With surprising agility, Arnold lunged at Hank and managed to get both hands around his brother-in-law’s throat. Lucas grabbed Arnold’s forearms from behind to pull him back, and the police officer wedged himself between the two men.
Hank spun toward Celeste in what seemed like slow motion. “Is Eve dead? Is that why I’m here?”
Celeste buzzed the conference room phone. “Brad, I need you in the lobby. Hurry.”
Brad heeded her plea and appeared outside the door before she got the receiver back in the cradle.
“This son of a bitch murdered my sister,” Arnold said. “He killed her for her share of Granny Belle’s.”
“I don’t give a damn about your apple farm,” Hank said while rubbing his neck where Arnold had assaulted him. “I can’t believe she’s dead. How? When?”
Celeste thought back to seeing Diane earlier in the café. Evidently, she hadn’t gotten her call through to Hank prior to his being picked up by the police.
“You know damned good and well how she was killed,” Arnold said. “You took her outside last night, beat her up, and left her in the creek to die.”
Brad held up a hand to silence Arnold but more puzzle pieces fell into place for Celeste. So, Eve had been beaten. Had a struggle with someone led to her head injury?
“Mr. Tolliver, please go into the conference room and wait for me,” Brad said. He took a deep breath and addressed Arnold. “Mr. Penny, I want to discover how your sister died, but this isn’t helping.” He glanced at the audience gathering on the other side of the lobby. “I’m sure Mrs. Adams would appreciate your discretion, too.”
Lucas loosened his grip on Arnold. “He’s right, Uncle Arnold. Let him do his job. We should go upstairs and see Hugh.”
Brad shrugged his shoulders at Celeste. Her attention remained on the guests who hadn’t moved from the same spot since the altercation began. She recognized them as the family who had sat next to the window in the café.
The man sauntered over to the counter. “Ma’am, is there something wrong here? If I may ask.”
Recalling the Carlyle murder, Celeste expected to be fielding the same queries several times over. It was best to be honest but keep the information to a minimum.
“A woman was found dead this morning in the creek behind the hotel,” she answered. “The police are investigating.”
The woman who was with him said, “I wonder if it has something to do with what we heard last night.”
“Honey, we shouldn’t get involved,” the man said.
“No, if a woman has been killed, we have no other choice. We’re in a suite on the fourth floor overlooking the pool,” she said. “Around ten last night, we heard a man and woman arguing. I wanted to go out on the balcony, but Scott said we should mind our own business. It only lasted a few minutes, but I heard a slap and then some screaming.”
“Are you saying they came to blows?” Celeste asked.
“Well, I’m not sure if he slapped her or she slapped him, but she was definitely the one doing the yelling. She told him to let go of her or she’d have him arrested for assault. Everything got quiet for a few minutes. Then, we heard this same woman lashing out at someone else.”
The police officer had apparently been listening and came over to the desk. Celeste read the nametag on his shirt—Officer Prince.
“Was the new person who entered the scene a man or a woman?” Officer Prince asked.
“A woman,” she said. “This time, I went on the balcony and looked down. They were over by the rack of pool toys just outside the door coming out of the hotel. The light is good there, and I could make out an older, well-dressed woman. The other woman was blonde and wearing pajamas with a robe.”
Unfortunately, she didn’t narrow down the suspects too much. Lacee, Tazewell, and Diane were all blondes. Brad might need to do a lineup.
“I slipped inside and closed the balcony door when they started slinging rough language at each other. It was embarrassing to hear and also, I didn’t want the kids listening to it.”
Prince leaned across the desk. “When the woman was arguing with the man, could you hear what they were saying?”
“We were too far up to catch the whole thing,” Scott said. “And I feel weird listening in on other people’s arguments. All I heard was the man accusing her of hiding money from him. She also accused him of sleeping with the little tramp he brought to the hotel.”
The officer pulled off a piece of paper from the notepad on the reception counter. “Could I get your names and how you can be contacted if we need you?”
“Sure, we’re Scott and Mandy Connoly.” He tapped his smartphone to display his number and showed it to Officer Prince.
“Thank you. I’ll share what you told me with the Detective,” Officer Prince said.
“No problem,” Mandy said. “I hope it helps.”
They went outside through the parking lot exit, and Celeste noticed Craig Burns standing by the lobby mural, fiddling with his phone. He could have been sending a text message. She examined the printout of the current room assignments. Craig and Tazewell’s room on the second floor overlooked the pool area, too. If the Connolys had heard the commotion between Eve, Hank, and an unknown woman; then Craig and Tazewell should’ve heard it. He had told her they returned to the hotel two hours earlier than the others.
“Officer Prince,” Celeste said.
“Yes, ma’am.”
Celeste showed him the room chart. She pointed to Craig and Tazewell’s room to avoid saying their names aloud.
“Given what we heard from the Connolys, Detective Woods should ask these two if they heard anything,” she whispered.
“You’re right,” he said. “Their room would’ve been even closer to the couple arguing. I’ll show this to him when he finishes speaking with Mr. Tolliver.”
