Rosemary showed me the Whittington room which was considerably larger than the first room she showed me. Several guests mingled inside the large room, the layout split into four columns with several rows of royal blue chairs. A large screen with vivid words, Financial Future Conference were displayed on a greenish background that appeared to move from where we stood. My eyes were mesmerized for a moment before I realized Rosemary was speaking.
“So, this room is much larger than the Hamilton room we just left, but we have also used it for receptions. It’s a great space if you want to place large round tables around the room for a dinner. The middle can be used for dancing.”
“There is plenty of space, but I think the first room you showed me is more appropriate, since we want the reception to remain intimate.”
Rosemary nodded. “That sounds like a plan. I will check the availability of the Hamilton room for October twenty-second. You will be working with Kathy on any catering or decorating you need done. We have a variety of layouts and menu items.”
“Thank you, Rosemary. I appreciate it.” I reached over and hugged her. As we walked out the room, my eyes scanned the registration table on the right. The man had walked away, but the woman remained seated behind the table.
I turned to Rosemary. “You know what? I think I’d like to check out the brochures they have on the table. You never know what else you can do to help your finances, especially on a fixed income.”
Rosemary winked. “Sounds good, I plan on checking out the brochure I received earlier this week myself.”
She walked away, and I sauntered in front of the table to browse.
The woman at the conference table held her head down, not paying attention to me. Her blonde hair hung across her shoulders, eyes glued to the phone in her hand. As if she grew aware of my presence, the woman lifted her head and smiled brightly. “Can I help you?”
“I just noticed your signs. Financial Future Conference. You’re having a conference for financial advisors or is this for someone who is seeking financial advisement?”
The woman laughed. “Believe it or not, advisors need to keep up with the latest changes in their fields, so this is a conference for them. But I’m a local financial advisor here in Charleston if you want to talk to someone.” The woman pulled out a business card and stood to reach towards me. “You can make an appointment, and I will be happy to meet with you.”
I peered down at the card. Anna Hudson.
I eyed her. “Ms. Hudson, I’m an old, retired schoolteacher. Are you sure you can help me? I basically live on my retirement and my husband’s pension. In a few years, I will be collecting social security. I’m a widow who volunteers her time. Maybe your advice is more for my children. One of my sons is a doctor and he’s getting married to a doctor.”
The woman’s face brightened. “I’m sure I can help you. I’m very good at helping people stretch their dollars within their budget. I would also love to meet your son and his future wife. Is the wedding soon?”
“October twenty-second to be exact. We’re thinking about this room behind you for the wedding reception.”
The woman clasped her hands. “How exciting! These hotel rooms are beautiful. I can see them being decorated for a wedding reception.”
I decided it was time to segue into the real reason I stopped by the table. I had no intention of considering Ms. Hudson’s financial assistance. I had learned the art of being frugal quite early in my life, and managed the household finances for over forty years. Not wealthy by any means, but I was indeed blessed to not have a lot of wants. Contentment, as Paul wrote in the bible, was what I tried to practice.
I cleared my throat. “It’s just a shame about this morning.”
Ms. Hudson’s smile wavered. “What happened this morning? I’ve been busy with the conference since six o’clock this morning.”
“Well…” I peered around as though preparing to share a secret. Conference attendees were scattered around the hallway, but most were positioned far away from the table. I turned back to Ms. Hudson. “You may hear about this on the news, but I just heard from one of the hotel staff that someone was killed this morning.”
The woman’s face grew pale. “This morning? Here?”
I nodded. “Sounds like it was one of your conference attendees.” I looked at the table and picked up a Financial Future Conference program. An all-American family posed outside a beautiful brick home graced the cover of the program. There was no white picket fence, but the image represented the American Dream I supposed.
I noted the text underneath the title. “Looks like your conference ends tomorrow. Is that right?” I gazed at Ms. Hudson. The woman’s mouth moved, but no words spilled out.
“Are you all right, Ms. Hudson?” I looked at the business card she’d placed in my hand a few minutes before. “Anna is a pretty name. I had an aunt named Anna.”
Anna’s eyes were a sharp green which she focused on me. “Thank you. Uh, yes. Sure…I’m fine. It’s been an exhausting week.” She raised an arched eyebrow. “Do you know who was killed?”
For a split second, Darius Randall’s name almost fell from my mouth, but then I thought, would that be fair to tell this woman? She’d just said she was exhausted. I’ve assisted with conferences in the past. They were a lot of work. I asked the Lord for forgiveness and said, “I’m not sure.”
