Taking a deep breath, she held up a hand and made a fist. Reaching forward, she knocked delicately on the door and returned her hand to her side. She heard the faintest sounds coming from the other side of the door. Someone was on their way to answer.
Beth swallowed hard once again and realised that her mouth was dry.
It was time for the big reveal.
Chapter 24
The moment the suite door opened, Beth knew that she didn’t have anything to fear, at least right then, from Ryan or indeed Billy.
Because the guy standing there was a complete stranger.
He was an older, greying, but distinguished-looking man. He had on a deep navy suit – obviously well cut – and was adjusting the cuffs of his dress shirt, as if he had just thrown his jacket on and was rushing out the door to go to a glittering event downstairs in the Grand Ballroom. She noticed immediately the large cufflinks – sapphires, she was sure.
In short, his whole demeanour told of wealth.
‘Yes?’ he said with a heavy accent that Beth guessed was Middle Eastern, or maybe Russian. ‘May I help you?’ Rather than look annoyed at the interruption, though, the man’s ice-blue eyes danced a little, as if he was intrigued by his visitor.
Beth swallowed hard as her heart jumped in her chest. It was only when he shifted his weight from one foot to the other that she realised she was staring at him with an open mouth, silent. Her brain was struggling to make sense of too many things at once. But one thing was for sure – she needed to saysomething.
‘Er, I’m sorry. But I was just passing,’ she lied, ‘and this glove was sitting outside your door. I thought that maybe you or someone from this room dropped it by accident.’ Beth felt proud of herself. Even with the mental conundrum she was currently facing, she was impressed that she had been able to come up with a semi-believable fib off the cuff like that.
However, instead of answering her, the man merely smiled at her, as if he was goading her, knowing full well that she was making up an excuse for knocking on his door.
‘A glove, you say, yes?’ he asked again, seemingly accentuating his accent.
‘This glove,’ Beth said, holding it up for him to see. ‘Right outside your door – here – on the floor.’ She pointed as if the man needed this sort of instruction to understand what she was talking about.
But maddeningly, he simply nodded and continued to smile, as if he was well aware of where she had found the glove. Probably because he put it there, Beth thought. She waited for him to answer her, but clearly the guy would have easily beaten her in a game of poker, because she folded first. ‘So, is this yours? Do you have the pair?’
The man smiled. ‘You are assuming thereisa pair.’
Beth’s brow furrowed. Another riddle obviously.Of course there is a pair, like shoes, gloves always come in pairs.She shrugged. ‘Well, with all due respect, that’s the way gloves normally come.’
‘Hmm, yes. Well, I would agree. Gloves do usually come in pairs. However, I have no idea if in fact this glove has a match, as it is not mine.’
Beth’s was taken aback. If not his, then who did the glove belong to?
‘Then, perhaps whomever you are travelling with dropped it?’ Beth offered, attempting to peer around the man and see if anyone else was in the suite.
But he blocked her view. ‘I’m sorry, but my wife does not own this glove. She already has a pair; it’s cold outside, no?’
Beth felt as if this entire situation was turning into one big circus. What was this guy playing at? Clearly he was involved in this, and if he was anything like the others he was supposed to be helping her, moving her along to the next destination, the next stage in the hunt. So why did he continue blanking her and pretending not to know anything while looking at her like the cat that ate the canary?
Beth sighed. She was tired, it had been a horrible day, and she really thought that this was it – she was going to get somewhere at the Waldorf. Right then she was only seconds away from screaming out in frustration, but instead, she simply decided to call his bluff.
‘Right it’s cold outside. I know. December in New York can be like that. But look, you and I both know I was supposed to find this glove, OK? I heard your room door open and close from all the way down by the elevator. That’s where I was sitting. That’s why I’m at this hotel today in the first place. I have a five-dollar bill with the number twenty-three written on it and that’s how I knew I was supposed to be on this floor. And because of the book, too and—’
She stopped talking abruptly, primarily because she realised just how crazy she was beginning to sound. If by some chance this man wasn’t involved in this treasure hunt, then he was likely only seconds shy of calling hotel security on her. She shook her head. ‘Sorry about that. I have a tendency to ramble sometimes.’
The man’s face softened, the way someone would upon witnessing the precociousness of a small child. ‘It’s OK, I heard.’
Beth’s eyes narrowed and she immediately went straight back on high alert. So hewasinvolved.Somehow.‘What do you mean, you heard? From who—’
But the man cut her off. He was playing coy with her. And he wasn’t going to answer her either, that much she understood. ‘You know, I think your best bet would be to return that glove to hotel lost and found. That’s what I would do.’
Beth opened her mouth to speak when suddenly she heard a woman’s voice calling out from inside the suite. ‘Yuri? Who is at the door?’ The voice also held an accent, but one that was different from the man’s, and Beth leaned in to see if she could get a look at who was speaking. For some reason the voice seemed familiar. But maybe she was going crazy. God knew, after today she had every reason to be.
But the man, whose name it seemed was Yuri, immediately went on the defensive. Evidently he hadn’t counted on someone else interrupting their conversation. He took a sharp step back from the door, as if indicating the subject was now closed and their discussion over. Beth was sure that he was about to shut it in her face. ‘Lost and found. Try there. That’s what you should do,’ he reiterated as Beth continued to stand in place.
