Elisabeth Crabtree - Pink Flamingo Hotel 01 - Death by Pink Flamingo (13 page)

“I’ve spent months working on people; convincing them Anna killed her uncle … What do you mean why? So, if anyone suspects that his death wasn’t accidental, they’ll accuse her.”

I let out a little gasp and quickly covered my mouth
as tears sprang to my eyes.
So, it was true. Uncle Max had been murdered, but why?

“Wait, I think I heard something,” she said. I could hear her moving away from my hiding place, so I took a chance and looked inside the sunroom. Danielle was standing on the other side of the
room, looking out the glass doors into the lobby. I leaned back out as she turned around. “No, it’s okay … I’m telling you it’s perfect. I had Sylvia completely convinced Anna killed the old man. To be perfectly honest, it wasn’t that hard to convince her. She would have believed anything I said if it meant, she wouldn’t have to share the hotel. She was even willing to come up with some phony evidence against Anna … Well, no, I talked her out of it. I was afraid someone might realize it was a fake. Hey, I’m not stupid, you know. I was afraid someone might realize it was a fake and it would come back to bite me.” She giggled. “We didn’t need any evidence against her anyway. I started a poll on Facebook on which one would kill the other first. Anna’s winning by a landslide. Everyone’s convinced she killed her uncle and now when they find Sylvia’s body, they’ll believe Anna killed her, too.”

I made a face and restrained myself from going in
to the sunroom and confronting her. I didn’t think it would do much good. I needed to know who she was talking to.
Say a name
, I silently ordered her.

She giggled. “
Did you like that little touch with the flamingo?”

The flamingo? Which little touch
was she referring to? Stabbing Sylvia with the flamingo or leaving him out on my balcony?

“Well, I was bored.
I still think … Hey, you can’t talk to me like that … Don’t get mad. I was just playing. Where did you move the body? … I don’t believe you … Oh, I know where you put Sylvia. She’s upstairs, isn’t she? No, wait …” She snapped her fingers. “I know. She’s in the garden shed. I saw you poking around there earlier today. She’s in there, isn’t she? … It’ll be fine. Stop worrying. Someone will find Sylvia’s body eventually. We might as well get it over with …” Her face clouded. “But …” There was a long period of silence as she listened to the other person on the other end of the line. “Fine.” She pursed her lips together into an angry line. “What are you going to do with the body? … Tonight?” she whined. “I’m exhausted. Why should I help you?
I’m
not the one who killed her … All right, all right. I’ll wait for you by the indoor pool …”

I peeked around the corner. Danielle was standing a few feet away with her back to me.

“That long? Fine, I’ll wait … Yes, I have it.” She began to untie the knot at the base of her neck. She pulled down her dress to reveal a pink bikini. “No, I’ll go for a swim. Yes, I’ll be there … Yes, of course … Well, I knew you were angry with me.” She reached into her purse and brought out a cigarette and lighter. “I thought I’d hide out until you calmed down …” She put the lighter to the tip. “Oh, come on, have I ever let you down? Don’t worry, partner.” She turned off the phone and stuck it into her purse, before slipping the rest of the sundress off. The cigarette dangled from her lips.

“So annoying,
” she said, picking up her purse and sundress. She turned around and began to walk towards me.

Realizing she planned to take the hallway I was hiding in to the pool, I quickly dashed towards the lobby.
I was standing next to the front desk by the time she sneaked out of the sunroom.

As soon as she disappeared from view,
I quickly pivoted around and ran into my office. I dumped the contents of my purse out onto the desk, frantically searching for Ryan’s business card. Not finding it quickly enough, I turned to the rolodex. Luckily, Sylvia was nothing if not organized, and I found Ryan’s number in seconds.

“Whoever you are, do you know what time it is?
” Ryan mumbled sleepily into the phone. “Because if you don’t, I’d be happy to come wherever you are and tell you in person.”

“Ryan, I’m so sorry,” I said before launching into what I had overheard Danielle say a few minutes before.

“Where are you?”

“In my office.”

“Stay where you are. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes. Don’t move, okay?”

I assured him that I wouldn’t and hung up. I paced the floor of my little office. With any luck, Ryan would get here in time to catch Danielle, and whomever it was that she was talking to.

Had to be Blake
, I thought as I paced.
Had to be
.
Who else could she have been talking to?
I turned around and walked toward my desk.
He’s creepy, he knows Sylvia’s dead, and that the flamingo is missing. Case closed.

