Room with a View

Chapter 19 - The Plot Thickens

Glenda stood up from the lounge and looked at her watch then said something to the man and left, going up toward the lobby.

"She's going to that next appointment with Warez I bet." Billy said.

"What about the other guy? I wonder where he is?"

"Let's go and see Mendoza."

"What for?"

"Unless they paid cash every time he'll have their villa numbers. Her being with Hector gives me a funny feeling."

"So maybe a bit of Nancy Drew won't hurt after all?"

"You never know." She moved quickly from the table down to the lower pool court and over to the bar, forcing Miller to run in pursuit.

Hector found himself wracking his brain for a solution to his current situation. He'd spent all night fretting about being exposed. Now here he was breaking all the rules by lounging on the patio and with a guest . . . the Weiss woman! What had he been thinking? He hadn't, that was the whole problem! The Weiss woman was right. If he tried to force the issue she could create any number of scenarios that would crush him. Better the deal you have he thought . . . finally. Arguing with her was too dangerous.

In exchange for her giving him an alibi, he would provide her with the same one. All this trouble and he wasn't even getting paid by Graves any more. Hector's phone rang and he saw that it was Charles and he frantically jumped up, dragging on his pants and top, and hurried down to the security office, answering on the fly.

Charles sat behind his small desk in the security office, chewing on the end of his pen when Hector arrived and he pointed deliberately to the chair in front of the desk. He had arrived back at the resort and immediately called Hector for a report.

"Where have you been?"

"On my rounds, el jefe." Hector prayed he hadn't been seen on the lounge.

"Not today, the other night? And the early morning? Another guest was murdered while you were 'on your rounds'."

Hector's heart stopped and started again. What did Charles know? "My regular duties. I saw nothing of what happened. It is a terrible tragedy."

Charles chewed his pen again. "And those duties included a visit to one of the guest's apartments?"

He felt his stomach turn. "I was checking the front door lock on Senorita Weiss's suite." This was their story and he was now committed.

"And?"

"Uh- it was fine . . . just stuck. I uh- I made a few more visits to that area just to keep her mind at ease. She saw me and was pleased with our vigilance."

"Senor Estrada is not so pleased. The fact that we could provide nothing of value about the killings has left him in a very bad mood."

"But you were away and I had to police the entire grounds alone; you know that is almost impossible, Charles. Besides, Warez and his men were here as well."

Charles frowned. "Tonight is the Festival el Toro and we will need to be more vigilant; there can be no further incidents to discredit the resort's name.

"I thought Captain Warez was having his men police the event."

"He will be of course but the resort security is our responsibility. There will be no further socializing with guests; you will be professional at all times."

"Charles, I was simply being polite. I can't refuse to speak when asked questions."

"I'm referring to your lounging on the patio with the aforementioned, Senorita Weiss."