Till Death(59)

What exactly was I supposed to think about? I turned away once the door closed behind the mayor, furious and thoroughly confused. I could understand the whole town not wanting me to do interviews about the Groom. It was a small town, and bad press was not good press, but come on. What exactly was I going to do that would have that much of an impact? There had to be something else, something more behind why he was so unhappy with my return.

I’d made it to the sitting area when I heard the door open once again. Head now thumping, I pivoted around to see a tall man walk in. A very tall, handsome man, which made my headache seem less painful.

It was like God was rewarding me for dealing with the mayor.

The man appeared to be half white, half African American, and he had cheekbones for days. Features angular and striking, hair buzzed close to the skull, combined with the dark suit he wore, he looked like he’d walked off the pages of a men’s magazine.

Or a hot police calendar.

The badge clipped to his belt flashed out from his jacket as he strode forward. His dark eyes settled on me. “Miss Keeton?”

“Yes?”

“I’m Detective Tyron Conrad,” he said, stopping and extending a hand. He took my hand in a firm grip. “Cole contacted me earlier.”

“Thank you for coming out.”

He let go of my hand. “No problem.”

Trying not to stare at the man, I stepped aside. “If you don’t mind, could we go into the kitchen? I don’t want any guests to overhear us.”

“Lead the way.” He flashed a heart-stopping smile.

Oh dear.

“Got a question for you, Miss Keeton,” he said as I led him toward the kitchen. “Did I just pass the mayor on the way out?”

I fought the urge to punch something as I slid open the pocket door. “Call me Sasha. Yes. He was . . . checking on the inn,” I explained, weighing my words. I doubted the detective would take too kindly to me spewing less than flattering adjectives like I wanted to.

“Interesting,” he murmured.

“Would you like anything to drink?” I offered, changing the subject.

“I’m good but thanks for the offer,” he replied, glancing around the kitchen. “Cole said you discovered something missing that might pertain to Angela Reidy?”

“Cole didn’t give you the details?” I leaned against the counter.

“He did, but I want to hear them from you.”

“Oh.” Taking a deep breath, I knocked my hair back over my shoulder. “Angela keeps an extra key here. From what my mother explained, she had a habit of locking herself out. The key was here yesterday morning. I remember seeing it. I actually touched it,” I told him, clutching the counter behind me. “I don’t even know why I did that. I saw it and thought of Angela, and then I fell down the stairs.”

“I looked into that.” He reached into his pocket, pulling out a small notebook like Derek had. “I want you to tell me about that.”

I quickly told him what had happened yesterday morning and then moved on to how I discovered the missing key. His gaze sharpened when I explained that I’d gone out to the cemetery. I ignored the look. “That’s when I discovered the missing key. My mother didn’t take it, and the only other person who has been here is Daphne, and she would have no reason to pick it up.”

“Can you show me the room?”

“Sure.” I took him to the door and pushed it open, shivering as we stepped down into the chilly room. “This was a part of the old servants’ kitchen. That door there leads outside.” I gestured at the exit that opened up under the stairs that led upstairs to the apartment balcony. “I don’t know if it was locked, but we normally keep it that way. Staff has keys. The other door goes to the staff stairway—the one I was coming down yesterday.”

“And you can get to the cellar from there?” When I nodded, he asked, “Can you give me a few minutes?”

“Sure. I’ll be in the kitchen.”

Smiling, he nodded. “Thank you, Sasha.”

He walked toward the corkboard and I saw that his back was just as attractive as his front. Wow. Back in the kitchen, I made a fresh pot of coffee, and I’d just poured myself a cup when the door opened. Detective Conrad was back, hands empty. “Would you like a cup?” I felt like I had to offer again.

“Trying to lay off the caffeine,” he replied.

“That sounds like a sin.”

He grinned. “It hasn’t been easy, that I will admit.” Stopping in front of the kitchen island, he said, “I’m going to have forensics come out here. Just going to be one guy, have him dust for prints and take some pictures. If you want, he can come in through the back and the guests won’t even know he’s here.”

“That would be good.” I took a sip of the coffee. “I would like for the guests not to be aware of any of this.”

“That is easy to do.” Leaning at the waist, he propped his elbows on the counter. “I can have a guy here in about an hour. Make sure he stays out of everyone’s hair.” He paused. “Got to say, I appreciate the fact you’re observant.”

“I’ve learned to be,” I admitted, cradling my mug with both hands. “Do you think the missing key is related to Angela’s disappearance?”