I was poking into the mini-fridge when Charlotte came back to the room.
“What are you doing? Are you hungry?” Charlotte checked her watch. “You have lunch in fifteen minutes. Don’t spoil your appetite.”
“I’m on vacation. I’ll spoil whatever I want.”
“Like our vacation because you’re obsessed with finding the murderer of a man who everyone else thinks died naturally.”
“Naturally? By hyenas?” I continued my search. “I don’t think there’s anything natural about that.”
She sighed. “So, what are you doing then?”
“I’m looking for a weapon.”
“I shouldn’t have asked.” She sat on the couch and flipped open her medical book.
“What fun plans do you have for this afternoon?”
“Just wondering what could be used as a weapon.” I looked at the door and headed there. “So let’s say they struggle. What do you grab? What’s close? What could have cut his neck?” I looked around the mini-fridge area. “You think a corkscrew could have killed him?”
“Maybe, but there’s not one here. All the wines in the room are twist-offs.” She said it with disdain, as if she were a connoisseur. “So you’ve left the simple idea that it was a knife behind?”
“No. I just haven’t found it.”
“And you sure have worked hard trying to find it.”
“But where would he—” I continued.
“Or she,” my sister said.
“Dispose of it when he, or she, was done? They didn’t drop it in the room. We would have seen it. Maybe they just put it back where they found it.”
“And left it there covered in blood? I think housekeeping would have noticed that.”
“They would have.”
She raised one eyebrow and waited for me to explain.
“I asked.”
Eyebrow raised higher.
“Our housekeeper, Coral, was very helpful. Please add a little to her tip.”
She shook her head. “You can add a little something. I’m not paying for your crazy.” She returned her attention to her book.
Medical books on vacation, who does that? I should give her one of my mystery novels, or borrow one of Sabrina’s romances. Maybe then she’d be more helpful.
“Although mother says we all pay for your crazy,” she quipped, as she turned a page.
“Ha-ha.” I returned to my reenactment. “Who do you think we get that crazy from?”
“I’m telling Mom you said that.”
There was a knock at the door. Charlotte got up and a waiter entered with a tray of food.
“Isn’t it time for you to go?” she asked.
“What’s this?” I asked.
“Lunch.”
I inspected her plate as she placed it on the coffee table. “That looks good.” It was a hand-formed burger, topped with cheddar cheese, lettuce, and tomato, on a brioche bun. Hand-cut fries and a pickle accompanied the meal.
“I’m sure you can order it.” She placed her napkin on her lap. “When you go to lunch.” She picked up the burger and cheese slid down the sides.
“Why did you order this?” I reached for a French fry and she slapped my hand. “And what did it cost?”
“Don’t worry. It’s included.”
“Included?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t I know about this?”
“The same way you didn’t know you needed an escort back to your room. Or that we drop the keys in the bowl at reception when we go for game drives. You didn’t pay attention to orientation.” She added a little pepper to her French fries. “Now,” she demanded, pointing to the door.
I stood over her plate. The utensils. The steak knife.
“Stop looking at my lunch like that.” She cut her rare burger in half to devour it more easily.
“I’m not.” Housekeeping wouldn’t notice a bloody knife on a room service tray. You wouldn’t think anything suspicious about that.
I was looking at a possible murder weapon.
And an easy way to hide evidence.
“Where’s Charlotte?” Geri asked when she sat down next to me.
“Lunch in the room. I guess she’s tired.”
“Tired of you maybe?” Jack asked.
He was surprised when I answered honestly. “Oh, definitely.”
“That’s a nice feature here that they’ll deliver a meal to the room,” Geri said.
“You knew that?” I asked.
“Rookie,” Jack answered, shaking his head. I took that as a yes.
The investigation resumed. “Have you had lunch in your room?” I tried to remember ever missing one of them at a meal. I had skipped a meal to sleep but didn’t have the meal delivered to my room.
“No, I like to be out here,” Geri answered.
She was right. Dining alfresco was beautiful. When we returned home, eating outside was not an option. Unless you wanted to freeze.
“Has anyone else had a meal in their room?”
They shrugged. “Can’t remember.”
I glanced at the surveillance camera. I wish I still had that memory card. I could review the tape again. Check to see who had missed a meal, see if a lodge staffer had brought one down toward the suites. There was no way I could get that card again. The probability that I could access it and return it, a second time, without being caught was close to nil. Plus, I knew Charlotte wouldn’t help me a second time.
I could ask one of the employees about in-room dining. But since there was no fee for the delivered meal, there probably wouldn’t be a record.
And even if I did find out who had room service, where would that get me?
It wasn’t proof of a crime.
Just proof that they paid attention during orientation.