incompetent?"
"Yeah. Management seems to think a lot of
her. I heard they brought her here from another hotel of theirs.
Maybe they're afraid they'll lose her if they fire him and figure
they can survive one low-level no-good for a while."
"Was he the one you were yelling at just
before my lesson?"
Rob eyebrows shot up in surprise, then he
grinned at her. "You heard? Yeah, probably everyone within a half
mile heard. The guy just.... Well, never mind.” He looked at her
empty plate, then back up at her. "Ready for dessert? Coffee? Or
maybe an after dinner drink?
Maggie decided not to ask Rob about what
Eric had said about Wimbledon. Not yet. She'd wait and see what Liz
could find out for her. She shook her head to the food and drink
suggestions.
"This dinner was huge and as you see I
polished it up. I think I'd better quit now.” Maggie pictured
Lori's notebook locked in her suitcase upstairs. She was eager to
get back to it. "I have some things to do tonight before I turn
in," she said. "Thanks for the company. I enjoyed it."
He rose as she did and
seemed on the verge of suggesting an extension to the evening, or
at least leaving with her, but she walked off quickly before he had
the chance. As she waited for the elevator she thought about her
last comment. She had enjoyed it - dinner with someone whom she considered a
possible murder suspect. Could he possibly know she considered him
that? And was he, perhaps, purposely charming her? For now, she
could only wonder.
She jabbed at the elevator button a second
time. Something seemed to be holding it up on two. As she gazed up
at the elevator lights, an angry voice nearby caught her attention.
Maggie turned and saw a fairly young woman whose air of cold
disapproval and severe hair style aged her. She was reprimanding
the night deskman, who cowered at her words.
"When are you going to learn this phone
system?" she scolded, like an angry schoolmarm. "I've gone over and
over it with you. Yesterday you lost a call for me, and now you've
lost a return call from the sheriff for my mother. She may not be
able to reach him again."
"I'm sorry Miss Crawford."
Miss Crawford. So that must be Kathryn
Crawford's daughter, who Holly seemed to dislike. Maggie could see
why. Not a pleasant person, at least where the hotel employees were
concerned. She turned back to face the elevator, still hearing the
woman going over the intricacies of the phone with exaggerated
patience, as though speaking to one mentally challenged. The
elevator doors opened and Maggie stepped in, punched in her floor
button and waited as the doors slowly closed.
So Kathryn Crawford had a return call from
the sheriff, she thought, as the elevator hummed and glided
smoothly upward. Did it have something to do with Lori's murder?
Why would the Highview manager be calling the sheriff this late in
the evening? Maggie wished she could be a fly and perch on the
woman's office wall for a while. What interesting things might she
learn?
Back in her room Maggie retrieved Lori's
black book and curled up on the bed to read it. She thought of
calling Dyna first, to see how she was feeling, but decided she'd
either interrupt sleep or meditations. She turned to the section
that dealt with Lori's work at the Highview.
"Made a real mess today - my first day on
the job! I piled too many things on my tray, and it started
tipping, and the coffee sloshed all over the scrambled eggs! Holly
showed me how to do it better. She makes it all look so easy."
"Burnelle stopped me as I was leaving and
said I did real well for a first day. That was so nice of her. That
made me feel good, especially after getting the evil eye from Ms.
Crawford anytime I passed by. I felt she was watching me, and that
made me more nervous."
Lori described a few more problems with
learning her job, and then things apparently smoothed out and she
moved on to other concerns. She talked about working with the local
blood drive, and encouraging her co-workers
"Yeah. Management seems to think a lot of
her. I heard they brought her here from another hotel of theirs.
Maybe they're afraid they'll lose her if they fire him and figure
they can survive one low-level no-good for a while."
"Was he the one you were yelling at just
before my lesson?"
Rob eyebrows shot up in surprise, then he
grinned at her. "You heard? Yeah, probably everyone within a half
mile heard. The guy just.... Well, never mind.” He looked at her
empty plate, then back up at her. "Ready for dessert? Coffee? Or
maybe an after dinner drink?
Maggie decided not to ask Rob about what
Eric had said about Wimbledon. Not yet. She'd wait and see what Liz
could find out for her. She shook her head to the food and drink
suggestions.
"This dinner was huge and as you see I
polished it up. I think I'd better quit now.” Maggie pictured
Lori's notebook locked in her suitcase upstairs. She was eager to
get back to it. "I have some things to do tonight before I turn
in," she said. "Thanks for the company. I enjoyed it."
He rose as she did and
seemed on the verge of suggesting an extension to the evening, or
at least leaving with her, but she walked off quickly before he had
the chance. As she waited for the elevator she thought about her
last comment. She had enjoyed it - dinner with someone whom she considered a
possible murder suspect. Could he possibly know she considered him
that? And was he, perhaps, purposely charming her? For now, she
could only wonder.
She jabbed at the elevator button a second
time. Something seemed to be holding it up on two. As she gazed up
at the elevator lights, an angry voice nearby caught her attention.
Maggie turned and saw a fairly young woman whose air of cold
disapproval and severe hair style aged her. She was reprimanding
the night deskman, who cowered at her words.
"When are you going to learn this phone
system?" she scolded, like an angry schoolmarm. "I've gone over and
over it with you. Yesterday you lost a call for me, and now you've
lost a return call from the sheriff for my mother. She may not be
able to reach him again."
"I'm sorry Miss Crawford."
Miss Crawford. So that must be Kathryn
Crawford's daughter, who Holly seemed to dislike. Maggie could see
why. Not a pleasant person, at least where the hotel employees were
concerned. She turned back to face the elevator, still hearing the
woman going over the intricacies of the phone with exaggerated
patience, as though speaking to one mentally challenged. The
elevator doors opened and Maggie stepped in, punched in her floor
button and waited as the doors slowly closed.
So Kathryn Crawford had a return call from
the sheriff, she thought, as the elevator hummed and glided
smoothly upward. Did it have something to do with Lori's murder?
Why would the Highview manager be calling the sheriff this late in
the evening? Maggie wished she could be a fly and perch on the
woman's office wall for a while. What interesting things might she
learn?
Back in her room Maggie retrieved Lori's
black book and curled up on the bed to read it. She thought of
calling Dyna first, to see how she was feeling, but decided she'd
either interrupt sleep or meditations. She turned to the section
that dealt with Lori's work at the Highview.
"Made a real mess today - my first day on
the job! I piled too many things on my tray, and it started
tipping, and the coffee sloshed all over the scrambled eggs! Holly
showed me how to do it better. She makes it all look so easy."
"Burnelle stopped me as I was leaving and
said I did real well for a first day. That was so nice of her. That
made me feel good, especially after getting the evil eye from Ms.
Crawford anytime I passed by. I felt she was watching me, and that
made me more nervous."
Lori described a few more problems with
learning her job, and then things apparently smoothed out and she
moved on to other concerns. She talked about working with the local
blood drive, and encouraging her co-workers
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