She told him about Hugh Channing asking Tyler Park to be in The King and I, and she let him know about Oscar being one of the last ones out, saying something about oversleeping.

  She hoped she wouldn’t have to tell him about Viktor.

  Viktor had been outside, but he had gone in to grab her gloves for her. That might raise some suspicion.

  “What about the victim?” Wagner asked. “Was he outside at all that night?”

  “Not that I remember,” Dru said.

  “And Johnny Smith?” Wagner asked.

  “I did see him outside,” Dru told him. “But he was around the front of the building, near the lobby, smoking.”

  “This was after everyone else was out?” Wagner asked.

  “Yes. Wait, no,” Dru corrected herself. “Oscar came out while I was talking to Johnny.”

  “What were you talking to him about?” Wagner asked.

  “Binoculars, for the comet,” Dru said.

  Wagner wrote it all down.

  She hoped she hadn’t forgotten anything, or remembered it in the wrong order. But she didn’t see what the big deal was. They knew exactly who the murderer was, and he was still on the loose somewhere nearby.

  “Who discovered the victim?” Wagner asked.

  Dru thought back but wasn’t sure.

  “We all sort of went inside at once when the storm picked up,” she explained. “It was just a big mass of people rushing inside. There was a scream when someone discovered him - maybe Mayor Tuck? And then all of us discovered him.”

  “How did you determine that he was deceased?” Wagner asked.

  “One of the guests, Tyler Park, is an EMT,” Dru said. “He took his pulse and told us he was dead.”

  Wagner nodded.

  “So you say that you took photographs of the crime scene and questioned everyone?” Wagner asked.

  “That was Hugh Channing’s idea,” she said. “He played a detective in a play once, and had done some research at that time. He said we had to make sure the scene was safe and then record as much evidence as possible without anyone moving or interfering with anything.”

  “Very good,” Wagner said, eyebrows raised. “What did you find?”

  “There was a break in the blood spatter,” Dru explained. “We thought maybe someone’s shoe had gotten in the way. But we checked everyone’s shoes, and they were all clean.”

  “Interesting,” he said, making another note. “Anything else?”

  “Not much,” Dru admitted. “But we did take tons of pictures of the victim before we moved him.”

  “I’ll need to see the body,” Wagner said. “Where is it?”

  “We, uh, wrapped him in the rug that used to be right there,” Dru said, pointing at the bare floor. “And carried him down to the catacombs. It’s cold down there.”

  “Very good,” Wagner said. “We’ll take a look at that shortly. And I’ll want to see the photos.”

  “They’re here, on Channing’s phone,” Dru said, handing it over.

  “So you questioned everyone,” Wagner said, taking the phone but not checking it. “I’ll want to see the notes as well, but did anything of interest come up?”

  “Not really anything about the crime itself, but Hazel and Honey, the two ladies in the Amethyst Room, they had noticed something about Brian,” she said. “And, wow, about Johnny too, now that I think about it.”

  “What’s that?” Wagner asked.

  “They said they hated seeing that element back at the Hemlock House,” she said. “They said something about not liking to see them back here. Of course at the time I was only thinking about the victim, but I wonder if they noticed something about Johnny too.”

  “What did they mean by that element,” Wagner asked.

  “They meant the mob,” Dru said. “They were here back in the sixties when all that was still going on.”

  “How did they know the victim was in the mob?” Wagner asked.

  “They said he was always tipping people and always looking over his shoulder,” Dru said, realizing it sounded weak.

  Wagner frowned and nodded at the same time, writing it all down.

  “Then Channing and I searched the victim’s room and found his phone,” Dru said, feeling a little squeamish about sharing the next part.

  “Were you able to open it?” Wagner asked.

  “I, uh, had to get creative,” Dru admitted.

  “Meaning?” He gazed up at her with interest.

  “I went into the catacombs and did face recognition using his corpse,” she said, hoping that wasn’t a criminal act.

