Page 13 of Be Our Ghost (The Duchess Hotel #2)

“Celia thought the negative energy might be coming from Maeve,” Charlie said.

“She’s the front desk clerk who was murdered.

She was only twenty-one, and she’d been with the hotel since it first opened.

You can see her right here.” Charlie pointed to a black-and-white picture.

“This is a staff photo taken at the Grand Opening in 1922. I’m not sure why she risked her job to sneak off with Howard Delacroix to one of the hotel rooms. Even back then, romantic liaisons between the staff and the guests were strictly forbidden.

Did Howard pay her for her services? Offer to make her his mistress?

Or was she genuinely in love with him and hoped it would work out?

There’s no way to know. But she ended up dead because of it.

” The deeper Charlie probed, the more she sympathized with Maeve’s plight.

“That’s just heartbreaking,” Rosie said. “Did you find out anything else about her?”

“No. Sadly, there wasn’t even an obituary. Celia did a thorough search but couldn’t locate anyone related to her.”

“I wonder if her family was still back in Ireland,” Laurel said. “Do you think they ever learned about her death?”

“Imagine having no one to mourn you.” Rosie’s voice was subdued. “Poor Maeve.”

Charlie couldn’t help but wonder what had become of Maeve’s body. According to Celia, both Howard and Frances had been interred in Ross Bay Cemetery, the oldest burial ground in Victoria. But there was no evidence Maeve had a headstone anywhere.

“So…moving on. I want to talk about the next bit of evidence.” Charlie pointed to a series of handwritten pages taped to the board.

“I found boxes of old files on the hotel’s staff—annual reviews, salary charts, and incidents when they were written up for infractions.

A lot of them got in trouble for refusing to go into the storage room.

Many claimed they’d been locked in. One woman was fired after she insisted she’d been stuck there for three hours.

She was accused of using the room to take a nap, but I have a hunch the door wasn’t behaving. ”

“This is so fascinating,” Laurel said. “You’re like an investigative reporter.”

“Speaking of reporters…” Charlie pointed to a photocopy of a page from one of the hotel’s earliest ledgers.

“This entry is from 1924, and it’s dated around the time of the tragedy.

Two lump-sum payments were made to The Victoria Daily Times and The British Colonist —Victoria’s two major newspapers.

Neither one ever published anything about the murders. ”

“Do you think they were paid off?” Selena asked.

“Without a doubt. I scoured the ledgers and didn’t see any other instances of a payment like this occurring in 1924 or 1925. Assuming they were bribes, that could be the reason the papers kept this incident quiet.”

“Can we come look at the board?” Laurel asked.

“Sure.” Charlie swelled with pride. She’d never tackled a project like this before, and she was pleased at how much she’d discovered in such a short time.

As they crowded around the board, Rosie placed a hand on her shoulder. “I can’t believe you pulled this off during a week filled with needy guests. Knox must have been so impressed.”

“I guess.” Charlie shrugged. “I sent him an email this morning with all my notes. He said he’d forward it to Logan.”

Selena pinned Charlie in her gaze. “You didn’t show him this fabulous murder board in person?”

Charlie’s cheeks tingled with heat. “No. I figured he was too busy. Anyway, I’m done with my presentation. Let’s move on to our fall events.” She took a seat at the conference table.

Laurel sat back down and passed her a plate of cookies. “Take one. Last night, I needed a sugar fix and made peanut butter chocolate-chunk cookies.”

Charlie grabbed one and bit into it, savoring the crumbly texture and the tasty blend of peanut butter and chocolate. “Thanks. Your cookies are the best.”

Once Rosie and Selena joined them at the table, Charlie expected them to start reviewing the hotel’s upcoming activities. But Selena spoke first. “Charlie, you need to tell us what happened between you and Knox. I thought things were going well.”

Charlie flinched, wishing she could fade away like a ghost, rather than endure the Damsels’ scrutiny. “They were, but I think it’s hopeless. He’s not a romantic guy.”

“I don’t buy it,” Selena said. “And I’m not letting you wimp out. Not when you’ve come this far. You need more courage.”

“Courage?” Charlie burst out laughing. “I’ve gotten out of my comfort zone a lot this month. I invited Knox over to my apartment, I got locked in a haunted storage room, and I’m halfway through a Stephen King book. How’s that for courage?”

Selena shook her head. “It’s not enough. You need to try harder.”

Charlie groaned. Why couldn’t Selena understand she’d never have that kind of confidence? “This thing with me and Knox isn’t going to happen. Can we please move on?”

“Nope, because we need you to help us out.” Laurel passed the plate of cookies to Rosie. “Take another one. Or save one for Drew. I don’t need all these cookies tempting me.”

“Why do you need my help?” Charlie asked. “Isn’t it enough that I spent days researching the hotel’s sordid past?”

“We appreciate all the work you did,” Rosie said.

“But there’s one event we want to add to our calendar, and we can’t do it unless Knox cooperates.

We want to hold a costume contest at the Gilded Lily on Friday, October twenty-third.

It would include themed cocktails, fun prizes, and a DJ. The last time I asked him, he said no.”

Selena snorted. “He said ‘no way in hell,’ if I recall correctly. So, we need you to talk him into it. After everything you’ve done for him, he owes you.”

While it was true he owed her, he wouldn’t be enthused about holding a costume party at the bar. Even if he liked Halloween, he hated dressing up. “Do I have to?”

“Yes,” Rosie said. “We’ve got plenty of kid-friendly activities planned for October, starting with our first ‘Spooky Saturday’ on the third.

Lots of crafts, cookie decorating, a kiddie costume party, and a magician who dresses in wizard’s robes.

We’ve also got two family-friendly ghost tours scheduled with Celia, but we need an adults-only event. ”

Charlie knew when she was outgunned. If she didn’t try to convince Knox, the Damsels would keep hounding her until she conceded.

“Okay, I’ll do it. But you’re all going to be in my debt.”