Kat slammed to a stop, almost running into the wall. She fought the urge to turn around and head back the way she came. It was too late. She’d been spotted.
Victoria Barron stood by the elevators and tapped her Gucci sandaled foot impatiently as she checked her watch. Her size 2 frame was enveloped in a thick cotton robe just like the ones in Kat’s room. Somehow it looked more glamorous on Victoria.
“Don’t you dare walk away from me,” Victoria barked.
Kat froze. She glanced down at her scuffed running shoes and wondered what was next. Why was Victoria here? The World Institute had booked the entire hotel, and Victoria wasn’t exactly delegate material.
“Do not ignore me! I’m not going away, and I can get you fired in a heartbeat.”
Kat slowly lifted her gaze to meet Victoria’s. Was it possible that Victoria didn’t recognize her in her housekeeper’s uniform?
“You people never do more than the bare minimum.” Victoria pointed a manicured nail at Kat. The shade matched her lipstick exactly. “There’s too much dust in my room and not enough shampoo. Do you realize how lucky you are to work here? You’d never get a job like this in your own country, wherever that is. I’ll bet you’re not even legal.”
Kat hadn’t even opened her mouth and Victoria already had her pegged as lazy, illegal, and incompetent.
“Yes, ma’am,” Kat said in what she hoped would pass as the same Eastern European accent she’d used earlier. “I get you more shampoo. Your room number is?”
“Room 216. I’m going to the spa.” The elevator doors opened and Victoria got in. “I expect shampoo in my room when I get back. Anything less is unacceptable.”
“Yes, ma’am.” The elevator doors closed. It was a relief to not be recognized, but also demeaning. After all, she had faced Victoria in court—even been her undoing. She fingered the master key card in her pocket. With Victoria gone, she might as well search her room. Maybe discover why she was here in the first place.
Kat stood outside room 216 and knocked. No answer. She slid the key card into the reader. A flashing green light and a click greeted her. She opened the door and let it click shut behind her.
The room was similar in layout to hers, but reversed. The curtains were drawn and two suitcases were stacked by the window. Even in the dim light, she saw clothes strewn everywhere: on the floor, on the unmade bed, and folded over the armoire doors and ironing board. How could Victoria have found dust? There were no bare surfaces for any to settle on.
She walked over to the desk, almost tripping over a pile of high heels in the middle of the floor. Papers were strewn haphazardly across the surface of the desk. She switched on the lamp and quickly leafed through them. She couldn’t believe her luck. Below the hotel check-in information was an agenda for the World Institute meeting. She shoved it down the front of her uniform.
Then she noticed the rest of the documents, a thick pile held together with a bulldog clip. She flipped through the pages. On top was last year’s meeting minutes, followed by some financial statements and other papers.
Was Victoria really a delegate? Hard to believe, but why else was she here? And why did she have a World Institute agenda? Kat pulled out the agenda and scanned it. No mention of Victoria as an attendee. She glanced at her watch. According to the agenda, the meeting started not tomorrow, but in thirty minutes. Victoria certainly wouldn’t be attending in her robe.
Kat shoved the clipped papers into the folded towels under her arm.
She jumped as the bathroom door clicked open. Men’s cologne and humid shower air wafted towards her. She quickly shoved the agenda down her top. Then she sneezed.
“What the hell are you doing in my room?” Nathan Barron emerged from the bathroom. He was naked, except for a towel cinched around his waist. He was much smaller in real life than in his predator portraits. Of course, in the pictures, his trophies were dead mammals, not live people, so it was hard to get a sense of scale.
Kat broke into a sweat. Nathan stood between her and the door, blocking her exit. Her throat tightened and her heart pounded in her chest as she scrambled to come up with an excuse for being in the room. Then she remembered: she had only met Nathan in pictures. He hadn’t been at Edgewater when she visited. He had never laid eyes on her and wouldn’t know who she was. And in her maid’s uniform, she had a perfectly plausible reason to be here.
“I—I’m sorry, sir. I thought the room was empty. I was just checking the towels.”