  “Very smart,” he said. “Probably wouldn’t have had much time to do that either, what with decomposition. Anything useful on the phone?”

  “Messages saying he was here for some kind of payday,” Dru said. “And we noticed he signed some emails Nick instead of Brian.”

  “Mmm,” Wagner nodded. “Channing still have the phone?”

  “Nope, I’ve got that one, too,” Dru said. She pulled it out of her pocket and handed it to him.

  “It sounds like Channing was heading up the investigation,” Wagner said. “Why do you have all the phones?”

  “Channing just gave me his before we sat down,” she explained. “In case you wanted to see the pictures.”

  “And the victim’s?” he asked.

  “Well, like I said, I was the one who figured out how to unlock it,” she reminded him. “And then I guess I just kind of held onto it.”

  “Did you use it for anything else after your initial search?”

  “Almost,” she told him.

  He raised an eyebrow, clearly expecting her to elaborate.

  “I was in the sitting room early this morning,” she explained. “I was using newspaper to fuel the fire. And the one I grabbed happened to have a cover story about the mob case. I saw Brian on the cover. And I also saw Johnny.”

  Wagner nodded.

  “My own phone battery is dead, and the generator wasn’t on yet,” Dru said. “But Brian’s phone had a tiny bit of juice left. So I grabbed it and headed out to hike the hillside like Hailey and Viktor and I did before, so I could try to call the police again and share what I had learned.”

  “But you didn’t,” Wagner said.

  “Nope,” Dru replied. “I never had a chance. As soon as I got outside, I saw Johnny was out there smoking again. And he saw the newspaper I had in my hands. He knew that I knew.”

  Wagner was scrawling furiously.

  “H-he held up a gun,” Dru said unsteadily. She had done her best not to think about it. “And he told me to come to him.”

  “And you went?” Wagner asked.

  “Yeah,” Dru said. “I was afraid to run.”

  Wagner nodded.

  “Then the front door to the hotel opened and I turned to see who it was,” Dru said. “That’s when Johnny grabbed me and put the gun right to my head.”

  She touched her temple, which was still tender from the pressure of the metal barrel.

  “Who was it?” Wagner asked. “At the hotel door?”

  “Viktor Striker,” she replied. “One of the guests.”

  “What did he do?” Wagner asked.

  “He told Johnny to let me go, but he wouldn’t.” She swallowed hard, not anxious to remember the next part. “Then Viktor charged at us, and Johnny shot him.”

  “A man has been shot?” Wagner asked, looking up.

  “Yes,” Dru said.

  “Is he in danger?” Wagner asked. “I knew there was a gunshot, but no one said there was an injured person.”

  “He’s going to be fine,” Dru said, realizing her error. She wasn’t even sure if Viktor still had a wound after she fed him. That had kind of been the whole point. What was she going to say when Viktor showed up without a scratch on him?

  “Can he corroborate your story?” Wagner asked.

  “Of course,” she said. “But I’m sure he’s resting now. He’s in some kind of international work, so he sleeps during the day.”

  She looked around the lobby. Sunlight was streaming in every window. There was no way he could talk with Viktor right now.

  “I need to interview him before he forgets anything,” Wagner explained. “I’m sure he can wake up for a few minutes for something this important. He can’t have been in bed that long and with all the excitement, I doubt he’s even asleep. In my experience, gunshot victims tend to be traumatized, no matter how minor.”

  “Oh,” Dru said, utterly unable to come up with one good reason why they couldn’t go see Viktor.

  “Come on, let’s go check on your knight in shining armor,” Wagner said, winking at her as he rose from his chair and gestured for her to lead the way.

  3

  Dru led Officer Wagner up the staircase, her mind reeling.

  If Viktor didn’t come to the door, would he kick it in like he had the door of the groundskeeper’s cottage? If he did, would he be suspicious not to find Viktor there? Would he check the trunk?

  Viktor isn’t suspected of anything. Wagner won’t kick in his door.

  Will he?

