Rain sensed something was up the moment she walked into The Mayfair Heritage Hotel. It was way too quiet. Staff members walked around as if they were in a trance. In the staff room, the usual chatter and laughter were nowhere to be heard. It felt more like a funeral parlour than the lively hangout it usually was.
She spotted Jack across the room, looking like he was about to burst into tears at any moment. A sense of dread washed over her as she walked over to him.
‘Jack, what’s going on?’
He tried to say something, but a sob escaped instead. ‘It’s Mrs Deville . . . she’s . . . she’s gone.’
‘Gone?’
Jack broke down, his whole body shaking as he cried. ‘Dead. She’s dead.’
Rain pulled him into a hug, trying to comfort him as best she could.
‘She was always so nice to everyone,’ Jack said between sobs. ‘She’d call me to sneak in her favourite wine, and we’d play cards together. . . She always won, but I didn’t care. I loved her like she was my own nan.’
‘I’m so sorry, Jack,’ Rain said, her own eyes welling up. Though she’d never met Mrs Deville, it was obvious how much she meant to everyone.
And Lauren. She must be devastated. No wonder she cancelled yesterday.
A flash of guilt hit her. And I was just wallowing in my own self-pity when she was dealing with this. Well done, Rain. Fuck!
‘Ms Thomas.’ Hearing her name called, Rain turned to see Mr Larkins, looking sombre in his black suit. ‘A word in my office, please.’
‘Um, sure,’ she said, giving Jack’s shoulder a heartfelt squeeze before following Mr Larkins.
He held the door open for her, gesturing for her to take a seat as he settled behind his desk. Rain perched on the edge of the chair, her body tense with nervous energy.
She had no clue what this could be about. Had Lauren forgotten to mention she was leaving with her yesterday? Before she could expand further on that thought, Mr Larkins dropped the bombshell, leaving her stunned.
‘I’m afraid there’s been a serious allegation made against you,’ he said. ‘Regarding drug dealing on the hotel premises.’
Rain felt like she’d been slapped. Drug dealing? What the actual fuck? She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
‘That’s insane,’ she blurted out. ‘Who the hell told you that?’
‘I’m not at liberty to say at this time, but we will be conducting a thorough investigation into the matter. Until then, I’m suspending you from your duties as of now.’
Her head spun. She knew exactly who was behind this – Alex, trying to save her own skin.
Rain left his office without saying another word. Passing through the lobby, she thought about calling Lauren to offer her condolences but decided against it for the time being. She remembered how she felt after her dad died – she didn’t want to speak to anyone, no matter how well-meaning they were. She’d give it a day or two before reaching out by text, just to let Lauren know she was there for her whenever she needed her.
Rain had just stepped out of the hotel when her phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out and saw Clara’s name flashing on the screen.
‘Hey, Clara. What’s up?’ she answered, walking towards the train station.
‘Rain, you’re not gonna believe this,’ Clara said, her voice tinged with excitement. ‘I got a DM from someone who saw our post about Fay. They reckon we should be looking at Fay’s building manager.’
Rain stopped dead in her tracks. She knew there was something off about him. ‘I met him when I went there the other day. Did they say why?’
‘No, that’s all they said. But Rain, I think we need to check it out.’
Rain chewed her lip, her mind whirling. ‘Yeah, you’re right. But I don’t think talking to him is gonna help. The man’s like a closed book.’
‘We could stake out the building in my car,’ Clara suggested. ‘See if he goes anywhere, gets up to anything dodgy.’
‘That’s not a bad idea. All right, let’s do it,’ Rain said, starting to walk again. It wasn’t like she had anything better to do with her time, now that she was jobless. ‘I’ll text you the address and meet you there.’
‘Cool. See you in a bit. My car’s a white Ford Focus.’
Rain practically ran to the station, her thoughts consumed with guilt. Why hadn’t she pressed Billy harder when they’d spoken? Been more forceful in demanding answers?
If he’s done anything to Fay, I’ll . . . Stop it! Wait and see before you start jumping to conclusions.
Twenty minutes later, Rain spotted Clara’s car parked opposite Fay’s hostel. She pulled open the passenger side door and slid in.
‘No one’s been in or out of the building since I got here,’ Clara said as Rain settled into the passenger seat.
Rain frowned. ‘He might not even be in there.’
‘Oh, he is.’ Clara held up her phone, showing Rain a recent social media post from Billy stating he was at work.
Rain’s eyebrows shot up. ‘You found him on social media?’
‘Yep, though I can’t take all the credit. Whoever sent the message gave a link to his account.’
‘Can I take a look?’
‘Sure, knock yourself out. But trust me, there’s nothing interesting – probably why he’s only got one follower. I mean, who the hell has an obsession with pigeons?’
