Murder at the Grand [Kindle Edition]

Murder at the Grand [Kindle Edition] by Maggie Grindstaff

The Grand Hotel was busy, chaotic even. The biggest event of the year was about to begin. The kitchen was packed with waiters, chefs and the sound of clinking china, and simmering pots. The lobby was full of animated conversation as anyone who had a good excuse to be there was waiting to see the famous guests about to arrive. In the ballroom, there were only two people. The only sound was the gurgling of a dying breath. Quickly, while the body was still loose, the murderer tied it up and stuffed it into its hiding place. Glancing around to make sure nothing had been left behind, the murderer left the now empty ballroom, and couldn’t help but smile. Drew slowly opened the door and let himself into the crowded ballroom. Streamers of brightly colored plastic hung in a design radiating out from the center of the room. The dais at the front of the room had a placard advertising a local children’s charity, behind the microphone stood an auctioneer. He was holding a ski pass to one of the exclusive ski resorts in Park City. The bid was four thousand dollars. Drew rolled his eyes in disgust. None of those attending to the auction had seen him enter. That was part of the job. There is always a bit of anonymity or even invisibility when working at a hotel. In general, Drew thought, you’re only noticed when you do a bad job. In this case, Drew was glad not to have been noticed. This event was one of the most expensive held at the hotel, and even a minor inconvenience would cost a man his job. If anyone had glanced at the door, they would have seen a young man in his twenties, brown hair cut short, brown eyes alert as he scanned the room. He had the build of a football player, though he had never played. The small high school he had attended did not boast of such an extravagance. His at-ease stance unconsciously betrayed his five-year career in the army. Drew quickly scanned the back of the room. The lights were dim, and visibility was low. Hotel security had a man permanently stationed at the front of the room, but with the lighting, it was difficult to see all the way to the back. Drew had been asked to step in and check the back of the room several times after the scheduled “lower the lights” segment of the evening began. This was actually his third time checking in the ballroom. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a figure dressed all in black leaning against the back wall. He headed in that direction. To one side stood a wheeled cart wrapped in black velour. In the darkness, the object sitting on top of the cart was simply a strange hump. Drew ducked behind the cart. “Hey, Jake. How’s it going?” he whispered. “Not bad.” Jake leaned his head in Drew’s direction, keeping his voice down as well. “I think this show will end on time and we can get everything put away and get some sleep tonight.” Drew grinned in the darkness. All Jake ever talked about was sleep. It was a precious commodity. “You, maybe, but I’m here till six.” Jake snorted. “That’s what you get for signing up for the night shift in security office.” Jake had already told Drew several times that he thought he was crazy. “Why would you ever want to be at work all night?” he asked yet again. Drew Shrugged. “It’s not that bad, you know. It’s a hotel, most people sleep at night, so there’s not that much to secure. Makes it so I can go to school full-time, you know.” Another snort. “Yeah, I know all about where your priorities are, higher education and all.” “You might try it yourself.” Drew saw the silhouette that was Jake shake his head violently from side to side. “Oh, man, no.” There was laughter in the voice. “I get enough lecturing from the boss. I’m not about to pay someone to do it.” The ski pass had finally sold for five thousand dollars. Drew and Jake exchanged incredulous glances as Jake stepped forward to uncover the LCD projector. The screen behind the auctioneer suddenly showed a picture of a train. The next item up for bid was a private party at the Heber train yards. Drew clapped his hand lightly on Jake’s shoulder. “I’m off to patrol the lobby a few more times. With this auction, we’re on heightened security.” Jake nodded. “See you.” Drew stepped back and looked around the ballroom one more time. He made eye contact with Sid, in a front corner, and nodded in acknowledgement. Sid was the senior security officer and assigned to watch the ballroom itself. Drew quietly slipped out the door... As Drew stepped out of the elevator on the ballroom floor, he could hear a rumble of noise. It sounded like the auction was over, and the participants started filing out of the room. He had never seen so many diamonds together before. Slipping into the room, he stood against the back wall and watched carefully, trying to make sure that everyone picked up his own coats and packages, and not someone else’s. You never knew when an accident would turn into an opportunity for someone without any conscience. As the room slowly cleared of people, he noticed Sid chatting with a young couple. The couple stood to his side, and all three were turned so that they could watch the people leaving out the rear door. Curious, Drew made a mental note to question Sid when the evening’s event was finally over. When the last of the stream of guests walked out of the back door, there were still a few groups lingering at the front end of the room. Drew noted that Sid and his company were watching them. Feeling that his duties in the ballroom were finished for the night, he walked toward Jake, who was busy ripping black tape off of the floor where it had covered the many cords leading up to the electronic equipment. Jake had complained earlier in the evening that the audio visual department should have left another man to help him strike the set - that it was a two-man job and would take him hours to complete. Drew felt sorry for the man and stopped to talk. “Jake! Can I help you with anything? I’m headed out, and will walk right past your office if you want me to save you a trip.” Jake looked up from his work and nodded his head towards the wheeled cart sitting against the wall. The projector was already unplugged and the cords neatly rolled and sitting on top of the cart. “Can you just push the cart back?” “No problem.” With one last look at the nearly empty ballroom, Drew walked over to the cart. Kicking the brake off, he pushed it in the direction of the service door. It did not move. Checking to make sure the brake was not still on, Drew pushed again. This time the cart slowly moved. It took quite an effort to get it to move even a few inches. He had really underestimated the AV guys. “Man, Jake, I never knew this stuff weighed so much.” “It doesn’t.” Jake said good-humoredly without looking up. “You’re just weak.” “Huh.” Drew grunted, and pushed the cart a few more feet. Jake finally looked up from his cords, which he was now coiling up into a tight circle. He shook his head in exasperation. “Quit fooling around. You’ve got work to do. I’ve got work to do. If you don’t want to work, don’t pull me into it. We are all on a schedule.” Drew turned around and leaned slightly on the cart. “I’m not fooling, idiot. Either this thing weighs a ton, or the wheels are seriously damaged.” Jake rolled his eyes and put down his coiled cord. “Wimp,” he said softly. “I’ll show you how it’s done.” Walking up to the cart, he made a good show of rolling up his sleeves and flexing his muscles. Jake was six inches shorter than Drew, and probably fifty pounds lighter. After pointedly comparing the size of his upper arm to the size of Drew’s arm he placed one finger on the cart and pushed lightly. Nothing happened. Jake looked down at the cart in amazement, then his face cleared right up. “You just forgot to take off the brake.” Drew shook his head. “No, I didn’t, but if it makes you feel any better, go ahead and check it.” After checking the brake, Jake gathered all his strength and pushed the cart with his entire body and it bumped over the threshold from the carpeted ballroom to the tiled floor in the service hallway as Drew held the door open with his foot. As the cart bumped, Drew was startled to see an arm fall out from under the black velour draping wrapped around the cart. Continues...