But
… the little voice in my head countered,
he didn’t actually come out and say that Sylvia was dead
.
He just mentioned the flamingo was missing. It’s not a crime to be observant
o
r creepy.

I licked my lips. “Who else could it be?”

Who else knows where the body was buried?
the voice asked
. Jesse
.

Feeling sick to my stomach, I sank down into my chair, laid my head on my desk and wearily closed my eyes as my mind tried to make sense of everything I had heard Danielle say a few moments before. I wasn’t sure how long I had laid there but a tap to my shoulder caused me to jump in surprise.

Lizzie stood next to me. She looked down at me in concern. “I’m so sorry to disturb you, but I think we might have a problem.”

“What is it?”

“One of the guests
called a few minutes ago complaining of loud noises. I ran upstairs but I didn’t hear anything.”

“Maybe it’s one of their neighbors.”

“Can’t be. The only other guests on that side of the hall checked out when they saw the police down at the pier.”

“Of course, they did,” I said slapping
a hand to my pounding head and rubbing my eyes.

“She
just called again. This time, the lady says she heard something that sounded like a woman screaming. She wants a refund.”

I sat up
straighter. “Which room was complaining?”

“202.”

“That room’s directly over the indoor pool, isn’t it?” I didn’t wait for confirmation. I grabbed my keys, told Lizzie to call nine-one-one, leapt up and ran out of the office and toward the pool, praying it wasn’t a guest that had screamed.

I got there in only a few seconds. Without thinking, I stuck the key into the door and flung it opened. It was pitch dark. The only light came from the hallway light behind me. It shined on the shallow end of the pool.

I clamped a hand to my mouth and stifled a scream. Danielle lay face down in the water, not moving. I started running toward the water, but I was suddenly grabbed from behind and thrown to the floor. Before I knew what was happening, a plastic bag was thrust over my head and someone wrapped a rope around my shoulders.

The prickly fiber from the pool rope cut into my skin as the killer wound it tightly around my body. I took a deep breath to try to scream but the moment I tried to suck in
air, the plastic bag closed in around my face. Suddenly, I was lifted up and tossed into the water.

To my horror,
I sank like a stone to the bottom of the pool.

CHAPTER
TWELVE

As soon as I hit the pool floor, I twisted around until I could get my feet under me and pushed myself upward, hoping I was in the shallow end. No such
luck, I realized, as I kicked my way to the surface. Thankfully, the plastic bag was just a thin shopping bag. A corner of it floated up to the surface just enough for me to take a big gulp of air before I sank back down into the water. I did the same thing over and over, for what seemed several minutes, when suddenly, the pool lights went on. A few seconds later a pair of strong hands pulled me to the surface.

Once at the top, whoever had saved me quickly turned me in circles, unwrapping the rope that was tied around my body. It seemed to take
forever, but finally, I was free and able to wrench the bag off my head. I grabbed hold of my rescuer, surprised to find Blake looking at me with a worried frown on his face. He held me tightly as he gently pushed my hair out of my face. “Are you hurt?”

I was just about to hug the man in relief when I heard a big
splash, and Jesse was there pulling me out of Blake’s arms and toward the edge of the pool.

Ryan appeared at the door next. He stopped and stared
at us, his mouth opening and closing with surprise. When his gaze travelled past us and over to where Danielle was floating, his face turned hard. He ran across the tile and dove into the pool just as Jesse hauled me out of the water.

I lay face down on the blue tiled floor gulping in oxygen, trying to calm down as Jesse stroked my back and Ryan and Blake struggled to lift Danielle’s body out of the pool. Jesse left me briefly to assist, but returned in only a matter of seconds. I watched as Ryan laid Danielle down and began to give her CPR.

Jesse pushed my hair back and gently tilted my chin towards him. “Are you okay?”

Nodding, I sat up just as
Blake dog paddled over to us.

He dropped his chin down on his forearms.
Concern was etched across his face as he gazed at me. “Wow, that was freaky. If I hadn’t seen you thrashing about down there, you’d be dead.”

“Yes,” I said breathlessly. “Thank you, Blake.”

Jesse wrapped his arms around me and held on tight, crushing the air out of me once again. “Who did this?” he whispered in my ear.

“I don’t know. I didn’t see him.” I looked over Jesse’s shoulder as Ryan bent over Danielle, furiously trying to bring her back.
It was no use
, I thought, wrapping my arms tighter around Jesse. “She’s dead,” I whispered to Jesse. He glanced behind his shoulder before bringing us both up into a standing position.

