My uniform made an efficient little rustling sound as I folded the spread in half and then in half again. I made a hefty jelly roll of it and tucked it in one corner. I turned the sheet down halfway, plumped the pillows, and left one of the paper-wrapped Peppermint Patties on the bed table.
I returned to the vanity area and tidied up the sink, turning water off and on, though I didn’t do much else. I checked her makeup supply: a concealer stick, foundation, powder, blush. In a small round container, she had a product called DermaSeal, “a waterproof cosmetic to hide facial imperfections.” I peered around the corner at her briefly, only to find her peering at me. Behind me was the closet, which I longed to search. I moved into the bathroom and picked up a damp towel she’d draped across the edge of the tub. I straightened the shower curtain and flushed the toilet as if I’d just given it a scrub. I moved back into the vanity area and opened the closet door. Bingo. The duffel.
I heard her call out, “What are you doing?” She sounded annoyed, and I thought I might have overstepped my bounds.
“You need more hangers, miss?”
“What? No. I have plenty.”
Just being helpful. She didn’t have to sound so irritated.
I closed the closet door and retrieved the remaining clean towels. She’d crossed the room and was watching me closely as I finished my chores. I transferred my gaze to a point to the left of her. “What about the tray? I can take it if you’re finished.”
She flicked a look at the desk. “Please.”
I set the towels aside and crossed to the desk, where I picked up the room key and tucked it on the tray, concealing it with the crumpled napkin. I went over to the door and held it open with my hip while I set the tray on the floor in the corridor. I retrieved my towel supply.
She was standing near the door with something that she held in my direction. At first, I thought she was passing me a note. Then I realized she was giving me a tip. I murmured a “Thank you” and slipped the bill in my tunic pocket without looking at the denomination. Peeking might have implied a grasping nature on my part. “You have a pleasant evening,” I said.
“Thanks.”
As soon as I was out the door, I pulled out the bill and checked the denomination. Oh, wow. She’d given me a five. Not bad for a simple ten-minute tidy-up. Maybe I could knock on the door across the hall. If I covered the floor, I could just about afford my room tonight. I plucked her key from the room service tray and left the tray where it was. It looked tacky sitting there, and I didn’t like the effect on my newly cleaned hall, but in current job parlance, removing it was not my department.
9
By the time I got back to my room, it was 8:45. I felt grubby and half dead from the combination of manual labor, stress, greasy room-service food, and jet lag. I peeled off my uniform and hopped in the shower, letting the hot water pound down my frame like a waterfall. I dried myself off and then pulled on one of the two unisex robes provided by the hotel. My spare underpants were now dry, though a bit stiff, hanging across the towel rack like the pelt of some rare beast. Coming out of the bathroom into the dressing area, I noticed the message light on my telephone was blinking. The phone must have rung while I was in the shower — inevitably Henry, since he was the only one who knew my whereabouts. Unless the hotel management was on to me. Somewhat uneasily, I rang the hotel operator. “This is Ms. Millhone. My message light is on.” He put me on hold and then came back on the line. “You have one message. A Mr. Pitts called at eight fifty-one. Urgent. Please call back.”
“Thanks.” I dialed Henry’s number. Before I even heard the phone ring on his end, he picked up the receiver. I said, “That was quick. You must have been sitting right on top of the phone. What’s going on?”
“I’m so glad you called. I didn’t know what to do. Have you heard from Ray Rawson?”
“Why would I hear from him? I thought he was gone.”
“Well, he was, but he’s back and I’m afraid there’s been a complication of sorts. Nell and I went shopping this morning, shortly after you rang. William and Lewis had gone over to Rosie’s to help with the lunch prep, and that left Charlie here by himself. Are you there?”
“Yeah, I’m here,” I said. “I can’t think where this is going, but I’m listening.”
“Ray Rawson showed up at Chester’s and Bucky told him what was going on.”
“As in what? That I’d seen the guy who beat him up?”