“Leave them on the bed.” He crossed his arms and stared her down.
She couldn’t. Tucked into the towels were the papers she had just pinched off the desk. She tried to keep her voice calm. “These are dirty. Let me get you some fresh ones.”
“Fine.” Nathan scowled as he turned. He stormed back into the bathroom and slammed the door behind him.
Kat let out a sigh and realized she had been holding her breath. She wiped a thin sheen of sweat from her forehead and opened the door to the hallway. These surprise encounters were stressing her out.
Nathan and Victoria had to be lovers. Why else would they share a room? Did Zachary know his ex-wife was having an affair with his father?
It wasn’t exactly within the scope of her investigation. Still, didn’t he deserve to know? On the other hand, if she told him, he would know she had trespassed in their hotel room. Maybe there was good reason for Zachary’s hostile feelings towards his father. What kind of man got involved with his son’s ex-wife?
Kat let herself out. The door clicked shut behind her as she stepped into the corridor. Her mouth dropped open as she almost collided into a slight, blonde woman in a housekeeping uniform.
“Who are you?” she asked in heavily accented English.
Russian, Kat guessed. The woman appeared to be about five-six, maybe a hundred and ten pounds. Her ill-fitting uniform hung from her shoulders. It was meant for someone much bigger.
“I’m new.” Kat held out her hand, willing it not to shake. “Name’s Marcie. Today’s my first day.”
The woman studied her without saying anything.
Kat pulled her hand back and wiped her palm on the front of her ill-fitting uniform. It was meant for someone six inches shorter, and she didn’t need a mirror to guess how ridiculous she looked. She tugged the blouse down to cover her midriff and extended her hand again.
The housekeeper glanced at Kat’s waistband and clasped her hand lightly. “Angelika. You here for conference? Dorothy didn’t mention you.” Angelika’s English was peppered with missed pronouns and omitted plurals. She glanced nervously down the corridor and tucked a stray blonde hair behind her ear.
“Yes, the conference.” Kat couldn’t help but notice how beautiful she was. High cheekbones and translucent ivory skin.
Angelika stole another glance down the hall.
“Looking for someone?”
Angelika shook her head. “No, just checking rooms. Which one to do next.”
“They only called me this morning.” How many housekeepers worked a shift? Five? Two dozen? One of them could be searching for her uniform right about now. “With the conference and all.”
Angelika still looked puzzled.
“I’m not on this floor,” Kat added quickly. “Just came down for some extra shampoo.” Hopefully Angelika wouldn’t ask what floor she was working on.
“Of course. There’s box of shampoo in storage room.” Angelika smiled and pointed down the hall in the direction Kat had just come from. “Help yourself. You taking Annie’s place?”
“Yeah, Annie. Couldn’t remember her name. What’s this conference all about?”
“Dorothy didn’t tell you? Maybe not, if you just fill in today. It’s top, top secret. We can’t talk to anyone about it. You sign non-disclosure agreement?” Angelika leaned on her cart, knocking a box of tissue off the cart and onto the carpet.
Kat bent to pick it up. “Not yet. I’ll sign it on my break.”
She handed the tissue to Angelika without taking her eyes off the housekeeper’s shoes. Her designer pumps sported a two-inch kitten heels—totally impractical for cleaning hotel rooms.
“I’ll be glad for Friday,” Angelika sighed. “The security guards everywhere, and guests—so demanding.”
“Friday?”
“When conference ends. Things go back to normal.”
Friday was also the due date for Harry’s next mortgage payment. If he couldn’t make it, the bank would foreclose. How could she deal with his loans and Zachary’s case at the same time?
She dreaded Friday and hoped for it all at the same time.
Kat’s thoughts drifted back to Uncle Harry as she headed for the storage room. Once Hillary found out Harry was flat broke, what would she do? Her return after all these years must mean she was desperate. How far would she go to get more of Harry’s money?
Kat swiped her card key in the door to the storage room. She opened the door and froze as she came face to face with Roger Landers.