A light, steady rain dripping from the black branches of bare trees made a soft, mournful sound as Ray and Charlotte trudged along the path that led from the back door of the hotel. Ray paused to listen to raised voices coming from Brian Prentice’s bungalow. The lights were on, but the curtains were drawn.
“Who’s in there?” he asked.
“Brian Prentice and his wife. He’s this year’s special guest star, and yes, he’s from the U.K.”
“Do you think he could have given her that ring?”
“I wouldn’t put it past him,” Charlotte replied. “Giving a girl he barely knows a ring like that is just the sort of over-the-top thing he would do. So pathetic.”
“Why do you say that?”
“They haven’t known each other very long, so if he did give her that ring, he must be desperate.”
They walked on in silence, and then, just as they reached Charlotte’s bungalow, she reached out and touched Ray on the arm. “I’ve just had a thought. What if Brian didn’t give that ring to her? What if she stole it from his wife, Lady Deborah? Deborah’s the daughter of an earl, and the family owns some pretty stunning jewelry, or so I’ve read, although whether she’d have any of it here with her, I wouldn’t know. Well, she wouldn’t have all of it; she’d have left at least some of it at home, in the bank. That’s where most women keep their tiaras and such like.” She laughed. “Not that I do myself, of course.”
“There is another possibility,” said Ray as they took off their boots and damp coats.
“What’s that?” asked Charlotte as she poured water into the coffee maker.
“It’s possible,” said Ray, “that someone put the ring there. Her door was unlocked, so anyone could have come in and planted it or just hidden it.” He walked over to the couch and sat down, taking the box out of his pocket and setting it on the coffee table. “Although I can’t think of a reason anyone would want to do that.” After a moment, he asked, “Does the hotel owner live on the premises?”
“He does,” Charlotte said. “Harvey and his wife have a rather nice apartment in the main building. Their nephew, Aaron, my new assistant, is staying with them. Why?”
“I’d like you to call him, tell him we’ve been in Lauren’s room to collect a few things for her, and ask him to lock the room. But don’t mention the ring.”
“I’ll call him now. Either he’ll do it himself or send someone to do it.”
“Is there a caretaker?”
“There’s a couple who live in Walkers Ridge who work here. She does the housekeeping, helps out in the kitchen when needed, and he does the odd jobs and repairs around the place. There’s always something that needs doing. In the old days, there would have been ten men doing his work—gardening, painting, cleaning out the gutters, unplugging sinks . . . all the never-ending jobs that you’ve got to stay on top of.”
She called the Jacobs’ apartment, exchanged a quick greeting with Aaron, and then asked to speak to his uncle. She repeated what Ray had asked her to tell him and then said good-night and hung up.
“I just remembered something,” she said. “I didn’t pursue it at the time, but now it’s got me wondering.”
Ray raised a rather handsome eyebrow.
“Aaron said something to the effect that he was surprised his uncle would give Lauren a job. So he must have known her from somewhere before and didn’t think too much of her.”
“Why don’t I leave that with you?” Ray said. “Ask Aaron what he can tell you about her.” He stifled a yawn. “That coffee’s just what I needed,” he said. “I hope the caffeine kicks in soon.”
When they’d finished their drinks, Ray sighed and checked his watch.
“I’m going to have to go back to the hospital tonight and ask someone to check Lauren’s locker to see if her purse is there. I’ll leave that bag of personal things for her so she’ll have them in the morning. By then, I hope she’ll be well enough to talk to us.”
Charlotte showed him to the door. He held her, kissed her, and then let her go. “Be sure to lock the door behind me,” he said.
“Why? Do you think there’s danger lurking?”
“There’s always danger lurking. And anyway, I’m a policeman. Telling people to lock their doors is part of what I do, and my job would be a whole lot easier sometimes if everybody just did as I asked.”
He gave her a cheery wave, and with a light smile, she locked the door behind him. An hour later, after Rupert was settled in for the night and just as she was starting to think about getting ready for bed, her phone rang. It was Ray.
“Her purse isn’t at the hospital. Will you please keep an eye out for it tomorrow?”
“And what about the ring?” Charlotte asked.
“I’ll lock it in our safe until we can return it to its owner.”
Whoever the rightful owner might be, thought Charlotte.