“Notepad is best,” Channing said. “The typewriter will make them nervous.”
He stepped inside. “Oh, hello,” he said, turning to Viktor.
“Hello,” Viktor replied.
There was a beat of awkward silence while Dru grabbed her stuff.
“Let’s go,” she said brightly when she had everything in hand.
Channing seemed a little troubled.
She guessed it was because he hadn’t expected Viktor to be included.
But Dru understood that she couldn’t really ask him to leave her side.
Let me be your monster. Let me stay close so I can keep you from harm…
She would not deny him that.
It was quite possible she wouldn’t deny him anything at all.
Though he seemed quite willing to deny himself.
A shiver of lust at the thought of touching him went through her and she had to force herself to get out of her own head.
Beside her, Viktor was smirking, as if he was reading her thoughts.
Wait, vampires can’t read thoughts, can they?
Viktor, if you can hear me, nod your head.
Nothing.
She made mental note to ask him about it later anyway, then scowled at him and headed into the hallway with the two men in tow.
When they reached the lobby, she could see that many of the guests were waiting by the fireplace.
“I can’t believe they didn’t all heed the summons,” Channing muttered to himself.
“What do you mean?” Dru asked.
“I asked them all to report to the lobby for questioning,” Channing said. “Some of them denied my authority.”
Dru couldn’t blame them for that.
“But my authority isn’t what’s important,” Channing went on. “The sooner we take statements, the more people will remember. If we wait for the police, valuable testimony could be lost. And the longer we wait, the more the guests will speak to each other, which will influence their stories.”
“You have a point,” Dru admitted.
“Besides,” Channing added. “As an actor, I am a dedicated student of human nature. Being observant enough to imitate is a hard-earned skill. I intend to use it to help solve this crime.”
“A worthy cause,” Viktor agreed.
Dru couldn’t tell if he was teasing Channing or not.
But if he was, he was doing it subtly enough that Channing wouldn’t notice.
“Thank you, friend,” Channing said in a gratified tone, and gave a little bow. “Now, let’s see, oh, Miss Van Buren and Miss Van Buren, we can’t have you waiting around. Please join us in the sitting room.”
The sisters giggled and each took one of his arms.
Dru and Viktor followed them into the sitting room.
Channing fussed over the ladies for a few minutes, making sure they were cozy on the sofa, asking if they needed hot tea and generally putting them at ease.
By the time he sat in the leather chair opposite the sofa, the two of them were positively beaming at him.
“Drucilla, Viktor, please have a seat,” he said, indicating the two smaller leather chairs near the writing table. “Ladies, Drucilla is here to take notes so that I don’t lose a precious word of your helpful conversation.”
He didn’t say what Viktor was there for, but the sisters didn’t seem to mind.
“How long have you lived at Hemlock House?” Channing asked, sitting back comfortably.
“Oh, we’ve been here almost forever,” Hazel said.
“Forever,” Honey echoed.
“I know a gentleman never asks a lady her age,” Channing said with a wink. “But in this case, dates are important - at least dates in general.”
“It was the nineteen-sixties,” Hazel said with a dreamy look in her eyes. “A long, long time ago.”
The sixties? Dru knew the sisters had been at the hotel a long time, but she wasn’t expecting it to be that long. If they were there in the sixties, they might have crossed paths with her grandmother. How had she never thought to ask them about that?
“My word,” Channing said. “You know this place like the back of your hand.”
“Better than the back of our hands,” Hazel said with a grin.
“So tell me,” Channing said. “Did you notice anything about the victim that might help us solve this case? Anything at all, no matter how small, would be a help.”
“I hate to say it,” Hazel said. “But he was not a mannerly man.”
Channing’s eyebrows went up and Dru was secretly impressed. He already knew from her own story that Thompson was anything but mannerly. But he was allowing Hazel to spin her own tale.
“Can you elaborate?” he asked her.
“Well, it’s a shame to see them back around again after so many years,” she said in a hushed tone. “That element is no good.”
Them?
“What do you mean by that element?” Channing asked.
“Oh, you can always tell,” she said confidingly. “It’s the attitude, like they’re better than everyone else and always in a hurry. And always tipping everyone, just to show off.”
“Fond of showgirls and jewelry,” Honey said suddenly.
“Right you are,” Hazel said, patting her sister’s arm.
Dru’s mouth dropped open. She had never heard Honey initiate a statement before.
“You remembered how it used to be,” Honey added, nodding to Viktor as if he could confirm.
He blinked at her and Dru looked back and forth between them.
Suddenly Honey looked confused, as if realizing that the thirty-year-old man across from her could not have been at the hotel more than fifty years before.
But Drew knew better.
Could he have been here then?
She’d never asked him how old he really was.
“The mob,” Channing realized out loud, bringing Dru out of her thoughts. “Are you implying that Brian Thompson was in the mob?”
“Oh yes,” Hazel said, speaking for both sisters again.
“How could you tell?” Channing asked.
“Well, he wasn’t dressed for it,” Hazel admitted. “But he started every conversation by looking over his shoulder, same as they always did.”
“So there were men from the mob here before?” Channing asked.
Dru knew enough about the history of the hotel to know it had old ties to organized crime that went all the way back to the days of prohibition. There were little snippets about the hotels storied past scattered around. It was supposed to be part of the charm.
But it was suddenly less charming than it had seemed when it was all part of the distant pass.
“Yes, there certainly were,” Hazel confirmed. “Would you like to know a little about the history of Hemlock House?”
“I would love nothing more,” Channing said.
Hazel settled back in her seat and took a deep breath, clearly enjoying the attention as the rest of them leaned in.
“When Honey and I first arrived, we were young girls,” she said. “Like you, dear.”
Dru smiled and nodded to her.
“We were meant to stay for a short time,” Hazel said. “Our parents wanted us to marry, and hoped we would find eligible young men who would be here for skiing.”
Channing nodded, smiling.