“There’s no video,” she blurted before snapping her mouth shut.“I shouldn’t have told you that.”
“What do you mean no video?”Ezra asked suspiciously.“You probably have a dozen cameras up there.”
We hadn’t noticed any, but it stood to reason.
“We have two.One pointed at the hydrotherapy pool area and one by the bar.It’s an exclusive area, and our guests pay for privacy, so we don’t put cameras on the hot tubs, the steam room, or in any of the shower or bathroom areas.”
“You said you have one on the pool,” he poked.“I don’t understand the problem.”
“And it’s not your problem to understand,” she gritted out between her teeth in a hushed voice.“But, if you must know, there was evidence of rodents near the camera’s mount, and the wiring in the back had been chewed through.There is no video.”
I crossed my arms over my chest.“Isn’t that convenient.”
Hansen gave me a chastising glance.“There’s not a single thing convenient about it, Ms.Black.Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to get back to work.”
“Hey,” I said before she could get away.“Did you inform Callie Caldwell about her husband’s death yet?”Before she could lecture me on open investigations again, I added, “She’s my neighbor.I don’t want to say the wrong thing if I run into her.”
Hansen sighed, then nodded.“Not yet,” she told us.“She wasn’t in her cabin last night.”My face must’ve registered alarm because the security chief continued.“We have a few all-night activities open, like the casino and such.I’m getting ready to go to her suite now and try again.”
“I’d ask if you’ll keep us informed,” Ezra told her, “but I’m pretty sure I know the answer.”
“Now we’re starting to understand each other,” Hansen said.“If I require anything more from the two of you, I’ll come find you.”She whipped around on her heel and speed-walked away.
I looked at Ezra.“Did you buy that about the rat?”
“Oh, I definitely think there’s a rat,” he said.“But the kind that moves on two legs, not four.”
Speaking of rats, where was Callie?Her scarcity kept her at the top of the suspect board, and it would take overwhelming evidence and a strong alibi to change my mind.
ChapterSeven
Scott and Jordy talked Ezra into teeing off for eighteen rounds on the golf simulator on deck twelve.That left Gilly, Pippa, and me to our own devices, and I had a few ideas of my own on how we should spend the rest of our morning.”
“How would you ladies like a spa treatment?”I asked my two besties.“It’s on Captain Steve.”I’d told them about the captain’s bribe to keep me quiet.Well, a sixty-minute massage and a facial would keep me quiet for at least two hours.
Gilly looked uncertain.“I’m not sure that invitation extends past you.I don’t want it to get awkward.”
Gilly was a board-certified licensed masseuse, and she offered her clients a wide variety of massages, including sports, chakra, deep tissue, stone, trigger point, and, recently, she’d trained in oncology massage.When she told me she was doing it, I’d gotten emotional.My mother had died from cancer.It was such a terrible illness, and that she had trained to bring comfort to people who were in constant pain...well, it made me love my BFF even more.I already loved her to infinity and back, so loving her more achieved the impossible.On top of that, she offered the massages for free to the people in our community who were battling the disease.If they were handing out sainthoods at the pearly gates, I had a feeling there was a badge up there waiting for Gilly to pick up.
“I won’t hear another word on the matter,” I told her in a tone that brook no argument.“The captain wanted me to relax and get back to enjoying my vacation, and I can’t do that without the two of you.”
Pippa giggled.“I’ll take a free spa treatment.I’ve been meaning to get a facial for two months and haven’t had the time.”
“Then I think it’s time we went and found Natalie Carmine, and get the VIP treatment.”
Guest services was on deck four, and I asked for directions after we meandered for about ten minutes without finding it.It turned out that it was just several desks lined up in an alcove behind the photo villa and Wi-Fi lounge.Four women and two men in blue pants and white shirts helped guests book shore excursions, salon and spa appointments, and dinner reservations at the specialty restaurants on the fifth floor.
There was a leggy blonde with a nighttime amount of makeup on her face standing over a podium as she flipped the pages of what looked like a ledger.I was going to ask her if she knew where we could find Natalie, but I had to look no further.
“Hello,” I said, trying not to startle her.
She looked up, nonplussed.“Hello,” she greeted back.“Can I help you?”
Suddenly, I felt a little jittery.I’d been confident when I assured Pippa and Gilly I could get us all a free spa day, but uncertainty reared its ugly head.“Captain Steve told me to find you today.He said to say I was a special friend, and you’d book me...uhm, and my friends, some spa treatments, on him.
The corner of her mouth tugged up into a half smile.Close up, I could see she overlined her lips to give them a fuller, more sensuous look.It totally worked at a distance, but the illusion didn’t hold from a foot or two away.Still, she was an attractive woman, and she had an air of confidence and authority.
“Any friend of Captain Steve’s is a friend of mine,” she said genially.“I’m more than happy to get your treatments booked.Do you want to look over the spa menu for a moment?Or do you know what you want?”