Ryan must have come to the same conclusion. He slowly sat back on his heels before gently stroking Danielle’s forehead. He caught my eyes and mournfully shook his head.

“What did you see, Blake?” Jesse asked.

“
Dude, it was crazy,” he said as he started to haul himself out of the pool. “I came in here and the first thing I noticed once I turned on the lights was Danielle floating face down. I thought she was just messing about, but then the garden door slammed shut and I looked toward the deep end and that’s when I saw someone struggling underwater with a bag over their head. I dove straight in. I couldn’t believe it when I pulled off the bag and saw that it was Anna.”

I turned
my attention away from Danielle and back toward Blake. “I can’t thank you enough, Blake.”

To my
surprise, he blushed and turned away. “Don’t worry about it,” he muttered. “Just glad I was here.”

Just
then, a couple of police officers rushed in.

“
Anyway, the next thing I know, you’re jumping in next to us and dragging Anna out.” Blake chuckled. “I was glad for that. You’re much heavier than you look, Anna.”

“Well
, I’m wearing clothes and they’re wet,” I pointed out as I watched Ryan issue instructions to the police officers.

“You didn’t see who could have done this
, Blake?” Jesse asked, disbelief coloring his voice.

“No idea. I was more focuse
d on the bodies in the pool.” Blake must have felt Jesse’s suspicion, because he added, “Hey, dude, seriously, I didn’t see anyone.”

“Okay, just one more question,” Jesse said. “Why are you naked?”

I pivoted around in surprise. Sure enough, Blake was completely, one hundred percent naked. I had been so focused on Ryan and Danielle that I hadn’t even noticed. I covered my mouth and tried my best to look anywhere else.

“Don’t you have
swim trunks?” Jesse asked.

“
I like to swim au naturel,” Blake drawled. I could practically hear the smile in his voice as I stared at a point over his head.

“It’s after midnight
,” I said. “The pool is closed.”

“I know. That’s why I’m down here.
People tend to get upset if you swim naked when the pool’s open,” he pointed out reasonably.

“He does have a point,” Jesse admitted.

“No he doesn’t. People would get upset regardless.” I refocused my attention on the garden windows as my gaze began to drift down. “How’d you even get in here?”

“Oh, I guess I forgot to turn in my keys
when Sylvia fired me. It’s no big deal, Anna. I thought since I was an employee again that I had certain … benefits.”

“No, no benefits
,” I said quickly, “and even if you did, I don’t recall nude swimming as ever being one of them.”

“Oh really. Are you sure? I’d say
you’re pretty lucky to have me around here. Just think what would have happened if I weren’t? Why, I think I’ve already earned my pay for the week.” Smiling hopefully, he stood on his tiptoes and leaned closer to my face. “Right, Anna?”

I dropped my gaze down
from the ceiling to his face and nodded slightly.

Jesse’s
eyebrows drew down in confusion. “What are you talking about? What pay?”

Blake thrust out his chest and beamed.
“I have new job here.”

“
Meet hotel security,” I said wryly.

Jesse’s eyes flew wide. “What?”

Blake grinned. “I’d say that was quite the interview. Saving the boss on the first day and everything.”

Jesse’s handsome face registered his confusion as he looked from me to Blake. “Seriously?”

“I’ll explain later,” I said. “I’m grateful, Blake. Really, I am, but—”

“Now don’t you worry,
Anna. I’m going to take good care of you. Real good care. You and I are in this together now. Why, I’d say you might call us partners,” he said, sitting down and stretching out on the nearest lounge chair.

“And I’
d say no,” I said before leaning into Jesse and whispering, “Why does everything that man say sound sinister and creepy? He could say good morning and I’d still get the chills.”

“Then why did you make him hotel security?” he whispered back.

We started to turn to leave but found ourselves face to face with Ryan. He looked past us at Blake. With a world-weary shake of his head, he yelled, “Could someone get Blake a towel, please?”

“Completely unnecessary,” Blake
said, holding up his hand. “I have a robe right over there.”

“Wonderful. Why don’t you put it on,” Ryan said before turning to
address me. “The paramedics are here. While they’re checking you out, you can explain to me just what the hell happened here tonight.”

“No, I
don’t need the paramedics.” I took a deep breath. “There’s something I need you to do.”

“What?” Ryan asked.

I led him to the garden door. “See if Sylvia’s body is in the shed out back.”

