Heather took Tabby’s key card and left her to escort Steve back to his room. She made a point of scanning the atrium to see if anyone looking like a cop was heading her direction. Sure enough, through the glass-enclosed elevator, she saw a patrolman making a beeline toward her. She punched the number twelve and watched the officer taking long strides. Nearing the twelfth floor she kicked off her shoes and punched the button to floors one through eleven to slow the elevator’s descent. Running at a full sprint, she arrived at the Presidential Suite. Once inside Tabby’s bedroom she dug in the flower arrangement for the camera, pulled the journal out of the nightstand, and snatched the laptop from the desk. Back in the hallway she headed for the fire escape. The “ding” of the elevator sounded as she pulled open a fireproof door. Down two flights of stairs she hustled. Steve and Tabby stood in the hallway on the tenth floor.
“Another workout?” asked Steve.
“Not by choice. A cop almost caught me coming out of Tabby’s room. I don’t think he saw me.” She looked down at her lack of footwear. “If I’d known my toes were going to be on display I’d have gone for a pedicure.”
Tabby’s head bobbed. “I played an airline stewardess once. A rotten cop followed her to a hotel room and—”
“I suggest we get out of the hall,” said Steve. He manipulated the key card and pushed open his door.
“Golly,” said Tabby. “This room looks like a movie set. Look at the white board with all the names on it.” She paused. “Hey, why is my name there?”
“We had to rule you out,” said Steve. Half joking, he added, “We’ve almost done it.”
Heather had her hands full of shoes, a laptop and a prayer journal. “Tabby, why don’t we put these things in my room?” She adjusted the prayer journal and laptop in her arms. “You can watch TV or go to sleep, or whatever you want. Steve and I have a lot of work to do.”
“Can’t I stay?” Her bottom lip stuck out in a pout.
“For a little while,” said Steve. “Leo Vega is coming. I’ll tell him you’re next door, but I don’t want him seeing you in this room.”
“Why not?”
Heather looked at Steve and wondered what he would say.
“We’re going to be wise as serpents and gentle as doves.”
Tabby formed her face into a question. “I don’t understand that verse.”
“That will give you something to think about.”
Heather knew this was not the time or place to parse a Bible verse. “When will Leo be here?”
“Another ten or fifteen minutes.” Steve moved to the queen bed closest to the whiteboard. “I have a job for you in the meantime. Call your buddy, the assistant manager, and find out if anyone stayed in Cassie New’s room the night before our suspects arrived.”
Heather hesitated. “Things aren’t looking good for Cassie New, are they?”
“The evidence is stacking up.” He rose and put his hand on Cassie’s name taped to the board. “Leo also told me forensics determined the direct line of Victor’s fall was from Cassie’s room.”
“Not to mention Cassie told us Victor poked himself with a knitting needle when he came to her room. They’re bound to have blood, or evidence she tried to clean it.”
Heather turned to Tabby. “Did Victor tell you he stopped by Cassie’s room?”
Tabby had taken off her shoes and moved the pillows on the first bed behind her back. “Sure. He told me he went there. He also said that’s where he was going when he left our room.”
“Are you sure?” asked Steve. “He said he was going back to Cassie New’s room?”
“He said she called and asked him to come down to get what she’d taken from him in high school.”
“Think, Tabby. Did Victor say Cassie called? Could it have been someone else?”
“Well, now that you mention it, I don’t remember. I know he said he’d be in Cassie’s room and he’d be gone a while.”
Heather had no more settled Tabby in her room when she heard a knock on Steve’s door. She scurried next door, made sure to close the door connecting the rooms, and opened Steve’s door for Leo. A scowl told her he wasn’t in a particularly good mood. After a nod of greeting he followed her into Steve’s bedroom.
“Where’s Steve?” Leo asked.
“Look on the balcony. That’s the only place he could be.”
Leo walked to the open sliding door and poked his head out. “This had better be good.”
“Have a seat, Leo.”
Sounds of guests in the atrium drifted upward, accompanied by the hum of air conditioning. Heather moved to where she could hear.
“I’d rather be home sleeping. What’s so important that it couldn’t wait until morning?” asked Leo.
“Birds,” said Steve. “I’ve been sitting here thinking about birds.”
Leo turned to look at Heather with eyebrows raised. Heather shrugged.
“I’ve been thinking how we can kill two birds with one stone. You’ve got a dangerous partner, and an innocent woman has enough evidence against her to convict her two times over.”
“Are you talking about Cassie New?”
“Yeah.”
“Are you sure she’s innocent?”
“Pretty sure.”
“The evidence says she’s guilty.”
“You and Heather are going to get evidence tonight that will prove otherwise.”
“We are?” asked Heather.
Leo groaned. “Here we go again.”
