Burned

Regan nodded sympathetically.

“Who knows where she got her attitude?” Janet continued as she shrugged her shoulders. “The girls from the shop were saying that when Dorinda first got here, she acted friendly and asked millions of questions. She got together with them a few times for lunch and drinks. But then she’d break lunch dates at the last minute. And not return phone calls. It was as if she realized they couldn’t do her much good. It seemed to be her pattern with people who worked at the hotel. She plied everyone for gossip and information about life around here and then dropped them when she’d gotten all she could out of them.”

“Do you have any idea about her private life?”

“She was here a lot at night covering the parties and taking pictures. And I know she was always angling to get herself invited to parties and openings around town. I don’t think she had any sort of boyfriend.”

“A waitress in one of the coffee shops told me she was a real flirt.”

“That she was. I saw the way she’d act with Will. She’d breeze past me and then saunter into his office with a big smile. I don’t think he bought into it, but he was stuck. He’d signed a six-month contract with her and wanted to make it work.

“Did Will ever mention anything about firing her?” Regan asked quickly.

“No! But I know Will. He couldn’t have been happy with people’s reaction to Dorinda. He wanted someone to bring people together with the newsletter, not alienate them. I shouldn’t be talking about Will. All I’m saying is yes. Dorinda was a flirt, and she was attractive.”

Interesting, Regan thought. I’ve had the feeling all along that there’s something Will is not telling me. “Did you read the article she wrote for the magazine Spirits in Paradise?”

“No. That reminds me: Now I have to find somebody else to take pictures at the ball.” She jotted down a note on a Post-it on her desk.

Business is business, Regan thought. “Apparently Dorinda walked home every night. Did you know that?”

“Yes. Her apartment is not too far from here, in Waikiki. She took the path along the beach. When it rained, she was always looking for someone to give her a ride. I did once. She barely thanked me. And I live in the opposite direction.”

“I wonder what the story is with her apartment now.”

“Her cousin is on his way here to clean it out.”

“Her cousin is coming here?” Regan repeated.

“Yes. He called after you left before.”

“Where does he live?”

“Venice Beach, California.”

“Oh, really. I live in the Hollywood Hills.”

“Well, he’s flying in today, and Will’s parents will be here in the morning.”

“Will’s parents? He mentioned he was looking forward to his wife coming back this weekend.”

“He was and she is. That’s the problem. She’s been gone since before Christmas, and when she gets back tonight, she’ll hear all this good news. Like her mother-in-law will be arriving in no time flat. Not that Will’s mom isn’t a nice lady but…”

“I understand,” Regan said quickly.

“I’m glad you do because I don’t think Will’s wife will.” Janet laughed. “Poor guy. He has so much going on. He’s got to get through this ball. He’s going to put his parents up in a room here.”

“Sounds like a good idea,” Regan said.

“You wouldn’t believe what a good idea it is. Of course that means I’ll be dealing with Mama Brown. And I have to work this weekend at the ball.”

“Things will be busy,” Regan commented.

“They sure will.”

“Janet, did you ever hear that Dorinda was afraid of the ocean?”

“No. But as they said on the news, she did like to sit on the jetty at night. It can be so beautiful and peaceful sitting in the moonlight. I told her more than once to be careful out there by herself. She never listened. She said it calmed her down after a busy day. The currents are strong. Maybe she slipped and fell.”

“Maybe,” Regan agreed as she jotted down a few notes. “Janet, you see a lot of what goes on around here.”

“I hear it, too. I feel like the president of the complaint department.”

“Do you know of anyone who would have wanted to hurt Dorinda?”

“Plenty of people felt like strangling her, but not killing her. I think you know what I mean.”

“I suppose I do. Dorinda started working here just after the renovation was complete, and Will said that the problems around the hotel started soon after that. I know she’s not here to defend herself, but I wonder if she could have had anything to do with the trouble at the hotel.”

“Hard to say,” Janet responded. “We hired a lot of new employees at that time.”

“Could I get a list of those people?”

“Sure. I’ll have that ready for you in a few hours. I really don’t think Dorinda could have been behind the trouble. She would have had to sneak around, and she couldn’t help but make her presence known. When Dorinda was in a room, you knew it. Some of the problems we had originated in the kitchen. Some in the public bathrooms. Some in the guest rooms. Whoever is behind it must have a master key. I suppose Dorinda could have gotten one. It’ll be interesting to see if anything happens now that she’s gone.”

The phone on Janet’s desk rang. She rolled her eyes. “I bet this is about the ball.”

“I’ll get out of your way.” Regan closed her notebook and stood. “I’ll take a look at everything in here.” The manila envelope was in her hands.

“I’ll be in all day. Give me a call or stop by if you need anything.”

“Thanks very much,” Regan said and walked out of the office and into the bustling open-air reception area. A poster for the Princess Ball was propped on an easel next to the concierge desk. SOLD OUT! was written across the top. ACCEPTING NAMES FOR THE WAITING LIST.

Oh, Dorinda, Regan thought. Maybe not the way you wanted, but you certainly have made your mark.

24

B ob and Betsy were in their room sitting together at the desk where their laptop computer was open and ru

“I don’t know,” Betsy hesitated. “It doesn’t seem that exciting to go out in the world and pretend to be Bo

“It doesn’t?”

“Not at all.”

Bob took off his glasses and used the bottom of his T-shirt to give them a good cleaning. It was something he did many times a day, more out of habit than the fact that his glasses were fogged. “I think it would help our marriage.”

Betsy looked aghast. “What’s wrong with our marriage?”

There was a pause. “Nothing,” he muttered. “Nothing that can’t be fixed with a little old-fashioned excitement.”

“By acting like we’re criminals?”

“Yes. If we’re writing a chapter about how to keep a relationship exciting, then we should offer a smorgasbord of ideas to keep the fires burning. Pretending to be devilish is one of the choices.”

“That’s what Halloween is for,” Betsy replied as her face developed a pinched look. She was begi

As Betsy looked down and folded her hands, she thought longingly of her college boyfriend Roger. Where was he now? If only they had ended up together. If only he hadn’t met that other girl who got her hooks into him during a semester at sea. Betsy couldn’t go because she got seasick. Roger said he’d go for five months and get in enough cruising for a lifetime. Huh! I should have gone and taken Dramamine, Betsy reflected. Her mother had tried to comfort her by singing “Que Sera Sera,” but it only made things worse. Then she’d heard that Roger and Nautical Nancy had had their reception on a boat.