13

I wanted to talk to Mac about his impression of Jessica’s story, but we still needed to talk to Linda. I couldn’t tell whether Jessica was trying to protect Isabel or make sure we focused on her.

We asked Jessica to help us find her mother. She led the way through the dining room and up the stairs to a back hallway that had not been part of Wally’s tour. It was dark without the wall sconces, and the weak light filtering in from the windows in the guest hallway barely penetrated. I was wishing they were real torches when she opened another door and brightness spilled out.

Jessica had led us into the family quarters, which were small but comfortable and had a beautiful view over the back garden, where the winter white blinded us. It would be a lovely room in the summer when the flowers were in full bloom. The walls were a soft sage color and the neutral couches and chairs were the perfect backdrop for the brightly colored knit pillows and throws. Obviously knitters lived there. On that day, it looked out onto a wonderland of snow-covered trees and a rolling white lawn that ended in a wooded area at the back of the property.

Several doors led off of this common room and Jessica tapped lightly on one of them.

“Mom? Can I come in? The detectives are here and want to talk to you.”

It felt strange to be called a detective again. Like putting on old clothes that had gone out of style and didn’t fit anymore.

Jessica must have heard a reply because she opened the door and Mrs. Garrett stepped out. Her eyes were red and swollen and she looked as if she hadn’t slept all night. She shuffled into the living room wearing slippers, jeans, and pulling an oversized cardigan more tightly around her shoulders.

Jessica gestured to the small couch and chairs and we all sat.

“I can’t thank you enough, Detective McKenzie, for helping us like this,” Mrs. Garrett said. “I don’t know what we would have done if you hadn’t stopped here yesterday. We wouldn’t have known what to do.”

I wasn’t surprised that she had singled out Mac. It was a constant battle to be taken seriously as a woman in a “man’s” job. I bristled reflexively. Then I reminded myself that I wasn’t planning to return to the police force and that this sort of thing would not be my job anymore.

“No need for thanks, we’re just doing our job,” Mac said, and put a hand on my shoulder.

Mrs. Garrett ignored the subtle correction.

“But it’s not your job, is it?” she said. “You’re here on vacation. In fact, when this is all cleared up you two should come back and stay with us—my treat.”

“That would be really nice, Mrs. Garrett,” I said. After being stuck here with a gang of knitters and chasing a murderer, I wasn’t sure I’d ever want to return, but it was a nice offer.

“Please call me Linda,” she said. “And I mean it—I want to see you two back here for a relaxing weekend.”

Just then, a white blur streaked into the room, directly at Linda.

“Oh, my!” she said. She put up her hands to protect herself and the white blur slowed and landed on her lap. Linda smiled down at the cat. “This is Duchess.” The cat purred and blinked its golden eyes.

Mac shifted in his seat to put some distance between himself and the cat. Ever since I told him that Vi uses them as spies, even though he didn’t believe Vi could converse with animals, he had been wary around them.

“We just wanted to ask you a few questions about what you may have seen last night,” Mac said. “Did you see anyone in the hallways during dinner? Where would your staff have been?”

Linda sighed. “Jessica, you know more than I do about the staffing. But, I did see Isabel go up to her room partway through dinner. I had stepped out of my office to be sure Holly, our housekeeper, would be able to do the turndown service all by herself. She was on the second floor working on those rooms and I saw Isabel go into her room.”

Duchess jumped down and sauntered in Mac’s direction. She had clearly picked up on his aversion and in a classic feline move had locked on to him as her favorite person.

Jessica leaned forward to get the cat’s attention, but Duchess scooted away from her. She smiled an apology at Mac, and said, “Emmett and René would have been in the kitchen and Kirk was probably still working on plowing the front walk. He had said he wanted to snow-blow the first several inches so that when the rest of it came down, it would be less of a job.”

“Would he have been out there in the dark?” I asked.

“I guess you’re right.” She bit her lower lip. “I’m not sure where he would have been during dinner. Maybe in the basement? I don’t remember seeing him until I went to check with him about the generator after . . . Clarissa was found.”

“We heard Kirk is new here. Since he wasn’t in the dining room, we’ll need to talk to him soon,” Mac said. “Has he been hired since Clarissa started, or has he been here longer?” Mac tried to extricate his ankles from the weaving feline.

Linda glanced at Jessica. “I think he started about four months ago. Is that right, Jess?”

Jessica nodded. “Uncle Dave died in July and Clarissa came here in August. I think Kirk started just before Christmas, so about three months. I’d have to look at his file to be sure.”

Mac marked the date in his notebook. “I just wondered. It sounded like he was the newest employee.”

They both nodded. “He’s a very nice guy, but I don’t know if he’ll work out,” Jessica said. “Gus says he doesn’t really know how to fix anything and he can’t believe he ever worked as a maintenance person before. He’s had to teach him everything, which is why we’re still out of power today. Gus would have had the generator running again in no time.”

“Mrs. Garrett—Linda—do you know of anyone who would want to hurt your niece?” Mac asked. Duchess gave up on Mac and jumped on the couch next to Linda.

Linda’s eyes welled with tears and she shook her head. She dabbed at her face and sniffled. “She wasn’t always the easiest person to get along with,” Linda said.

Jessica slowly closed her eyes at her mother’s words.

“But she meant well and I don’t think anyone in this hotel would want to hurt her,” Linda concluded.

“I should really get back to work.” Jessica stood.

I was surprised at Jessica’s abrupt end to the interview. Mac shook his head once in my direction and I let it pass.

“Thank you for your time,” Mac said. He shook Linda’s hand and stood.

I thanked them as well and bent to pet Duchess, who ran behind the couch.

We left the Garretts’ apartment, and Mac said he wanted to look at Clarissa’s room again in the daylight. I felt a cold chill and rubbed my arms but nodded. We had barely been able to evaluate the scene with the room full of people and only a couple of flashlights for illumination.

Mac had his cop face on, but I slid my hand into his anyway. He relaxed, smiled, and squeezed.

“What did you think of the Garrett ladies?” Mac asked.

“There wasn’t a lot of affection between the cousins. The aunt seems pretty torn up though,” I said.

“I agree, her aunt seems to be the only one upset about her death.”

Mac led the way down the hall, past the unlit sconces and up the spiral staircase. The stone was rough in the stairwell and we felt our way upward with only a small flashlight for illumination. I had the sense of winding my way into the past. I thought about Violet’s story of the invalid wife who had drowned in her bath. She must have been very isolated back then if these twisting steps were the only way out of her room. I imagined the flickering light of candles on the uneven stones and almost believed a ghost might inhabit the room at the top.

We reached the landing outside Clarissa’s room and my hand was on the doorknob when we heard a distinct thump from inside. I knew it wasn’t the cat this time. Mac and I exchanged a wide-eyed look and I hesitated before opening the door. We leaned closer to the door and heard swishing noises and a footstep. Vi would claim it was the ghost if she were there.