The Red Hotel (Sissy Sawyer Mysteries) by Graham Masterton Page B

applause, so that the atmosphere sounded almost festive.
    ‘So much for playing it down,’ said Sissy.
    ‘The poh-lice put out a statewide media appeal for Ella-mae,’ Luther told her. ‘And you know what folks are like. If something horrible has happened, they got to come along and gawp, even if they never get to see nothing. Look at them. You’d have thought they had something better to do.’
    A police officer unwound one of the tapes for them so that they could drive through and park on Lafayette Street, next to the hotel’s side entrance. Luther heaved himself out of the driver’s seat and led them inside. They crossed the lobby, where police and reporters were milling around, as well as several unhappy-looking guests, and made their way to Everett’s office. Compared to the street outside, the inside of the hotel was icy cold, and Sissy couldn’t help herself from giving one quick shiver.
    Everett was talking to Detective Garrity when Sissy and T-Yon and Luther came into his office. His red necktie was loose and his shirt was crumpled and his hair was even more mussed up than usual. His eyes looked puffy, too, as if he hadn’t slept well.
    He came around his desk and gave T-Yon a hug and a kiss.
    ‘So,
pischouette,
you came here anyhow! As if I didn’t know you would!’ Then he turned to Sissy and said, ‘Hi there. Welcome to The Red Hotel. You must be my sister’s boyfriend’s psychic aunt.’
    ‘Got it in one,’ said Sissy, holding out her hand. ‘I’m pleased to meet you, Everett, regardless of the circumstances. You can call me Sissy. It’s easier than saying “my sister’s boyfriend’s psychic aunt” every time.’
    Detective Garrity came over and clasped her hand too. ‘Detective Garrity, Baton Rouge Police Department,’ he announced himself. ‘Mr Savoie here tells me you’re something of a fortune-teller-slash-clairvoyant-slash-medium type.’
    ‘That’s roughly about right,’ said Sissy. ‘One of those fortune-teller-slash-clairvoyant-slash-medium types that you’re extremely suspicious of, considering your past dealings with such people.’
    Detective Garrity’s little black turtle eyes seemed to shrink to pinpoints. ‘Oh, yeah. And how would you happen to know that?’
    ‘Because I’m a fortune-teller-slash-clairvoyant-medium type, and because I’m very good at reading people’s auras. Everybody has an aura, and the moment you saw me and realized who I was, Detective Garrity, your aura went as dark as the sun going down.’
    ‘Oh yeah. And what did you surmise was the significance of that?’
    ‘It told me very explicitly that you don’t hold psychics in very high regard, and the most likely reason for
that
is because sometime in the not-too-distant past you have had an unpleasant or humiliating experience involving a psychic. Or fortune-teller-slash-whatever.’
    Detective Garrity stared at Sissy with those little pinpoint eyes for a very long moment. Then he gave her a very thin smile and said, ‘Good. You’re good. Even if you’re right, and I don’t hold psychics in very high regard.’
    T-Yon said, ‘Luther told us what’s been happening here. I really think that Sissy can help you to find out who’s responsible. Or
what
.’
    Everett glanced sharply at Luther, but Luther pulled a face and said, ‘They was going to find out sooner rather than later, so why not? Trying to keep a lid on it ain’t going to make one smidgen of difference, is it?’
    ‘You don’t think so? Detective Garrity has just been telling me that we may have to evacuate the entire hotel.’
    ‘I’m afraid that’s right,’ said Detective Garrity. ‘Even though we haven’t discovered any cadavers yet, the amount of blood that we’ve encountered makes it highly probable that we’re dealing with more than one act of homicide. It would be foolhardy in the extreme to allow guests to remain here in the hotel until we know for sure.’
    ‘Terrific, isn’t it?’ said Everett. ‘We