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CHAPTER FOUR

“I liked him,” I said while we searched for room 314. That’s where Dorinda Lake, the housekeeper who’d done turndown service on the honeymoon villa, was supposedly located.

“Oliver Harris?” Jack asked.

“Yeah,” I said. “Sometimes you meet people and you know they’re a really good person. Just deep down. He’d be a good friend.”

Jack’s mouth quirked at the corner, but he didn’t say anything. It was probably best I couldn’t read his mind.

We found Dorinda Lake in room 314. She was a short, plump woman with skin so pale it was almost translucent and shockingly dark corkscrew curls that were pulled back from her round face with a headband.

“Thank you for speaking with us,” Jack said. “We won’t take up much of your time.”

“Not a problem,” she said, giving us a sweet smile and stripping the sheets off the bed. “As long as I can talk while I work. I’m working this floor by myself today.”

“You were on shift last night?” Jack asked.

“I was,” she said, making the bed with shocking speed and snapping the covers so they were crisp. “I filled in for Linda so she could go to her daughter’s dance recital. I normally work the eight-to-four shift.”

She moved over and emptied the trash cans and gathered dirty dishes. “Would you look at that?” She showed us a plate filled with ashes and cigarette butts. “They know this is a no-smoking property, yet they do it anyway. Drives me mad. So disgusting. I always make a note so they get fined on their credit card, but most of the people who stay here have enough money that they don’t care. They’re used to doing what they want.”

She muttered to herself as she finished cleaning trash and clutter and then wiped down the surfaces.

“What time did you do turndown service for the honeymoon villa?” Jack asked.

“About eight thirty or so,” she said. “I saved it for last for turndown because I knew the guests weren’t scheduled to arrive until later.”

“Was anything out of place?” I asked.

“No,” she said, moving into the bathroom. She tossed damp towels out onto the floor, and then I heard the shower go on. “I did regular turndown service. I made sure the minibar was stocked, turned on enhancement lights, put on some mood music, and made sure the robes and slippers were in the closets.”

“Did you notice anyone hanging around while you were inside?” Jack asked.

Her head popped out the door. “No, but I’ll tell you I hate doing the turndown service to some of those villas at night. Not that there’s any reason not to feel safe here at The Mad King, but there’s just nothing out there. All you have is your imagination and the sound of trees and rushing water. It like to have scared me to death when Aidan came in to set up the back deck for a romantic scene.”

“Aidan Chisholm?” Jack asked, checking his notes from the names Margaret had given us. “From food service?”

“Yes, that’s right,” she said, getting her mop from the cart. “Sweet kid. He’s working his way through school. He’s doesn’t work on Saturdays because he’s on the rowing team at Roanoke College. He usually works Sundays though if you need to talk to him.”

“I appreciate the information,” Jack said. “What time did you finish with turndown service?”

“Around nine I would guess,” she said. “That’s one of the larger villas so it takes a little longer.”

“What about Aidan? Was he still there when you left?”

“He was,” she said. “But don’t think he had anything to do with this. He’s a good kid.”

“We don’t think that,” Jack assured her. “I just need to put a timeline together. How’d he arrive?”

“We each had a staff golf cart,” she said, setting out fresh towels. “That’s the only way to get all the way out there. I waved goodbye to him on my way out, but he was just about finished setting everything out as far as I could see. He probably didn’t leave too long after me.”

“You’ve been a big help,” Jack said. “Thanks again.”

“I hope you find whoever did this,” she said. “We’re a family here at The Mad King, and the thought that this could happen right under our noses has shaken everyone. We’ve had a few early checkouts, this room included. Mr. Harris is offering refunds to any of the guests who chose to leave.”

“From what I can see this is a safe and well-run property,” Jack said. “Sometimes there’s nothing we can do about evil.”

She nodded sagely. “That’s the scary part.”

We left her to her cleaning and then headed back down to the lobby. I saw Oliver Harris greeting new arrivals and gesturing them toward the check-in desk. Jack caught his attention, and we waited near the front doors until he was free.

“I know you’re headed to get some sleep,” Jack said. “But I had one more question after talking to Dorinda.”

“Doesn’t look like I’m going to get to sleep after all,” he said, with a tired smile. “So ask away.”

“Did you notice the mood music playing when you let the Vasilioses into their room?”

His brow furrowed, and he opened his mouth to answer and then closed it again. “Actually, now that you mention it, there was no music playing. Turning on the mood music is standard procedure when we do turndown service.”

“Thanks again for your time,” Jack said.

“Y’all come back and stay for a weekend when you’ve got some free time,” he said. “I’m happy to comp a couple of nights for you.”

“I told you I liked him,” I whispered as we left the resort.

* * *

“We need to find out more about our bride and groom,” Jack said once we were back in the car and headed toward Bloody Mary. “There has to be a pretty good reason to hunt down a couple on their honeymoon in a well-secured resort and gun them down.”

“Between the guest and staff list, the golf cart logs, and the security footage we’ve got a lot of information to sift through,” I said.

“I’m sure Doug can help us narrow things down with the security cameras and the golf carts,” Jack said. “He’s got to earn his keep somehow.”

“You know Doug will enjoy the technology. It’s pretty fancy that all the EV golf carts have a tracking system. We can see if anyone was in close proximity to the honeymoon villa. Maybe we’ll get lucky.”

“Because things always turn out that easy,” Jack said, rolling his eyes. “I’ll bet you a hundred bucks we’re not dealing with a simple double homicide.”