She watched Craig put away his phone and hurry toward the elevator. When the doors opened, he collided with Diane Dyson. He would have knocked her down if she hadn’t been quick on her feet.
“Excuse me,” Diane said.
Craig ignored her and stared straight ahead as the doors closed. Well, he was rude. Diane marched over to the reception desk.
“I received a call on my room phone asking me to come to the conference room,” she said. “Can you direct me?”
Celeste motioned with her right hand. “There’s the door, but someone else is with the Detective.”
“Detective? Why would a detective want to talk to me?”
“He’s interviewing everyone who knew Eve Tolliver,” Celeste said.
“Oh, wonderful.”
Diane paced back and forth until Hank came out. His eyes widened at seeing her. He started to speak, but she scowled at him and hurried into the room. Officer Prince followed Ms. Dyson through the door, and Hank sidled over to the reception desk. He seemed to have calmed down since being attacked by Arnold. She would’ve described him as crestfallen but not angry or agitated.
“Can you give me a number for your local taxi service?” he asked Celeste.
Obviously, Brad isn’t holding him. Maddie had a taxi service on speed dial. Celeste punched it in and handed him the phone receiver.
“Thank you, ma’am,” he said before someone picked up on the other end. “Yes, I’d like a taxi sent to The Gran Vista Hotel. I want to go to The Hampton Inn in Boone. Thank you. I’ll be waiting out front.” He handed Celeste the receiver. “They’ll be here in twenty minutes. Look, like I told the Detective…”
“You don’t have to…” She attempted to stop him.
“No, I think I do,” he said. “I won’t allow Arnold Penny to paint me as a wife beater, much less a murderer.”
She restrained herself from commenting. She didn’t want to involve herself in any Penny family conflict.
“Eve getting killed was the last thing I wanted, and I didn’t want her money, either. The thing was, I didn’t want her to take mine. She wanted me to pay alimony. Then, Diane calls and says she’s getting a quarter-million dollar share of her family’s apple business. Hell, I never knew Arnold’s apple orchard was so profitable.”
Again, she suppressed her urge to say anything. Diane had spilled the beans to Hank. Well, who else would it have been? And he was waiting for Eve last night to confront her. Even if money wasn’t an issue, he could still be a suspect for other reasons.
“I feel sorry for her son. He’s a really nice guy, and I’ll be happy to help with funeral expenses since Eve was still my wife. Of course, I doubt he’ll speak to me.” He paused. Is he expecting me to respond? “Anyway, I think I’d better wait outside so I don’t run into Arnold again, and I need to get some air.”
When he walked outside, she heard the elevator returning to the lobby. Celeste held her breath. I hope it isn’t Arnold. Please don’t let it be Arnold. She exhaled when instead, a familiar young couple who had occupied the honeymoon suite all week emerged. Both stared at Officer Prince when he came out of the conference room and walked outside to his police cruiser. Putting the unpleasantness behind her, Celeste smiled at them.
“May I help you?”
“We’re Grayson and Amber Phillips,” the young man said. “We’re checking out.”
She looked up their account on the computer. They’d paid in full when making the reservation. After she collected their key cards and printed their receipt, they would be good to go.
“I hope you had a wonderful time staying with us,” Celeste said.
“Yes, ma’am,” Amber responded. “We wanted peace and quiet.” She hesitated before continuing. “But we heard sirens this morning and saw emergency personnel going from the front of the building to the back.”
Celeste recited her prepared response. “Yes, a body was found nearby on The Parkway trail behind our picnic area, and the police are investigating.”
“Oh, my God, how awful,” Amber said.
“Your suite is on the pool side of the building. Did you hear anything unusual last night around ten p.m.?”
“No,” Grayson said. “We went to a club over in Boone. It had a live band, and it was around midnight when we got back.”
He laid the key cards on the counter, and Celeste printed a receipt. When she reached behind her to take it out of the tray, another piece of paper fell onto the floor. She picked it up and laid it face down on the desk.
“Here’s your receipt,” she said. “And I wish you many years of happiness together. I hope you’ll consider a return visit.”
“We will,” he said. “We love it, and we’ll recommend you to others.”
“Please, do,” she said. But leave out the part about the sirens and the body found in the creek.
“Happy Easter, Mrs. Adams,” Amber said.
“You, too.”
She flipped over the paper from the printer tray. It’s the consent form Diane Dyson had wanted Eve to sign. She must have printed out two copies and left one behind? How irresponsible of her to leave personal documents on a hotel printer. Celeste almost dropped it into the waste basket but thought better of it. One never knew what might be considered evidence.
Several minutes later, Ms. Dyson stormed out of the conference room.
“Oh, Ms. Dyson,” Celeste called out. “Your consent form was on the printer.”
Diane threw up her hands. “A lot of good it does me now.” She went to the elevator doors and jabbed at the buttons repeatedly until the carriage arrived in the lobby.
Brad ambled to the reception desk. “What did she leave on the printer?”
“A consent form she wanted Eve Tolliver to sign in order to obtain Eve’s financial statements from her divorce attorney.”
