Page 75

“Any luck?” she asked.
“No. He got away.”
She nodded and returned to watching two officers gingerly walking through the room, the smaller of the pair scribbling in a small notebook in between taking photographs with a digital camera. The bathroom door was open, as was the closet, and their clothes were scattered across the bed and floor. Sam frowned as he took in the ransacked area and then led Remi down the hall, where the desk clerk and the night manager were standing in the shadows.
The manager came forward, obviously distraught.
“I’m so sorry, sir. Please accept the hotel’s apologies. This has never happened before.”
“Just our luck, then,” Remi said. “It’s been that kind of a trip.”
Documenting the crime scene took half an hour, during which time the pair of officers established that the room’s safe had been broken into and Remi’s tablet stolen but the passports left behind. Once Sam and Remi wer
e allowed in the room, Sam’s eyes strayed to the satellite phone still charging on the table. Remi’s gaze followed his to the phone, and then he turned to the officers.
“Does it strike you as strange that they didn’t take that?” Sam asked, his tone neutral.
The taller of the two shrugged. “Maybe they were afraid the telephone could be tracked. We do have TV here, you know.”
Sam kept his tone even. “And our passports?”
Same shrug. “Nothing they could do with them on the island.”
“They couldn’t sell them?”
The cop shook his head and looked at his partner. “Who’d want to buy your passports?”
Apparently, there wasn’t a thriving market for stolen documents on Guadalcanal because the officers looked honestly puzzled by Sam’s question. Sam didn’t push it and allowed them to finish their report before signing, as requested, at the bottom. Remi went to the door, peered into the hall, and then turned and addressed the taller of the two policemen.
“Maybe there’s a security camera that caught something?” she suggested. “I see a mirrored dome mounted to the ceiling. That’s probably what it is.”
They appeared surprised by the suggestion, but he nodded. “We’ll go check with the manager.” With a final look around, the taller officer shook his head. “It’s a shame this happened—we’ll do everything we can to recover your possessions. But with the town agitated like it’s been lately, people behave in strange ways. I’m sorry your trip to the Solomons was a bad one,” he said as though he personally was to blame for the robbery.
“I’m sure you’ll do your best,” Sam said, trying to maintain a calm demeanor.
Sam and Remi followed the officers to the front desk. The night manager was standing behind the seated night clerk, fidgeting. When the police asked him about the security cameras, he studied his shoes with a sheepish expression before answering.
“System’s been down since last week.”
“What?” Remi blurted.
“It died on us. Takes forever to get parts. Thing’s twenty years old,” he explained.
“Tell me this is a bad joke,” she said.
“I’m sorry, ma’am. Believe me, I wish it was working as much as you do.”
Sam touched her arm, and, after a moment, her shoulders relaxed.
“Come on. Let’s get the room cleaned up.” He turned back to the unhappy manager. “I’m assuming you can find another room for us.”
“Of course, sir. Call when you’re ready to move and I’ll come personally to show you your new suite.”
Remi didn’t say anything until they were almost to the room. When she did, it was in a low voice.
“Do you have the same feeling I do?”
“Being violated?”