“I’m not sure what he was told except that you’d been hired. Bucky knew you’d left town, but he didn’t know where you were. Ray must have come right over here, and since I was out, he gave Charlie some long song and dance about the danger you were in.”
“Danger? That’s interesting. What kind?”
“Charlie never really got that part straight. Something to do with a key, is what he said.”
“Ah. Probably the one Johnny had in his safe. I was going to show it to a friend of mine who’s acquainted with locks. Unfortunately, I suspect he’s been incarcerated for his expertise.”
“Where is it now? Bucky told Ray you had it with you last he knew,” he said.
“I do. It’s tucked in the bottom of my handbag,” I said. “You sound worried.”
“Well, yes, but it’s not about that.” I could hear the anxiety underlying Henry’s tone. “I hate to have to say this, but Charlie told Ray your current whereabouts because Ray convinced him you needed help.”
“How did Charlie know where I was?”
Henry sighed, burdened by the necessity for a full confession. “I wrote the name and number of the hotel on a pad near the phone. You know Charlie. He can barely hear under the best of circumstances. Somehow he got it in his head that Ray was a good friend and you wouldn’t care if he gave out the information. Especially since you were in trouble.”
“Oh, boy. The room number, too?”
“I’m afraid so,” Henry said. He sounded so guilty and miserable, I couldn’t protest, though I didn’t like the idea of Rawson knowing where I was. Henry went on. “I can’t believe the man would actually fly all the way to Dallas, but he’ll probably call, and I didn’t want you to be surprised or upset. I’m uneasy about this, Kinsey, but there’s nothing I can do.”
“Don’t worry about it, Henry. I appreciate the warning.”
“I could just wring Charlie’s neck.”
“I’m sure he was trying to be helpful,” I said. “Anyway, there’s probably no harm done. I don’t consider Ray Rawson any kind of threat.”
“I hope not. I feel terrible about leaving the information out in plain sight.”
“Don’t be silly. You had no reason to think anybody’d ask, and you couldn’t have known Rawson was going to show up like that.”
“Well, I know,” he said, “but I could have said something to the sibs. I gave Charlie a fussing at, but it’s myself I blame. It truly never occurred to me that he’d do such a thing.”
“Hey, what’s done is done. It’s not your fault.”
“You’re sweet to say so. All I could think to do was call as soon as possible. I think you should check out or at least change rooms. I don’t like the idea of his showing up on your doorstep. There’s something ‘off’ about the whole business.”
“I’d have to agree, but I’m not sure what to do. At the moment, I’m trying to keep a low profile around here,” I said.
I could tell I’d put Henry on red alert. “Why is that?” he asked.
“I don’t really want to go into it. Let’s just say that right now I don’t think it’s a smart move.”
“I don’t want you taking any chances. You were foolish getting on that plane in the first place. It’s none of your business, and the longer it goes on, the bigger mess it is.”
I smiled. “Chester hired me. This is work. Besides, it’s fun. I get to skulk around corridors and spy on folk.”
“Don’t be gone too long. We’ve got the wedding coming up.”
“I’m not going to forget that. I’ll be there. I promise.”
“Call me if there’s anything I can do to help.”
The minute he hung up, I crossed to the door and threw on the security chain. I thought about hanging the “Do Not Disturb” on the outside knob, but that would only announce to one and all that I was actually in the room. I began to pace, giving the situation my serious consideration. I felt curiously vulnerable now that Rawson knew where I was, though why that should have made a difference I wasn’t really sure. From what Chester’d said, he was in pretty bad shape, which would have made travel unpleasant to say the least. It would also cost him a bundle with no guarantee that I was still in Dallas. Of course, if he was wanted for questioning by the Santa Teresa cops, getting out of town wouldn’t be a bad move on his part. I didn’t really believe I was in any peril, but I wasn’t unmindful of the possibility. Whatever Rawson’s relationship to current events, it was clear he hadn’t given me the relevant facts. I would feel a lot safer if I were in another room.