  “Which one?” Wagner asked her as she paused in the hallway, trying to think of any excuse.

  She pointed toward the Sapphire, Onyx, and Quartz rooms, wondering if she could slow him down by taking him to the other two rooms first.

  But that was ridiculous, it was still morning. She couldn’t keep him distracted until dark with some kind of Scooby-Doo doors and hallways gag.

  “This one,” she said, indicating the entrance to the Sapphire room.

  Wagner tapped on the door. “Mr. Striker, this is Officer Wagner. I need to ask you some questions ab—”

  The door swung open and Channing slipped out, wearing a white lab coat and looking like some kind of enraged pharmacist.

  “How dare you disturb this man?” Channing demanded in a harsh whisper. “He is under my care.”

  “This is a police investigation, sir,” Wagner said. “We need his cooperation.”

  “He’ll speak with you when he’s rested and not before,” Channing scolded.

  “He may need serious medical attention,” Wagner said.

  “The wound was minor, but he was shaken up,” Channing retorted. “I’ve given him something to relax his nerves, so he’ll be out for a little while. When he’s feeling himself, I assure you that we’ll call for you.”

  “Did you want to go see the body?” Dru suggested to Wagner.

  She definitely didn’t want to see the body again. But she hoped the offer might be enough to distract him.

  “Very well,” Wagner said, looking frustrated. “But I’ll be back to speak with him as soon as he’s up.”

  “Of course, sir,” Channing said.

  Wagner turned and headed down the stairs. His pace beating a staccato rhythm on the steps.

  “Thank you,” Dru mouthed to Channing.

  Channing smiled delightedly, giving her a deep bow.

  Dru grinned and headed after Wagner before he could notice she wasn’t right behind him.

  “That was Tyler Park, the EMT?” Wagner asked.

  “No, that was Hugh Channing,” she said, before she could stop herself.

  “I thought you said he was…an actor?” Wagner asked, stopping in the lobby to look at his notes.

  “Who can really make a living as a full-time actor these days?” Dru ventured, hoping it was enough.

  “I see,” Wagner said, and made a note. “Which way to the catacombs as you call them?”

  “I usually go out through the solarium and enter from the back,” Dru said.

  “There’s no access from the first floor?” Wagner asked, looking surprised.

  “Oh, there is,” Dru told him. “But there are so many tunnels that I prefer to go the most direct way.”

  She didn’t want to talk about the fact the narrow tunnel from the inside was too much for her to handle sometimes.

  “Wouldn’t want to get lost down there, eh?” Wagner asked.

  Dru shook her head. Once was enough.

  “I remember touring this place in elementary school,” Wagner said. “Underground Railroad and all.”

  “Me too,” Dru said, grinning. “And I guess the mob used it to move alcohol during Prohibition.”

  “And to move stolen jewels, according to legend,” Wagner said. “You get a lot of treasure hunters up here?”

  “I’ve only been here a few weeks, so I’m not sure,” Dru admitted.

  They had reached the solarium, where she took him out through the door and into the snow.

  The sky was clear and bright now. She wondered if the sun would have a chance to melt everything before it froze again overnight.

  It had been a while since she’d been awake at this hour.

  Dru slipped out her skeleton key and opened up the basement entrance.

  A faint odor of decay greeted her right away.

  “This won’t be pretty,” Officer Wagner said. “You don’t have to come with me.”

  “I’ll get you in there,” Dru offered. “The tunnels wind and branch off. I want to make sure you find him.”

  “Here, then,” Wagner said.

  He was offering her a clean handkerchief.

  She didn’t even know they made those anymore.

  “Thanks,” she said.

  “As soon as we locate the body, you’ll leave me to do my work,” Wagner said.

  “Agreed.”

  They stepped down into the catacombs.

  The awful, almost fishy scent overwhelmed the usual damp odor. Dru was grateful for the handkerchief, she pressed it to her nose and started off for the area with the bins, Officer Wagner by her side.

