In the space of a single second, his expression morphed from surprised to worried to curious. “Can I see it?”
“You’ll have to ask the HR department.” I smiled as I echoed what Theo had told me earlier.
Before Wyatt had a chance to question my statement, a noisy truck rumbled by, making further conversation impossible for several seconds. A damp gust of wind sent dry leaves hurtling down the street, and a few drops of rain pattered down around us.
“Let’s debrief inside,” Theo suggested once the truck had passed us. Actually, it sounded more like an order than a suggestion.
She took the ramp off to the side of the staircase, and Livy ran that way with her. Wyatt and I took the stairs. I deliberately hung back a pace so he wouldn’t see me as I desperately ran my hands through my hair, hoping I didn’t look like too much of a mess. I hadn’t bothered checking my reflection in the mirror before running out the door to meet Livy at her school.
Once I pulled out my keys and unlocked the Mirage’s front door, Wyatt held it open for the three of us to pass through before him.
“Auntie Emersyn, can we play hide-and-seek?” Livy asked once we were in the lobby.
“Oh, hon, I don’t know,” I said, hating to disappoint her. “This might not be the best time.”
“I love hide-and-seek,” Theo said. “I’ll play.”
Livy jumped with excitement. “Yes! And you too, right, Auntie Em?”
“I need to talk to Wyatt, sweetie,” I said, “but maybe after.”
Wyatt grinned at my niece. “We can multitask. Who’s it?”
“I am!” Theo declared.
I stopped Livy before she could take off at a run. “This floor only, okay? And Freddie’s office is off-limits.”
I hadn’t yet told her that Freddie was dead, and I didn’t want her seeing any bloodstains that might still be on the floor.
“Don’t worry,” Theo said. “The office is locked.”
Did she know that because she’d tried the door? Had she picked the lock and snooped inside? Did I even want to know?
Livy slid her arms out of the straps of her backpack. “Can you hold my bag, Auntie Em?”
“Hang it on the back of my chair,” Theo offered. “It’ll fit over my bag.”
“Thanks!” Livy hooked her nearly empty backpack on top of Theo’s.
“Better get ready to hide,” Theo advised us. “I’m counting to fifty.” She placed her hands over her eyes and started to count out loud.
Livy let out an adorable squeak and took off at a run, heading down the corridor to the right. I skirted around the lobby’s marble goddess statue and took the hallway leading into the wing that had once housed the hotel’s ballroom, restaurant, and kitchen. Those spaces had since been broken up into apartments and a common area, but thanks to previous games I’d played with Livy, I knew of a place where I could hide.
I realized that Wyatt was keeping pace with me. “What are you doing?” I asked.
“Same as you,” he replied.
I opened a door.
Wyatt peeked over my shoulder into the dark cubbyhole of a space. “What’s this?”
“It’s the old dumbwaiter shaft, but the dumbwaiter’s long gone, so it’s empty now.” And the bottom of the shaft was right in front of me.
Fortunately, the shaft had housed a full-height dumbwaiter, so I didn’t have to stoop to get through the narrow door. I slipped into the small space and reached for the doorknob. I almost got a handful of Wyatt’s jacket instead.
“This is my hiding spot,” I said as he followed me in.
“How can we compare notes if we’re in two different places?”
