“Do you have a name?”
“We made the decision not to touch anything until you guys got here. We wanted you to see the scene as we found it.”
“Good call.”
“We’ve requested Crime Scene detectives and footage from all the cameras. The manager said corporate will want warrants, so we asked Captain Malone to get them moving.”
“Great work. Take me up.”
“Uh, Sarge,” Youncy said, “the manager is insisting on being present for everything we do.”
“Is he now?”
“Yeah, he’s been a pain in the ass.”
“What his name?”
“Mr. Wright,” Clare said.
“No first name?”
“He didn’t provide it.”
“Where can I find Mr. Wright?”
“This way, Sarge,” Youncy said.
They led Gonzo into the lobby, where a nervous-looking man with thinning blond hair and wire-rimmed glasses was surrounded by staff in uniform, all of whom were so focused on him they failed to notice the cops approaching them.
“Mr. Wright?” Gonzo said, loud enough to be heard over the others.
The wiry man nearly jumped out of his light gray suit and bow tie. “Th-that’s me. I’m the manager. And you are?”
He showed his badge. “Sergeant Tommy Gonzales with the Metropolitan Police Department Homicide unit. I’d like to see the victim, please.”
“We… we can’t be sure he was killed in our hotel.”
Gonzo tipped his head. “You want to run that by me one more time?”
“What I’m saying is he could’ve been killed anywhere and left here to cause trouble for us.”
“So you think a murder in your hotel is intended to cause trouble for you? What about the trouble it’s caused him and his family?”
“Of course that’s of paramount concern to us.”
“Of course.” Gonzo hoped the sarcasm landed. “Take me to him. Now.”
“There’s no need to be hostile,” Wright said.
“I wasn’t at all hostile until you placed concern for the hotel above that of a murdered man.”
“When did I do that? Cindy, Louise, Russell, did any of you hear me do that?”
“No, sir,” they said in unison, as if they’d been programmed to do so.
“You’re wasting my time,” Gonzo told him. “If you’d like to be there when I view the body, I suggest you take me there immediately. Otherwise, I’ll go without you.”
Gonzo could tell Wright wanted to argue but wisely decided against it.