* * *

I smiled gratefully as Jesse pressed a hot cup of coffee into my hands. We were sitting in the dining room, both of us in hotel robes, waiting for Ryan or Luke to rejoin us. They were a bit busy at the moment investigating not only Danielle’s murder but Sylvia’s as well. Turned out Danielle was right about Sylvia being in the garden shed. It didn’t take long for the cops to find her body and now it seemed like I had the entire Hatter’s Cove police force swarming through my hotel looking for clues.

Despite the overwhelming fear I was feeling that I’d be arrested soon for Sylvia’s death, I felt a sense of relief that it was out in the open now. I hated that her body was hidden away
somewhere. All day, I had felt sick to my stomach because of my actions. Instead of doing the right thing and calling the police the night before, I allowed self-interest and fear to influence me. It wasn’t right to cover up her murder and I shouldn’t have let myself be convinced that it was. I may have not liked the woman, but she was still a human being and deserved better than an unmarked grave.

Of course, I do have to admit that my outrage over my actions was tempered somewhat by the knowledge
that Sylvia was trying to falsify evidence against me. It definitely made forgiving myself for my deplorable lack of judgment last night much easier. I just had to pray that Ryan and Luke would believe in my innocence.

“
You didn’t tell them about last night, did you?” Jesse whispered in my ear.

“Of course not,” I whispered back. I
may be a lot of things, but stupid was not one of them.
What good could come from confessing our involvement now?
I thought. The important thing was that her body was out in the open and the police could begin their investigation. I laid my head on the table, once again ruminating over my lack of courage. “Did you?”

“No, I don’t feel like spending the night in jail.”
He pressed his hand to the back of my head. “Why don’t we go back to your room and get some sleep? They don’t need us here. They’ve already talked to you twice tonight.”

“Luke told us to stay put. They might have more questions.”

“They know where you live,” he said standing up. “Let’s get some rest. If they need us, they can just go upstairs and knock on your door.”

I looked
up at him. “If you think I’m going to let you sleep with me—”

“I’ll sleep on your couch. Come on,
Anna, do you really want to be alone tonight?”

I shook my head. The last thing I wanted was to go upstairs to my room by myself.
What if the killer was waiting for the police to leave? He could be hiding somewhere and once the police go …

Shuddering at that happy thought, I planted my feet on the ground.
I was about to stand up when another more unsettling thought came unbidden to my mind.
I still don’t know who Danielle was talking to. I thought it was Blake, but … it was Blake who saved me, not Jesse.

“What’s wrong
, sweetheart?” He gently cupped my cheek. “You aren’t afraid of me, are you?”

Luckily, I didn’t have to
answer him since Luke Casey strode through the door and made a beeline for us. He wasted no time getting down to business, asking the same questions he had earlier, only in a different way. The difference this time was he allowed Jesse to stay with me. Despite my suspicions, it felt good having Jesse so close to me. Comforting.

What was not comforting was the way Luke looked at me
as I answered his questions. Despite his friendly demeanor, it was clear he was sizing me up, looking for any falsehood or misstep. What also was not comforting was the way he kept returning to the subject of the dead women and my relationship with them. I noticed the word antagonistic kept somehow creeping up in his questions.
That wasn’t the only thing creeping up,
I thought in annoyance. Somehow, my dislike for both women kept coming to the surface, as well.

“
I just don’t understand,” Luke said pleasantly. “Danielle barely knew you. Why would she take such an instant dislike to you? … And vice versa.”

I felt Jesse grip my knee and shake it a bit.
“Now wait, I didn’t say that I didn’t like Danielle.”

“You overheard her talking about killing your uncle and trying to frame you for the murder.
You’re a better person than me, Anna, I’d be furious.”

“Well, I was.
I still can’t believe anyone would kill Uncle Max. Why would someone kill such a sweet old man?” I asked as my voice broke.

“Well, that’s what we’re going to find out,” Luke said. “Trust me,
Anna, we will find out why.” He leaned forward and took a deep breath before smiling gently. “Now, let’s talk about tonight. You were by the sunroom and you could hear Danielle talking about your uncle?” He waited until I nodded, before adding, “You became angry. That’s only natural. Here she is talking about your uncle’s murder and how she’s trying to pin the blame on you. Naturally, you were upset. Who wouldn’t be?”

Jesse’s grip tightened on my knee.
Definitely a warning to be careful. He needn’t have bothered. I saw the trap.