  By the time the right branch was in sight, she was struggling not to gag.

  She pointed and he nodded.

  As he headed for the body, she turned and jogged for the light of the door back outside.

  The tunnel seemed to stretch longer as she ran. After a few moments, she had the illogical feeling that she would never make it out.

  But then she was jumping up the steps and flinging herself into the cold, fresh air.

  Dru leaned against the wall of the hotel, panting.

  She wondered if Wagner wanted her to wait for him. He hadn’t expressly asked her to do so, but he seemed to be using her as a kind of tour guide.

  The sun was bright in the sky, and she really ought to be sleeping.

  But she was pretty sure sleep wasn’t going to come, no matter how tired she felt.

  Dru decided to wait for him, at least for a few minutes.

  Her mind went almost immediately to Viktor, as it always seemed to do lately.

  She closed her eyes and felt his mouth at her neck again, felt her life-force enter him, even as he owned her flesh with his mouth.

  The sensation had been so unusual, so unexpectedly sensual.

  She wondered if it made him crave her too.

  Or maybe for him it was nothing more than nourishment, and a bond he formed to his prey, keeping it willing…

  She had definitely been willing.

  But he didn’t want to be with her. He had told her he couldn’t exist in her world.

  No matter what he said, he saved my life.

  She saw him bolting into the sunrise, his own life-energy pouring off him in shimmering, burning waves as he ran for Johnny.

  Johnny.

  Her eyes searched the horizon as the thought brought her back to her senses.

  Johnny could be anywhere. Why was she standing out here alone?

  The sound of heavy footsteps, moving fast, echoed from the catacombs behind her.

  She gasped and turned to find Officer Wagner coming out to join her.

  “What were you doing out here by yourself?” he asked. “I thought you were going back inside.”

  “I-I thought you might need me,” she said.

  He studied her for a moment. “What shift do you normally work?”

  “I’m the night clerk,” she said. “Midnight to eight.”

  “You should be sleeping by now, shouldn’t you?” he asked.

  She shrugged.

  “Who’s on duty now?” he asked. “The muscular guy, or the pretty Black lady?”

  “Uh, Zander,” Dru said. “The guy.”

  “Alrighty then,” Wagner said. “Go to bed. I’ll find Zander if I need anything.”

  “Thanks,” Dru said.

  “Are you okay to get up there on your own?” he asked.

  “Wagner,” someone called before she could answer. They both turned to find an older, uniformed gentleman with a white beard and mustache stepping out the door of the solarium and coming to join them. He was heavyset and shorter than Wagner, with twinkling eyes that reminded Dru of her Grandpa Frank.

  “I see you found a pretty girl to talk to, eh Wagner?” the man asked, and then laughed at his own joke. “Left me to watch the crew while you took in the local talent, ha!”

  Dru smiled in spite of herself. He was clearly just trying to break the ice.

  “Miss Holloway, this is Officer Clemens,” Wagner said.

  “Pleased to meet you, dear,” Officer Clemens said, giving her a Santa Claus-like smile.

  “Miss Holloway was just leaving,” Wagner said. “I’ll fill you in while we check out the tunnels.”

  “Very good,” Clemens said, giving Dru a little wave.

  She headed into the warmth of the solarium as the officers talked about visiting Hemlock House before on an elementary school field trip.

  4

  Dru felt exhaustion descend on her like a heavy blanket the moment she opened the door to her room.

  The past few hours had felt like a lifetime, and it was later than she normally went to bed. The shadowy rose-wallpapered space felt sheltered and dreamy in the late morning light.

  The heat was back on, the comfort only adding to her drowsiness.

  She checked to be sure her bed was still blocking the bookshelf from sliding open to reveal a secret door into the catacombs.

  When she was satisfied that it was, and that her phone was on its charger, Dru collapsed into bed, fully dressed.

  She closed her eyes and gave in to the pull of sleep, which came on so quickly it felt like the room was spinning around her as she sank into sleep.

 

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