Part 14 (1/2)

”I wasn't. Not really,” Sadie said, smiling back. ”I'm mostly finished but needed to catch some sleep before I left.”

”You're cleaning next door, right?” He nodded in the direction of the connecting room.

”Yes,” Sadie replied. ”Mostly done now.”

”I heard it was awful. Like a horror movie.” He smiled when he said it, like most people who sensationalized crime scenes into a Hollywood movie format in their minds.

”It was sad. Very sad,” Sadie answered, and that wiped the bright smile off his face. ”Could you let Ms. Hummel know that I'll be down to see her shortly?”

He nodded and made his way to the door.

Sadie went to her purse and dragged out some bills for a tip.

”By the way, do you remember a young woman, possibly a teen, who worked in housekeeping named Marlene?” Sadie asked, handing him a couple dollars.

”No, I don't think so.” He shook his head. ”There was a Marlene who was a waitress last year but she wasn't young. Maybe thirtyish like you.” He blushed, realizing his blunder. ”Not that you're not young, I mean-”

”No worries.” Sadie rescued him. ”Are you sure there isn't a Marlene working here as a maid?”

”I know all the housekeeping staff, and I've never met a Marlene,” he said, and his c.o.c.ky smile said if there was a young woman within a mile radius his p.e.n.i.s GPS would've found her. ”I've been here two years now. Maybe it was before that?”

After he was gone Sadie dressed again in the skirt and blouse she'd worn when she arrived. She made sure the bins were prepared for staff to load and bring down to her van via the freight elevator, and then she packed her belongings in her suitcase. Then Sadie settled down to sip coffee and nibble a warm croissant spread with strawberry preserves. It wasn't often she got the five-star treatment. It was too bad people had to die for it to happen.

She scrolled through her messages and noted a number of text messages from Maeva, who'd obviously been surprised and upset by the uploaded Internet video. A night of hard work and a few hours of sleep made Sadie think the video was less of a big deal. She didn't reply to all of Maeva's comments about the video because that felt like a lengthy conversation. She did tell her she would be home shortly and would call her later.

Bev Hummel greeted Sadie in her office with a wide smile, as if they were long-lost friends.

”You're all done?” she asked.

”Mostly,” Sadie replied, taking a chair across from her. ”I will leave the ozone generator in the room for at least another day or two to allow them to make sure the air is perfect. If you could ask your staff to bring the bins down, I'll meet them at my van.”

Bev picked up her phone and placed the request to the staff to do as Sadie asked.

”Can I send in the repairmen to take care of carpeting and wall repairs?”

”Yes,” Sadie said. ”And as I mentioned before, the mattress will need to be replaced but the other furniture was all salvageable.”

”Great.” Bev Hummel clapped her hands. ”I'll be thrilled when this entire unfortunate event is behind us.” She got to her feet, announcing the meeting over. ”Thanks for taking care of this so quickly. I appreciate it.”

Sadie hesitated at the door.

”By the way, I think a friend's daughter worked here as a housekeeper. . . . Marlene? Did you know her?”

Bev Hummel looked thoughtful.

”The name isn't familiar. Are you sure it was Marlene?”

”I might've gotten it wrong,” Sadie admitted. ”If it's okay with you, I'll hang on to the room keys until I get the rest of the equipment in a couple days.”

Bev agreed, and Sadie strolled off through the exquisite lobby, pulling her suitcase behind her, and exited the front doors with a nod to the uniformed doorman. She tugged her case down the b.u.mpy sidewalk and around the corner toward the delivery entrance. She was at her van just as three men arrived with hand dollies stacked with Stericycle bins. Sadie unlocked the van and rolled up the back door so they could load the supplies. She wished she could also bring the help with her to her storage unit, where she'd be unloading the hazardous material until she scheduled a waste pickup. Her aching muscles could use the help.

The three Pacifica employees who were charged with the task of wheeling down the multiple bins of blood-sodden debris and hoisting it into the back of her van now rewarded themselves with a smoke break behind the building.

”Thanks,” Sadie called out, offering them a wave as she tossed her small suitcase in the back and then rolled the back door down with a slam and locked it.

”No problem,” one called back.

Sadie took a couple steps toward the driver's door and then walked back to the clutch of young guys leaning casually against the brown brick next to the ma.s.sive Dumpsters. If Marlene had been on the staff before getting killed, maybe they'd remember her.

”I wonder if any of you know my friend's daughter,” Sadie began. ”I thought she worked here in housekeeping. Her name's Marlene?”

Each of them shrugged in turn and shook their heads.

”Sure, I know a Marlene who cleans rooms, but not at this hotel,” one with red hair and freckles responded as he dragged hard on his cigarette.

”Okay. Thanks anyway.” Sadie turned to go.

”Yeah, she works at the Eminence, not here.”

Sadie slowly turned back to the group.

”The Bay Eminence? That really modern tower on the waterfront?”

”Yup,” he replied. ”I work part time at both.”

”That isn't Marlene,” one of the other guys piped up. ”You're thinking of Maxine.”

Freckle-faced guy finished his smoke and ground it under the toe of his shoe before nodding. ”You're right. Maxine. Blonde with big . . .” He held his hands in front of his chest.

”Right. Got it. So, you work at both hotels?” Sadie tilted her head. ”That isn't a conflict of interest?”

Sure, it might seem ridiculous that this lackey might smuggle the deep dark secrets of each luxury hotel and sell it to the highest bidder, but hey, there had to be fierce compet.i.tion for the wallets of Seattle's tourists.

”They're sisters,” he replied with a shrug.

”Yeah,” added his friend, flicking his cigarette b.u.t.t into the alley behind the van. ”Our paychecks are from Torpor Inc. The company owns a lot of hotels.”

”Torpor,” Sadie repeated slowly and then slapped her palm to her forehead. ”Now I remember. They were in the news a few years ago determined to own one historic hotel and one ritzy modern one in each major city in the world, right?”

With a nod of disinterest they told her they needed to head back to work. Sadie found herself wondering if Petrovich realized the hotels were owned by the same company. He wouldn't be much of a detective if he hadn't connected those dots, but she still felt she needed to update him about the connection the three dead women had to Women Against the Streets. She reached for her phone but it wasn't in any of her usually designated pockets. She began searching the large purse she'd received from Maeva, but it wasn't there.

”d.a.m.n.”

Sadie rubbed the back of her neck wearily. She must've left it in the hotel room.

Instead of heading back around the front of the building and posing as a businesswoman in her skirt and pumps, Sadie saved her feet the anguish and cut through the back exit the workers just entered.