have those strips I use,” Greg said. “So, whose room is this one?”
Before I could claim it, Zach said, “It’s mine. I can’t imagine who might have done it. We just checked in an hour ago, and nobody knows we’re staying here.”