Indecent Danger (Danger Incorporated #3)(57)
The doors slid open and Travis and Shane exited the elevator heading straight down the hall to where a housekeeper and her cart full of supplies was working her way through the rooms. Stepping back, Travis let Shane take the lead on talking to the woman. His cousin could charm the birds from the trees and definitely had some sort of voodoo when it came to females. He was their best chance of learning anything.
“Good afternoon, ma’am.” Shane gave the older woman a wide smile. “My name is Shane and this is my cousin Travis. We were hoping you could perhaps help us? It would only take a moment.”
The woman lifted an armful of towels from the cart but didn’t go into the room she was cleaning, which wasn’t a surprise. The service in the resort was exemplary and she was certainly in the habit of helping a lost or confused guest.
“How can I help you, sir?”
Shane chuckled as he leaned casually against the cart. “Please call me Shane. I won’t take up much of your time as I’m sure you’re very busy.” Looking down at the floor, somehow Travis’s cousin managed to blush slightly. “I’m a little embarrassed to admit this but I’m looking for a woman. One woman in particular and I was wondering if you’d seen her around. I think the man in this room is her brother.”
Shane pulled one of the photos from the party from his shirt pocket and handed it to the housekeeper, pointing to Caroline. “Have you seen the pretty blonde around here? I danced with her once and I simply cannot get her out of my mind. I think I might be in love.”
Travis had to hide his smile at how Shane sighed like a sad Romeo looking for his Juliet. But it explained his amazing success picking up women.
The housekeeper chuckled and took the picture from Shane, examining it closely, before shaking her head. “I’ve never seen her before but she’s pretty.”
Shane’s gaze shifted to Travis then back to the woman. “Are you sure? You’ve never seen her around here?”
The housekeeper tapped the photo. “No, I’d remember someone like her. I’m sorry I can’t help you.”
It still left the question as to what the undercurrent was between Caroline, Tom, and Alana but perhaps it didn’t have a thing to do with Bruce’s death.
“I appreciate that you tried to help.” Shane gave her his best smile. “I’m sorry I didn’t catch your name, darlin’.”
“Charlotte,” she offered. “My friends call me Lotte.”
“That’s a beautiful name for a beautiful lady.” Shane tucked the photograph back into his pocket. “Thank you so much for helping me. I hope you won’t mention this to anyone. I’m rather embarrassed about being so smitten with a woman I only danced with once.”
“It’s like Cinderella,” Lotte declared with a laugh. “And you’re her Prince Charming.”
Hiding his laugh with a cough, Travis nodded in agreement. “It is romantic, isn’t it? You just don’t see men going all out to find the woman of their dreams these days.”
“No, you don’t,” Lotte agreed with a harrumph. “Men and women seemed to have lost the romance from life. They’re all too busy staring at their phones.”
“Well, I do thank you again for your help. I just know I’m going to find her.”
“Good luck. I hope you do.”
Lotte waved as she disappeared into the hotel room with a stack of towels. Shane and Travis hightailed it back to the elevator, not saying a word until the doors quietly slid closed.
Another dead end.
* * *
Travis, Aubrey, Shane, and Caroline were sitting in the dining room the next morning eating breakfast and filling in a few stray details from the case. A few gently probing questions to the delicate blonde revealed that she had known Tom Lovell for several years. She’d met him when she’d started dating Bruce and she’d always found him to be a good, loyal friend even when Bruce didn’t deserve it.
Travis had managed to get Caroline in to see Martin the day before after Alana had left the county jail. She reported back that her grandfather was in good spirits but he looked tired and thin. The attorney had another meeting with the judge today so hopefully this time bail would be set and they could get Martin free.
“What do you ladies have planned today?” Shane asked, popping a home fry into his mouth. “Going to see Martin again?”
Aubrey and Caroline were becoming fast friends and were already talking about meeting up with Brinley and Gigi when Caroline joined them in Tremont. It was good to see Aubrey making friends so easily. From what she’d told him, she had a hard time when she was in school with the other snotty girls being so mean to her. Now she knew she had nothing to be ashamed of and with any luck it would bring her out of her shell. She’d been alone too long.
“The resort rents out bicycles so Caro and I thought we’d take a ride up the beach. It’s supposed to be a gorgeous day.” Aubrey and Caroline were all smiles, both dressed casually in shorts and cotton t-shirts, tennis shoes on their feet. “Are you boys interested in coming with us?”
The case was at a standstill. Travis and Shane didn’t have any new information to go on and it was frustrating as hell. It seemed that the cufflink photo might be the only thing they could do to help Martin. West and Jason were always saying that criminals weren’t very smart but it appeared that this one at least might have pulled off the perfect crime.