Steve chuckled. “Like old times, isn’t it?”
“Not exactly.”
Heather returned from the refrigerator, popped the top on a can of energy drink and handed it to Leo. He took a long swig. “Okay, Steve. Let me have it.”
“Let’s take care of Tubbs first. I want you to call him. Invite him to join us here in my room. He’s going to refuse because he’s getting a search warrant for Tabby Yancy’s suite. He’s convinced she conspired with Cassie New to murder her husband. He went into her suite earlier tonight without permission from Tabby. She kept a journal that he believes has incriminating information in it. He found it, read it, and took photos of the pages. It’s not what he thinks it is. Also, he’ll be looking for Victor Yancy’s laptop.”
“How do you know?”
“Heather placed a camera in Tabby’s bedroom.”
Leo groaned and took another drink.
Heather took a step out onto the balcony. “Tabby gave me the password to the laptop and we read the emails from Victor to the suspects we have on the board. Some can be construed to be threats, but we don’t think that’s what Victor meant. I’ll open the computer so you can read them.”
Steve added, “We’re also giving you the journal.”
Leo nodded as a look of concern crossed his face. “If Tubbs comes looking for a laptop and a journal and finds Mrs. Yancy, he’ll haul her downtown. Shouldn’t we go to her room?”
“Relax,” said Steve. “She’s next door in Heather’s room with the journal and the laptop. I’m betting Tubbs will think Heather and I are sharing this room.”
Leo shook his head. “I hope you two are right on this one. If Tubbs gets a commendation, I’ll have to take early retirement to get away from him.”
The words had no more left Leo’s mouth than insistent bangs sounded on Steve’s door.
More loud bangs followed with the voice of Detective Tubbs shouting, “Open up, Smiley!”
“Hurry, Leo,” whispered Heather. “Get next door.”
After Leo made a quick exit, Heather closed and locked the adjoining door. She moved to the front door. “Who is it?” she asked in a sleep-strained voice.
“Police. Open the door.”
Heather took her time. She slipped a white terrycloth robe over her clothes. It hung down to mid-calf, well past the hem of her dress. She gripped the top of the robe so her blouse wouldn’t peek out. To get back at Tubbs for his earlier rudeness she unlatched, re-latched and unlatched the safety lock again. Tussled hair, bare feet and a white robe met Tubbs’ angry gaze when she opened the door.
He shouldered past her. “Where is she?”
“Where is who?” asked Heather.
He looked in the bathroom, jerking back the shower curtain.
“Don’t play smart with me. You know who. Tabby Yancy.”
“What are you ranting about?”
Steve spoke as Tubbs came out of the bathroom. He lay in bed with covers pulled to his chin. “Sorry, Tubbs. I’d get up, but you know how it is.”
Tubbs cast his gaze to Steve’s grinning face, then to Heather as she clutched the top of the robe. She challenged him with a hard stare. His gaze shifted back to Steve while his face grew a deep shade of crimson. Steve made matters worse by smiling and chuckling.
“Where is she, Smiley?”
Steve lifted the covers and pretended to look between the sheets. “I don’t see her. Look around. Check the balcony if you’d like.”
Tubbs stopped in his tracks when he noticed the whiteboard with the suspects’ names and note cards taped under each one. He huffed and pushed open the door to the balcony with such force it bounced and came back half way.
“Better check under the bed,” said Heather. “By the way, do you have a warrant for this search?”
Tubbs’ face passed crimson and approached a shade of deep purple. “You let me in voluntarily, Miss Hot-Shot Lawyer. You missed your chance to demand to see a warrant.”
“No matter. We cooperate with the police.” She paused. “Unless they want us to do something illegal or something we know is wrong.”
Tubbs stood between the two beds and glared at Steve. He spread his feet wide. “You two may think you’re smart by sneaking her out and giving her a head start, but I’ll put out a BOLO. She won’t get far.” After a wheezy inhale he continued, “I’ll also be filing a report to get your licenses suspended for interfering with a police investigation.”
The door to Steve’s room slammed shut. Heather went to the door leading to her room, opened Steve’s side and gave the “shave-and-a-haircut” knock. Leo pulled open the door on his side.
“Could you hear anything?” asked Heather.
“Muffled voices. My hearing isn’t what it used to be.”
Heather backed away from the opening. Steve threw back the covers. A wide grin stretched Leo’s mouth. “I told you this wasn’t like old times. We never played this game in a hotel room.”
Heather cut him off before he could say anymore. “Steve, next time I’ll get under the covers and you answer the door.”
The three broke into laughter.
“Did he buy it?” asked Leo when the frivolity wound down.
“Hook, line and sinker.” She looked to Steve. “Leo and I will be on our way to meet Mr. La Monte and view several hours of video.”