“A hundred bucks?” I asked. “Do you know what the county pays me? I’ll bet twenty. I know my limits. Maybe you could use the other eighty to buy me lunch. Or do you just plan to starve your unborn child?”

“You just had two scones,” Jack said. “And I saw you sneak that other one in your bag.”

“A scone isn’t lunch,” I said. “I want gyros.”

“At this rate people are going to know you’re pregnant in no time,” Jack said under his breath.

“What was that?” I asked, not sure I’d heard him correctly.

“I said is there anything else?”

I stared at him, not sure I believed him, but he had his blank face on that he used when he played poker.

“No,” I said. “I’m a simple woman. And I can always be bought with food.”

“Our bank account thanks you,” Jack said. “Gyros are much cheaper than diamonds. Though I’m not sure it’s best for long-term investing.”

“Are you kidding? What’s more long-term investing than feeding your unborn child a gyro? Think about how cute and fat he’ll be when he comes out.”

“Well, in that case,” Jack said, turning into Gyro Heroes and pulling into the drive-thru line.

While we waited, Jack put in a call to Lieutenant Derby in IT.

“Hey, Sheriff,” Derby said. “Heard you caught a good one this morning.”

“Something like that,” Jack said. “Have you had a chance to run backgrounds on our victims?”

“I just emailed them to you about two minutes ago,” Derby said. “You recognize the last name Vasilios?”

“Never heard of it,” Jack said.

“Me either, but apparently Theo’s father was the ambassador to Greece under the last administration. You’re going to get pushback on this one.”

“He’s not an ambassador anymore,” Jack said. “I’d hope he’d want me to find out what happened to his son and new daughter-in-law.”

“Yeah, well, maybe he’ll surprise you,” Derby said. “Here’s what I’ve got on the vic. Theo Vasilios is forty-six years old and moved to Newcastle full-time last year. He’s got a couple-million-dollar house and an owner’s stake in a few restaurants that don’t bring in the kind of revenue to make that house payment.”

“Maybe he’s got family money,” Jack said. “We’ll check his financials. So we’ve got a dead Greek playboy and his new young wife.”

“His nineteen-year-old wife,” Derby said.

Jack’s brows rose at that. “Unusual, but not illegal. What’s her story?”

“That’s where things get interesting,” Derby said. “Cursory background report shows the cleanest history of all histories. Not even a parking ticket.”

“She is only nineteen,” Jack said wryly. “Hold on a second, Derby.”

Jack paused and put in our orders at the window.

“I wouldn’t mind a gyro,” Derby said. “Extra tzatziki sauce.”

Jack’s lips twitched, but he added to our order and then proceeded up the line. “Go ahead, Derby.”

“Where was I?” Derby asked.

“Chloe Vasilios,” Jack said. “She doesn’t even have a parking ticket.”

“Right,” he continued. “Get this. Her parents’ names are John and Jane Matthews, but they’re both listed as deceased as of last year. Car wreck. Looks like she was homeschooled. She’s got a driver’s license that lists a Texas address. No college. No employment history until last June. She worked at The Corner Café in DC for just under a month before she went to work for Theo Vasilios.”

“Really?” Jack asked, giving me a curious look. “That’s definitely worth looking into a little closer. We’re heading back to HQ now. Thanks for the info, Derby.”

“Thanks for the gyro,” Derby said and disconnected.

“Go ahead and drop me at the funeral home before you give Derby his gyro,” I said. “I’ll get started on the autopsy. I’m curious what a girl with no past might have to show me.”

“I’m going to send some of this information to Doug,” Jack said as we drove through the tranquil streets of Bloody Mary. “He can start the process of elimination. And I need to take a couple of hours and check in with my detectives. This wasn’t our only murder last night.”

“Ahh, big city progress,” I said.

“The crime in King George Proper is escalating,” Jack said. “It’s a college and a military town, and both have coexisted well for all the decades. But we’re starting to see gang violence and an increase in drugs coming in from across the river. Unfortunately our friends over there are more than happy to let them make our lives hell instead of stopping them on their side of the line.”

“Well, if I’ve learned anything about city government it’s that someone is always passing the buck. But I also know something they don’t know.”

“What’s that?” Jack asked.

“I know you are the last person they should want to tangle with. You always get your man.”

He laughed uneasily and squeezed my hand. Jack wasn’t always comfortable with compliments.

Bloody Mary was one of the four towns that made up King George County. It was where Jack and I had both grown up, and it was a simpler life, even today. It was a town of large lots and old homes where people still sat on their porches in the evenings drinking sweet tea. It was a place where generations chose to stay and raise their families, many of them descendants from when King George County was originally settled back in the 1700s. American flags waved as freely as the opinions.

Jack turned onto Catherine of Aragon, and the large red-brick Colonial that had once belonged to my grandparents came into view. There were two towering oaks in the front—one on each side of the sidewalk that led to the wide front steps and double door entrance. On the north side was the guest parking lot, and on the south side was the portico where we loaded and unloaded bodies.

The Suburban was parked under the portico, and Jack pulled up behind it. He leaned over to give me a kiss goodbye.

“I’ll be a few hours at least,” I said.

“I’ve got more than enough on my plate to stay busy, but I’ll come hang out when I’m finished. I’ll make sure Sheldon doesn’t end up as someone’s old lady.”

I’d forgotten about the Hells Angels, but I snorted out a laugh and kissed him again before opening the door. “Thanks for the gyro.”