Murder at Driftwood Palms

Chapter 7

I finally reach the comfort of my room after one of the longest and worst days of my life. I can't believe the mess I've gotten into. None of it is technically my fault either. I truly was just at the wrong place at the wrong time. As far as I know Andrew is in the same boat as I am. It must be really hard for him. I don't know what I would do if I were accused of killing my brother and have my entire family turn on me. They left him stranded in his time of need to trust a stranger he barely knew. This whole thing is bizarre. 

I ignore the mess of a room I left this morning and plop down on the bed grateful for the first moment of my day where I was truly relaxed. I must have relaxed a little too hard because what felt like moments later, I was awoken by the sound of my phone ringing and when I checked the time, it was already the next morning. 

"Hello?" I answer groggily rubbing my eyes. 

"Hey, I tried calling you last night to let you know I got back safe but you didn't pick up so I tried again. I figured you were pooped from your day in jail yesterday, " Julia says from the other side of the line. 

"Hey, yeah I got back to the hotel and immediately fell asleep. Thanks for checking in. I promise I'm alive and I'm glad you're alive." I start to make my way over to the bathroom and get ready for the day.

"You're still at that hotel?" Julia asks alarmed,  "Jessica that is not safe, you need to find a new place to stay. Someone had access to your room to plant a murder weapon and I bet they still have that access." 

"Oh shit I didn't even think of that. I'll do some looking for new places to stay. I'll be out of here by tonight I promise. I don't  want any more trouble," I tell her while turning on the shower to warm up the water. 

"Good I'm proud of you... Did you ever solve the mystery as to why Andrew Sterling bailed you out?" 

I pause before answering. I don't think Julia would approve of the promise I made Andrew yesterday over tacos and I'm not sure if I want to face the consequences of that before 9 am. I told him I would meet with him today and we'd ask the employees around Driftwood Palms if they knew anything about Archer's death. Sleuthing around with a fellow suspect doesn't make things easier for my lawyer. 

"Huh, I guess Andrew just has a soft spot for me?" I lie nervously hoping Julia would buy it. 

"Uh-huh..." she responds skeptically. "Jessica be careful. I know he's rich and handsome but he's also a suspect in this case. Fraternizing with him doesn't help you look innocent."

"Yeah,  I'll keep that in mind. I'm about to hop in the shower but I'll talk to you later okay?" I say to cut our conversation short and prevent Julia from asking any more questions. 

"Okay be safe and let me know where you're staying once you figure it out."

"Yes, for sure. Bye!" I quickly hang up the phone and hop in the shower thankful that I bought myself more time to figure out how to explain my situation to Julia. 

I fully relax with the water running over me and finally get a chance to cleanse my body after the everything that's happened. I am still unsure of my game plan for tonight. I'll have to do some research on my options for hotels because Julia is right. I cannot safely stay here another night. 

It takes me a full hour and a half to pack up most of my items and get ready for the day. Taking into account how much I can actually afford for different lodging, I don't think I can stay at a hotel any safer than the one I'm at right now with my budget. Santa Barbara is expensive. California is expensive and who knows how long I'll be here. 

I have no clue where I'm going to stay or what my plan is. I cannot reach out to my family back in North Carolina for help. I have too much pride for that and if they find out about my situation, I'll never hear the end of it. Picking up my spirits and continuing in ignorant positivity, I give my luxury room one last farewell look, I grab all of my items, and head down to the lobby.

The elevator doors open to the lobby and I find Andrew Sterling sprawled out on the cream sofa chair. His head pops up from his phone and he trains his gaze to me after hearing the elevator doors ding open. I mentally facepalm myself as I remember our plan to meet this morning and start on our sleuthing. I check the time on my phone and curse to myself. I'm 40 minutes late. We were supposed to meet at 10 today at Driftwood Palms and I was caught up on my life falling apart that it completely slipped my mind. 

"Hi, I'm really sorry," I tell him as hi opens his mouth to scold me. "I'll be with you in about 5 minutes, I have to deal with something really quick." I give him my best apologetic/embarrassed look and leave him standing disappointed in me. 

I reach the front desk and begin the checkout process hyper aware of Andrew's gaze staring me down. "Hi, I'd like to check out. I'm supposed to stay here one more night but I unfortunately can't stay," I tell the front desk.

"Oh! I'm sorry miss, was there something wrong with your room?" The man at the desk replied, a little too concerned. 

"No the room was great, I just don't feel comfortable staying another night." 

"Well we will miss you as you go then. I'll just need your room key and I'll take care of the rest. Have a great day miss." The receptionist gives me a warm smile as I turn around and face an annoyed and confused Andrew. I walk over to him dragging my suitcase behind me.

He stands before me perfectly styled as if he were red carpet ready instead of interrogation ready. "Are you leaving?" He asks. The corners of his mouth turn down while his eyebrows knit together. 

"Yeah, my lawyer said that I shouldn't stay here for safety reasons. Do you mind if I store my stuff in a safe place at Driftwood Palms while we investigate?"

"What?" He gives me a look disbelief as if to say that's the most ridiculous thing he's heard all day. Shaking his head he continues, "You can't leave, you're charged with murder. I'm sure you'll get another charge if you try to flee."

I roll my eyes, let out a sigh, and continue to explain the situation. "I'm not leaving Santa Barbra, just this hotel. Someone planted a murder weapon in my room and still has access to that room. They can just as well harm me or plant more evidence if they want to. I haven't found a new place to stay at yet but I'm working on it."

"Good luck. It's peak tourist season. You can store your things in my suite at Driftwood Palms. We've already burned to much daylight, let's get going." Andrew grabs my shoulders and turns me around to point me in the direction of the front doors.