Kat and Jace huddled in their warm parkas on the balcony and sipped their morning coffees. The sun had risen just over the horizon, and a burnt-orange glow peeked through the tall evergreens. Eerie light reflected off the fresh dusting of snow and contrasted with long shadows from the trees.
Kat swallowed her last bite of French toast. Overnight her flu symptoms had passed, and she was surprised at how hungry she was. “Do you think Harry’s okay? Hillary’s got such a short fuse. His dementia’s going to frustrate her.”
“She won’t stick around long once she finds the money’s gone. All Hillary cares about is Hillary.” Jace stood and peered over the railing. He motioned Kat to lean forward.
Two security guards had just emerged from the hotel’s kitchen door below them. They talked in voices too low for Kat to make out the conversation.
Kat first noticed the two beefy thirty-somethings outside the building this morning. They stood below on the frozen ground, securing the entrance. Every few minutes they talked into their sleeves, apparently in radio contact.
Security had materialized gradually at Hideaway Bay as the conference attendees arrived. Even in suits, the security men seemed more like army commandos. A stark contrast to the aging, overweight conference attendees they guarded.
“There must be a dozen guys on this side of the hotel alone,” Jace whispered. “I’m going for a walk—a VIP must be arriving.”
Kat held up her hand, not wanting to risk being overheard by the men below. But Jace was already inside, changing into his suit. Kat jumped up and followed him, sliding the patio door closed.
“Do I really need to wear this suit the whole time I’m here?” Jace sat on the bed as he slipped his shoes on.
“You can’t go out there, Jace.” Kat dropped her parka on the bed.
“Why not? If I truly am the technical support, shouldn’t I be out there? The hotel staff must wonder why we haven’t left the room.” Jace came up and circled his arms around her waist. He pulled the curtains closed.
Kat cupped her hands over his. “Can’t we just relax and enjoy the place? Once the conference starts, the security detail will relax a bit. Give them a few hours to settle in.” She felt anything but relaxed. Now that they were in, she didn’t want to do anything that would risk discovery.
“You said yourself they’re not checking out anyone already inside.”
Security had seemed strangely absent until now. After all, Hillary had managed to get in. Kat realized they were lucky to have arrived one day before the conference started. Otherwise, they might not have even made it up the driveway into the resort.
“I’m more worried about you. That you might confront Pinslett or something. I need to close this case and meet Zachary’s deadline. Ideally before Edgewater runs out of money tomorrow or Tuesday. We can’t risk tipping off Nathan Barron. Don’t jeopardize my case, Jace.”
Jace shook his head. “C’mon, Kat, give me some credit. Of course I won’t—but I also can’t pass up an opportunity of a lifetime. No journalist has ever been inside a World Institute conference before.”
“Except Pinslett.”
“He’s not a journalist. He just owns a stable of journalists. I want to expose him, make him pay.” He punched his fist into his hand.
“Okay, you’re really not going out there. You’re too worked up. You’ll arouse suspicion and get us kicked out of here.”
“You’re holding me prisoner? What if I miss something?”
“Jace, you know what I mean. First things first. Let’s get proof of Nathan’s involvement. Once we have that, you can have a field day with Pinslett and the rest of them. I’ll even help you. The problem is, I can’t go into the conference. Almost all the delegates are men.”
“And they’ll soon know I’m an imposter.”
“Maybe—maybe not. At any rate, we need a way to get the proof that Nathan’s here and his involvement. Otherwise, short of videotaping, it’s still only our word against theirs.” She needed something more ironclad.
“So what do we do?” he asked.
Kat quickly dressed and stepped into a pair of running shoes.
“I’ve got an idea.” She pushed her long hair under a baseball cap. “Give me fifteen minutes.”
She opened the door to the hall and peered outside.
Clear.
She turned to the right, the direction she figured she was least likely to run into other guests. After following the corridor to its end, she doubled back to another hallway and peeked around the corner. A housekeeping cart was parked halfway between where she stood and the stairs.
She strode towards the cart, head down in case she ran into anyone. She scanned the cart, momentarily tempted to pick up extra conditioner.
All the hotel room doors were shut, which meant the housekeeper probably wasn’t in any of them. She turned the corner and saw the door marked Housekeeping. The door was slightly ajar, and she pushed it open. If she were discovered, she’d pretend to search for extra pillows.
No one was inside. It didn’t take long to find what she was searching for. A housekeeper’s uniform hung on a hook behind the door. She grabbed it and quickly changed, stuffing her sweats and t-shirt into a laundry bag. She pulled the too-tight shirt sharply down to try and cover her stomach—no matter, she wouldn’t be in the hallway long.
The hallway was still empty. She emerged and strolled towards the cart. She grabbed two bottles of conditioner just as something hard scraped against her hip. As she pulled it out of the pocket she couldn’t believe her luck. Not only did she have a housekeeper’s uniform, she now had a master key card to all the rooms in the resort.
She turned and sped away, anxious to make it down the corridor without seeing anyone. She reached the elevator bank that divided the two building wings just as the elevator dinged. Then she heard a voice. A voice she’d know anywhere.