The woman attempted to smile, but her eyes had grown weary. “I’m sorry, of course you wouldn’t know. You were asking me if I knew.”
I nodded. “Anna, I’m awfully sorry for bringing bad news. I really love this hotel and I hate this happened here. We’re still planning to have the wedding reception here though. It’s not the hotel’s fault. I mean they have no idea the kind of guests that check-in. It’s not like they do background checks. They’re in the business of making money.”
Anna let out a strange laugh. “No, you’re right. It’s a business. Please, do reach out to me about helping you with your finances. I’m sure I have openings early next week.”
I was just about to say thank you to Anna when I noticed her gaze move to someone else.
Someone I knew from the past.
I tilted my head down, opening the confiscated conference program. I pretended interest by flipping a page, while my ears tuned into a familiar voice. One whose nasal sharp Southern tone had not graced my ears in several years.
“Anna, are you sure you haven’t seen Darius? He hasn’t called me back yet. I know he was mad with me, but he didn’t return my call yesterday or today.”
My brain felt as if I had just sucked on an ice-cold chocolate milk shake.
She knew Darius Randall?
I hadn’t seen Monique Sanders in at least five years.
In the past, she wore almost waist long hair, courtesy of some Indian woman. Today, it was a slightly different color, with auburn highlights and swept back into a swinging ponytail. When my son first introduced us during a Thanksgiving dinner, she seemed nice enough. Though, I thought her a bit standoffish. Despite the holidays and being my son’s date, she chose to be on her phone rather than participate in the conversations around her.
Now here she was asking about Darius Randall.
The only other woman my Cedric had considering marrying.
He’d just considered it. Praise the Lord!
I remembered the night he stopped by the house to ask my opinion. Ralph was still alive then. He’d sat in the living room listening, but not offering any advice.
Cedric was not one to ask anyone’s opinion, definitely not his Mama. But Monique had been itching to become Mrs. Cedric Patterson. Then, almost thirty-five years old, Cedric’s bachelorhood began to bother him.
Really, it was more like this woman’s intense pressure to walk down the aisle had made Cedric nervous. He’d told me he didn’t see himself being married to Monique.
While I’d only seen the woman a few times, I immediately judged Monique as being a potential bridezilla and a daughter-in-law I was not trying to have in my family.
I told him flat out don’t even bother looking for a ring. Just let her go!
Ralph, who usually remained quiet, spoke. “Son, listen to your Mama. Dodge that bullet.”
I tried to regain my composure over this unexpected shock so I could listen to the conversation.
Anna stuttered a response to Monique. “You really shouldn’t worry. You know how he can be. Maybe he went back to Atlanta already. He’s a busy man. I almost thought he was going to cancel being the keynote. He was so hard to book.”
Monique’s voice rose. “He wouldn’t leave without telling me. Besides, he came here to support me. He knows I need him now more than ever. I just don’t understand why he got mad with me Monday night. I only told the truth.”
I sensed a desperation in Monique’s voice, almost as if she was on the verge of tears.
I saw Anna glance at me before she reached out to grab Monique’s arm. I thought for a moment she was going to shake Monique. Anna’s eyes were angry as she bent close.
I strained to hear what she was saying to Monique.
“I’m really sorry Darius is doing this to you. Did you think maybe he didn’t want you to blurt that out to everyone yet? Look, I’ve been at this table most of the day. Let me go up to my room and freshen up. We can get some dinner. The bar is offering free drinks for conference attendees. Wait for me in the lobby, I’ll be down in thirty minutes.”
Anna grabbed a large, chic brown handbag from under the table and strode off. From the corner of my eye, I watched Monique move around the table to lean against the wall. Her attention was focused on the window opposite the wall. Outside the window, vehicles moved in and out of the parking lot, while the late afternoon sun set high in the sky.
I wasn’t sure if I should be the one to break the news to Monique or not, but she was going to find out sooner or later. If she was involved with Darius, the man had given her the silent treatment. That didn’t seem like much support. I walked over to the woman who could have been my daughter-in-law instead of Carmen. “Monique?”
She held a wide, glassy eyed appearance that often comes with wearing contacts, but I knew it was worry not her optical choices that caused the despair in her eyes. A slight hint of red around the rims of her eyes indicated she had been crying earlier.
“I don’t know if you remember me,” I continued.
“Mrs. Patterson. Cedric’s mom,” she said sharply as if I was the last person she wanted to see.
I stepped back as if she’d slapped me with her words. “Yes.”
