She hoped she hadn’t forgotten anything, or remembered it in the wrong order. But she didn’t see what the big deal was. They knew exactly who the murderer was, and he was still on the loose somewhere nearby.
“Who discovered the victim?” Wagner asked.
Dru thought back but wasn’t sure.
“We all sort of went inside at once when the storm picked up,” she explained. “It was just a big mass of people rushing inside. There was a scream when someone discovered him - maybe Mayor Tuck? And then all of us discovered him.”
“How did you determine that he was deceased?” Wagner asked.
“One of the guests, Tyler Park, is an EMT,” Dru said. “He took his pulse and told us he was dead.”
Wagner nodded.
“So you say that you took photographs of the crime scene and questioned everyone?” Wagner asked.
“That was Hugh Channing’s idea,” she said. “He played a detective in a play once, and had done some research at that time. He said we had to make sure the scene was safe and then record as much evidence as possible without anyone moving or interfering with anything.”
“Very good,” Wagner said, eyebrows raised. “What did you find?”
“There was a break in the blood spatter,” Dru explained. “We thought maybe someone’s shoe had gotten in the way. But we checked everyone’s shoes, and they were all clean.”
“Interesting,” he said, making another note. “Anything else?”
“Not much,” Dru admitted. “But we did take tons of pictures of the victim before we moved him.”
“I’ll need to see the body,” Wagner said. “Where is it?”
“We, uh, wrapped him in the rug that used to be right there,” Dru said, pointing at the bare floor. “And carried him down to the catacombs. It’s cold down there.”
“Very good,” Wagner said. “We’ll take a look at that shortly. And I’ll want to see the photos.”
“They’re here, on Channing’s phone,” Dru said, handing it over.
“So you questioned everyone,” Wagner said, taking the phone but not checking it. “I’ll want to see the notes as well, but did anything of interest come up?”
“Not really anything about the crime itself, but Hazel and Honey, the two ladies in the Amethyst Room, they had noticed something about Brian,” she said. “And, wow, about Johnny too, now that I think about it.”
“What’s that?” Wagner asked.
“They said they hated seeing that element back at the Hemlock House,” she said. “They said something about not liking to see them back here. Of course at the time I was only thinking about the victim, but I wonder if they noticed something about Johnny too.”
“What did they mean by that element,” Wagner asked.
“They meant the mob,” Dru said. “They were here back in the sixties when all that was still going on.”
“How did they know the victim was in the mob?” Wagner asked.
“They said he was always tipping people and always looking over his shoulder,” Dru said, realizing it sounded weak.
Wagner frowned and nodded at the same time, writing it all down.
“Then Channing and I searched the victim’s room and found his phone,” Dru said, feeling a little squeamish about sharing the next part.
“Were you able to open it?” Wagner asked.
“I, uh, had to get creative,” Dru admitted.
“Meaning?” He gazed up at her with interest.
“I went into the catacombs and did face recognition using his corpse,” she said, hoping that wasn’t a criminal act.
“Very smart,” he said. “Probably wouldn’t have had much time to do that either, what with decomposition. Anything useful on the phone?”
“Messages saying he was here for some kind of payday,” Dru said. “And we noticed he signed some emails Nick instead of Brian.”
“Mmm,” Wagner nodded. “Channing still have the phone?”
“Nope, I’ve got that one, too,” Dru said. She pulled it out of her pocket and handed it to him.
“It sounds like Channing was heading up the investigation,” Wagner said. “Why do you have all the phones?”
“Channing just gave me his before we sat down,” she explained. “In case you wanted to see the pictures.”
“And the victim’s?” he asked.
“Well, like I said, I was the one who figured out how to unlock it,” she reminded him. “And then I guess I just kind of held onto it.”
“Did you use it for anything else after your initial search?”
“Almost,” she told him.
He raised an eyebrow, clearly expecting her to elaborate.
“I was in the sitting room early this morning,” she explained. “I was using newspaper to fuel the fire. And the one I grabbed happened to have a cover story about the mob case. I saw Brian on the cover. And I also saw Johnny.”
Wagner nodded.
“My own phone battery is dead, and the generator wasn’t on yet,” Dru said. “But Brian’s phone had a tiny bit of juice left. So I grabbed it and headed out to hike the hillside like Hailey and Viktor and I did before, so I could try to call the police again and share what I had learned.”
“But you didn’t,” Wagner said.
“Nope,” Dru replied. “I never had a chance. As soon as I got outside, I saw Johnny was out there smoking again. And he saw the newspaper I had in my hands. He knew that I knew.”
Wagner was scrawling furiously.
“H-he held up a gun,” Dru said unsteadily. She had done her best not to think about it. “And he told me to come to him.”
“And you went?” Wagner asked.
“Yeah,” Dru said. “I was afraid to run.”
Wagner nodded.
“Then the front door to the hotel opened and I turned to see who it was,” Dru said. “That’s when Johnny grabbed me and put the gun right to my head.”
She touched her temple, which was still tender from the pressure of the metal barrel.
“Who was it?” Wagner asked. “At the hotel door?”
“Viktor Striker,” she replied. “One of the guests.”
“What did he do?” Wagner asked.
“He told Johnny to let me go, but he wouldn’t.” She swallowed hard, not anxious to remember the next part. “Then Viktor charged at us, and Johnny shot him.”
“A man has been shot?” Wagner asked, looking up.
“Yes,” Dru said.
“Is he in danger?” Wagner asked. “I knew there was a gunshot, but no one said there was an injured person.”
“He’s going to be fine,” Dru said, realizing her error. She wasn’t even sure if Viktor still had a wound after she fed him. That had kind of been the whole point. What was she going to say when Viktor showed up without a scratch on him?
“Can he corroborate your story?” Wagner asked.
“Of course,” she said. “But I’m sure he’s resting now. He’s in some kind of international work, so he sleeps during the day.”