He spread his hands across the counter and leaned forward, stretching his back muscles.
“By the way, your hunch was wrong. From what I could get out of her, she’s not Hank’s paramour. It’s all business. She’s his accountant, nothing more.”
Celeste smiled at him. “Are you bringing out the fancy words today?” His cheeks reddened. “But still, she behaved quite nervous this morning when I talked to her. She dropped her phone when I told her Eve had been killed.”
“Oh, when was this?”
“When she came downstairs for breakfast, I knew she was expecting to meet with Eve. I had to tell her Eve would be a no-show.”
Brad gave her his no-nonsense look. “And what else did you divulge to her?”
“Exactly what I knew at that point—nothing.”
He stood up straight to his full six-foot height and stared down at her. “You didn’t mention anything about Arnold Penny suspecting Hank?”
“No, I wouldn’t. For one thing, I thought Arnold’s grief was at the root of his accusations against Hank.”
“Okay, whatever you say.”
Well, I don’t like his tone. But she chose to let it go. She had, after all, said a little too much to Diane.
“Obviously, she had no reason to harm Eve,” he said. “In fact, Eve’s dying has made her job harder. Hank is now a widower instead of a soon-to-be ex-husband. She’ll be untangling some financial red tape in the foreseeable future.”
“When Hank left, he made a point of telling me he had no motive, either,” she said. “How do you see it?”
He smiled and backed up toward the conference room. “Now, Celeste, you know I can’t answer your question.”
She flashed him a crooked smile. “You didn’t hold him.”
“How could I? Because of the holiday weekend, the coroner won’t be able to complete her examination until Tuesday. For all we know, it still could’ve been an unfortunate accident.”
Did she beat herself up before falling into the creek? She kept her observation to herself. Brad wouldn’t give her an inch, anyway. Her sympathies immediately went to Eve’s son. Poor Hugh. I’m sure he doesn’t want to return to Nashville with his mother’s body still in the Watauga County morgue pending a coroner’s examination.
“I requested both Hank and Ms. Dyson to be available for the next few days in case I needed them,” he said.
“Sounds reasonable,” she said. “I need to run clean up the café. Can I bring you another cup of coffee?”
“And a doughnut?”
She grinned. “If one is leftover, it’s yours.”
Celeste placed a Press the Button for Service sign next to the intercom and hastened to the café. It pleased her to see relatively clean tables and hardly any mess was made of the serving area. All she needed to do was wipe everything down and put away leftovers. Holding out one doughnut for Brad, she boxed up the few remaining pastries for Doris and her staff to take home. She disposed of the few pieces of fruit left on the tray.
She placed Brad’s doughnut on a small paper plate and poured a large cup of coffee. Not remembering how he took it, she grabbed packets of both sugar and creamer. She picked up the coffee cup but had to set it down when she heard the buzzer. She pressed the intercom button labeled front desk.
“Be right with you,” she said into the speaker.
To her surprise, she found Tazewell and Craig waiting by the counter. Judging by the luggage beside them, they must have planned to check out. Should they be leaving?
“I’ll be with you as soon as I deliver this coffee,” she said to them.
Tazewell closed her eyes and massaged her forehead with a shaky hand. Her pale pallor attested to her having been sick, and she was bundled up in a puffer coat and turtleneck sweater. We’re still having cool weather, but it isn’t freezing outside. Does she have a fever? Celeste knocked on the conference room door and heard Brad say, “Come in.” Once inside, she saw Lucas standing by the window gazing at the first clear view of Grandfather Mountain all weekend. She placed the cup and plate next to Brad.
“Lucas, if I’d known you were in here, I would’ve brought you a cup of coffee, too.”
“I’m fine, Mrs. Adams. I’ve already had two cups this morning.”
She tilted her head toward the door. “Brad, I think you show know Craig and Tazewell Burns are at the front desk. I think they want to check out. Is it okay for them to leave? Didn’t you want to interview everyone in the family?”
Brad sat up straight. “I would prefer they stay. I want to speak with everyone who knew Eve Tolliver. Ask them to have a seat in the lobby, please.”
“Mrs. Adams,” Lucas said. “Would you like for me to talk to them?”
Celeste sighed. “Thank you. It might be best if it came from you. Your sister looks like she had a rough night.”
“Excuse me, Detective Woods, I’ll be right back.”
Lucas stepped outside.
“He’s a nice man,” Brad said.
“There is always one family member who takes care of everyone else,” she said. “With this family, I hope they don’t burn Lucas out.”
Celeste started to leave until a shiny object on the table caught her eye—a gold chain in an evidence bag. If Eve had been wearing it, Brad wouldn’t have it in an evidence bag. Come to think of it, the last time I saw Eve yesterday, she was wearing a pearl necklace. If she asked Brad for any details, he’d only say, “I’m not at liberty to discuss it”. With the popularity of gold chains, she’d probably seen one on every other hotel guest. But I have seen someone connected to Eve wearing a similar chain recently. Who was it?