Her eyes pierced me, leaving me speechless for a few seconds before I found my voice. “I’m sorry for asking, but are you all right?”
Tears pooled in the corner of her eyes but didn’t fall. She spoke hoarsely, “I saw Cedric’s getting married.”
I wasn’t expecting her to mention Cedric’s upcoming nuptials, but somehow it didn’t surprise me that she knew. “Yes, we’re thinking of having the wedding reception here.”
A faint smile crossed her face and disappeared quickly. “This is a nice place for a wedding. My college roommate had her wedding reception here. I believe it was in that room.”
I turned awkwardly to where Monique’s finger pointed. The first room Rosemary had shown me. “Yes, it’s a lovely room.” I turned back to the woman, hoping to guide the conversation in a new direction.
“How are you? It’s been awhile.” Five years ago, this woman was desperate to get married. I didn’t mean to let my eyes search, but I found myself staring at her hands for rings. There was neither an engagement ring or wedding band.
As if she knew what I was doing, Monique shifted her hands behind her. “I’m happy for Cedric. I’ve been dating a man for about a year. We’ve become serious, but I’ve had to put things on hold a bit. My father, I don’t know if you remember him. He got sick.”
I recalled Monique’s dad very well. Kendall Sanders was the president of my bank for years. He often golfed with Ralph. It was these two men who held the responsibility of matchmaking gone wrong.
Cedric had dated Monique for at least two years. Two years too long.
“Yes, I remember your dad. Is he still enjoying retirement?” Kendall had retired a year before Ralph passed away if I remembered correctly.
Monique’s body stiffened. “Retirement was good for him in the beginning but not now. My dad started to go downhill about a year ago.”
“Age can certainly bring issues. You know Cedric’s dad passed away five years ago?” Cedric broke up with Monique only a few months before Ralph’s heart attack took him from us.
“Yes, I attended the funeral,” she nodded, her voice somber. “My father has stage four colon cancer.”
“I’m so sorry, Monique.” I recalled that Kendall was a huge man, carrying his linebacker stature into his fifties. I’d not seen the man since Ralph’s funeral. “I had no idea.”
Monique tossed her head, making her ponytail bounce like a horse’s tail. “My dad’s a proud man, a bit of a recluse these days.”
She glanced at her watch, one of those Apple watches with a wide screen. “I don’t live in Charleston anymore. I moved to Atlanta to take a position in the bank’s regional office. In the past few weeks, I’ve been back to care for my dad. My boyfriend arrived in town last week.”
The boyfriend she’d been looking to respond to her calls since Monday night. The man Carmen found dead this morning. I wasn’t fond of this woman, but this kind of news I wouldn’t wish on a soul.
I needed to prepare her. It was the least I could do. “Monique, I don’t know if you are aware, but I was talking to the hotel manager and something happened to a guest this morning.”
She grabbed her shirt, clutching the linen fabric in her hand. “Who?”
“The police were involved. I was just talking with the lady who was at the table.”
“Anna?” Monique frowned. “What happened?”
An uncomfortable warmth slammed my body as Monique and I exchanged stares for a tad second too long. It was almost like she knew I had to know more.
Monique broke her gaze, glancing down the hall. “I think I need that free drink. Someone at the conference knows something.”
She started to walk away, then stopped and spun around.
I was kind of ready for her to go.
“Mrs. Patterson, it was good to see you. I will tell Daddy I saw you. He does miss his old friend.” Then she added, “I’m happy for Cedric. I hope his bride makes him happy.”
With that, Monique Sanders strutted off.
I thought that was big of her to say. From my recollection, Cedric’s breakup with Monique was one of the more spectacular ones. Cedric’s BMW suffered slashed tires. The woman rang Cedric’s phone so much he had to change his number. He even spoke of her showing up at his practice and home like she was stalking him.
Leesa had described the woman as being “ratchet,” a term the young folks liked to use. Drama queen to the tenth power was the way I called it.
Finally, it all stopped. Monique seemed to face the facts.
The few minutes I talked to her left my mind whirling with unease. As my thoughts gathered, it dawned on me that Monique had provided a possible explanation of why Darius was here last week. He’d come to visit and support Monique while her father Kendall was probably hospitalized.
Okay, so maybe he wasn’t stalking Carmen last week. But after Darius ran into Carmen, he’d been determined to see her again. And, there were still missing pieces. Like, how did he figure out Carmen’s phone number? And how in the world did Darius know to find us at the bakery yesterday morning? And even more so, was he really following us?