The women talked at length, both agreeing the situation was worth monitoring closely.
After ending the call, Morgan waved her phone in the air. “Grace has already run an ICHAT background check. Hailey was arrested last year on drug charges with intent to distribute.”
“Not good. What about Greg?” Wyatt asked. “He and Hailey spend a lot of time together. What does he think?”
“He’s on her side, although I’m not sure if he’s aware of the drug charges,” Morgan sighed. “He gave me Hailey’s version of what happened. With this new information, maybe we should have another conversation.”
“The sooner, the better,” Wyatt said.
*****
Morgan sat facing the café door, waiting for her lunch date to arrive.
Greg stepped inside, his eyes scanning the room until he noticed her. He gave Morgan a friendly wave and hurried over. “Hey, Morgan.”
“Good afternoon, Greg. Thanks for meeting me here on such short notice.” She slid the menu across the table. “Ariel Vanmeter insists they have the best homemade chicken noodle soup on the island, and the sandwiches sound tasty.”
“I love soup and a sandwich on a cold winter’s day.” He hung his coat on the back of the chair and took the seat opposite her. “Got the driveway all plowed, and the sidewalks shoveled. Ronni told me that we’re booked solid for the weekend into next week.”
Morgan tapped the side of her forehead. “Ronni is a marketing genius. Ever since she started running ads with pictures of cross-country skiers, business has picked up.”
“Using the photo of Harlow standing on our porch didn’t hurt either,” he reminded her.
It was true. The combination of splurging on a half-page mainland ad showing Ronni clad in cross-country skiing gear with a pristine, wintry backdrop of snow-covered trees behind her, along with the photo of the famous actress standing on Locke Pointe’s front porch had helped boost bookings.
“It sure hasn’t.” Multiple times Morgan had been asked about the actress, her visit, how long she’d stayed. A few guests had even hinted that they hoped to meet the star during their visit.
Perhaps Harlow would return to Easton Island, but from a recent conversation with her father, David Wynn, it wouldn’t happen anytime soon. The woman had her hands full dealing with sneaky paparazzi who had infiltrated the Mackinac Island community, publishing some scandalous rumors in national rag magazines. She’d learned the jerks made big bucks depending on how “good” the dirt they dug up was.
If the stories were true, Harlow’s ex had somehow convinced her to sign a contract working alongside another big name star—Derrick Flynn—an actor who had a reputation for being difficult.
A server arrived to take their order. Morgan waited until she left before broaching the reason for her lunch invitation. “How is Hailey?”
“Good.” Greg licked his lips and looked away. “She’s uh…been busy working a lot since she got back from her time off.”
“I bet. Have you heard anything else about the investigation?”
“With Grady MacDonald?”
Morgan nodded.
“No. Maybe he realized Hailey didn’t do anything wrong and decided to drop it.”
“Has Hailey said anything else to you about what happened that day?”
“She mentioned it again. Like I said before, she was cleaning her regular floor of rooms. The man in the room was a loner and kept to himself. He was supposed to check out, but didn’t. Hailey went to his room and knocked on the door. No one answered, so she let herself in using her key, and that’s when she found him.”
“Did she say how he died?”
“Drug overdose.”
Morgan could feel the blood drain from her face. “The man died of a drug overdose.”
“Yeah. Pretty sad, huh?”
“Very sad.”
The conversation paused when the server arrived with their food. Creamy chicken noodle soup and half a BLT sandwichwere the perfect combination. Hungrier than she realized, Morgan gobbled up her food, beating Greg, who was still working on his grilled ham and cheese.
