Casey Mayes - A Killer Column

“It’s Mrs.,” I said when he caught up with us.

“Mrs. Stone,” he corrected himself. “I believe I told you that you were supposed to check those bags with our service.”

“Sorry, but I don’t respond well to orders. You can ask him if you don’t believe me,” I added as I pointed to Zach.

“She hasn’t so far, but I keep hoping,” my husband answered amiably.

The clerk looked at me as if I’d lost my mind. “But you heard Mrs. Duncan’s wishes on the matter.”

“I heard what you said just fine.”

He looked a little relieved by this information. “Then you’re going in the wrong direction. Our claim service is over there.”

“I know perfectly well where it is. I just choose not to go there.”

Now he really looked confused. I winked at Zach, who remained silent as he winked back at me.

“Then where are you going?”

“I don’t see how that’s any of your business. Mrs. Duncan’s wishes are not my orders. We had an agreement, and if she is choosing to alter it, I have the right not to accept her new terms. Please tell her that if she’d like her husband’s suitcases back, she knows how to reach me.” I doubted very much if Cary had the slightest clue where I was staying while I was in Raleigh, but I didn’t think it would come to that.

“Would you indulge me for two minutes before you leave?” he asked.

I turned to my husband. “What do you think, Zach?” “It’s your call,” he said.

“Two minutes,” I said.

“Thank you so much,” the clerk said as he scurried back to his desk.

After he was out of earshot, Zach said, “I’ve got to hand it to you. That was inspired.”

“I have my moments,” I said.

“Are you watching the clock?”

I shook my head. “I can’t imagine that I’ll have to.” I looked back at the desk and saw the clerk walking rapidly toward us. For a moment, I had a devilish impulse to run away, the suitcases in tow, but I fought it and waited for his return.

“She’ll see you now,” he said, the poor man nearly out of breath.

“Very good. The room number?”

“One-two-two-one,” he said.

“Thank you.”

“Thank you,” he said. He stood there waiting until Zach and I took the suitcases and walked toward the elevator instead of the exit. What was the clerk planning to do if we made a run for it, tackle us both? He might be able to bring me down, but I would have paid good money to watch him try to keep my husband from doing anything he really wanted to do.

When we got on the elevator, Zach pushed 12, and as soon as the doors closed, we burst out laughing. It was brief, but extremely satisfying, and when we stopped, my husband kissed me.

“Thank you, kind sir,” I said.

“Thank you. Sometimes I forget just how much fun it can be hanging around with you.”

“Then I’ll try to keep reminding you.” The elevator was fast approaching the twelfth floor, and I asked Zach, “Any ideas on how we should handle her?”

“Are you kidding? I’m just planning to follow your lead.”

“Fine. We’ll play it by ear, then.”

Cary was waiting in the hallway when the door opened, and she looked surprised to see my husband carrying Derrick’s other suitcase. “Savannah, why on earth did you feel the need to bring a bodyguard with you to my room?”

“He’s no bodyguard,” I said. “He’s my husband.”

Zach offered his free hand, and she took it, albeit a little reluctantly at first. My husband can be intimidating on his best day, but when he wants to, he can be pretty charming as well.

“Please, come in,” she said as she stepped aside. We walked in, and I was amazed by how elegant the Brunswick’s rooms were. While Derrick’s hotel was cookie-cutter in its looks and layout, this place appeared to be taken from someone’s living room. Someone who was wealthy and had excellent taste, I might add. The furniture wasn’t a chain knockoff, but looked to be custom-made for the space, and the walls were covered with original art that seemed to enhance the room’s elegance.

“Would you like to go through these while we’re here?” I asked.

“No, of course not. Just put them over there. I’m afraid Derrick’s tastes did not match mine. He chose not to pay attention to his wardrobe, so I stopped caring about what he wore.” She must have realized how that sounded, because she quickly added, “I can’t tell you how much I’m going to miss him.”

“I’m sure,” I said.

Zach asked, “I hate to bother you, but is there any chance I could use your restroom?”

She hesitated, and then pointed to a door that led into the bedroom. “Of course.”

Once he was gone, I asked, “Cary, how have you and Derrick been getting along lately?” She started to cloud up, so I quickly added, “I was one of his biggest fans, but believe me, I know how difficult he could be at times.”

Cary nodded, but without too much vigor. “He was an artist in his own right, and we must make allowances for creative people. They seem to be wired differently than we are.”

If Derrick could draw a picture of the sun with a stick in the mud, I would have been surprised. Many words came to mind when I tried to describe the man, but “artistic” wasn’t one of them. “So, things were tense for you?”

“Of course not,” she said. “Savannah, what are you trying to say?”

“I’m not saying anything. I’m just making conversation,” I said.

She didn’t buy it for a moment, and I didn’t know any way to convince her otherwise. “Then let’s change the subject, shall we?”

“That’s fine with me. I must say, I was a little surprised to hear that Kelsey Hatcher was taking over the Duncan Empire.”

Calling it an empire was a joke, but Cary seemed to like the notion. “Kelsey is quite capable. I convinced Derrick to hire her, you know. Her talents were being wasted where she was before.”

“And where was that?”

Cary started to say something, and then obviously thought better of it. “She’s well suited to run things. I trust you and the others are cooperating during this transition period.”

It wasn’t a question, so I decided not to answer it.

Zach came out, and said, “Cary, I’ve got a great idea. Why don’t you join us for a late lunch?”

I looked at my husband, wondering what on earth he was up to, but it was time for me to back his play. “Please do. It might be exactly what you need.”

“Thank you, but no, I’ll have to refuse.”

“Are you sure?” Zach asked, somehow managing to look crestfallen from the news.

“Positive.” She glanced at her watch, and then said, “I don’t mean to be rude, but there are a thousand arrangements I need to deal with. Thank you again for taking care of things for me at the suite.”

“Glad to help,” I said as she walked us out the door and to the elevator. As the doors closed, I could still see her watching us, offering a halfhearted wave at the last second.

As Zach and I rode down, I asked, “What did you find?”

“Excuse me?”

“Zach, I know you were snooping around. What did you find?”

He shrugged. “She’s alone, no doubt about it. I checked the closets, the luggage, and the vanity in the bathroom. There’s no sign of anyone being there but her.”

“So it was a dead end.”

“Not exactly,” he replied. The elevator opened into the lobby, and he pulled me to one side, beside a massive tree planted in a dark gray pot.

“What are we doing?”

“Lower your voice,” he said. “I got a glimpse at the notepad on the desk by the bed, and I saw that she has an appointment in a few minutes. Why don’t we wait to see who comes along?”