The Lady Has a Past (Burning Cove #5) - Amanda Quick Page 0,39

evening.”

Simon walked slowly through the space, opening drawers and the closet door. All empty. He got down on one knee and looked under the bed.

“Nothing,” he said. “No clothes. No suitcase. No makeup on the dressing table. But something happened in here.”

“The bed,” Lyra said. “It’s wrong.”

He came to stand beside her. “Why do you say that?”

“It was not made up by a professional.”

“Professional?”

“A trained, experienced housekeeper did not make up this bed,” Lyra declared. “The bedspread is wrinkled and not draped evenly. The pillow shams are very sloppy.” She pulled back the bedspread. “And just look at the way the sheets have been folded at the corners. Not the work of a professional. This bed was made in a hurry by someone who doesn’t know how to do a proper job of it.”

“You can tell all that just by looking at it?” Simon asked, impressed.

“I’ve stayed in a lot of expensive hotels, and I grew up in a family that has always employed a professional housekeeper. A well-made bed is a work of art. Take a look at your bed when we get back to our room. You’ll see what I mean.”

“I believe you.” Simon leaned down and touched the bed. Once again the scars burned. He raised his hand and took a step back. “The last person in this bed was badly frightened.”

“By an intruder?”

“Under the circumstances I think that’s a reasonable assumption. Let’s check the bathroom.”

“We have to remember that there’s no way to know if this is Raina’s room,” Lyra said. “It could belong to the woman whose name is in the hotel register, Miss Granville. Maybe she checked out early.”

“The key is gone from the board behind the front desk, remember?”

“Oh.” Lyra cleared her throat. “Right.”

Simon glanced at her, not certain how to respond. The rising tide of her fear was a disturbing force in the atmosphere. She was scared and trying not to show it. He wanted to reassure her but he had nothing to offer except false hope. He knew her well enough now to know she would not want that.

He continued into the bathroom and paused to flip the light switch. The space gleamed with green and pink tiles. The porcelain fixtures matched the pink tile work.

“What happened to the towels?” Lyra said.

Simon glanced at her. “What do you mean?”

“There aren’t any. The bed was made by someone who doesn’t know how to make up an elegant bed. The towels are missing from the bathroom. You’re right—things are very wrong in this room.”

Simon looked at the drinking glass holder on the wall above the pedestal sink. It was empty. “Whoever tried to clean up in here was in a hurry.”

He crouched and looked under the big sink. A shard of glass sparked in the shadows. He picked it up.

And sucked in a sharp, hissing breath when the flash of raw emotion arced through him. He shut down his senses and got to his feet.

Lyra studied the sliver of glass. “Do you think it’s a piece of the missing water glass?”

“Yes. It was shattered. I think whoever was surprised by the intruder tried to use it as a weapon. If the person was successful, there may be blood.”

“Not if someone cleaned up afterward, and that’s what appears to have happened. Whoever it was used the towels.”

“Probably.” Simon looked around. “But in my experience, killers rarely manage to get rid of all of the blood, especially if they’re working in a hurry.”

Lyra froze. “Killers?”

He grimaced. “Sorry. I was speaking of some past investigations I’ve handled.”

He found the small brownish splatters underneath the claw-footed bathtub.

“She drew some blood, all right,” he said.

“Raina?”

“Whoever was in this room was fighting for her life,” Simon said evenly. “But I don’t think anyone was murdered in here.”

“Then what happened?”

“Given what little information we’ve got, I think there’s a possibility that the guest who was booked into this room was kidnapped.”

Lyra’s eyes widened in shock. “That makes no sense, not if Raina was the person in this room. She has some money of her own, but there’s no wealthy family to pay ransom. No family at all—” She broke off on a soft gasp. “Luther Pell. He’s not family, but it’s no secret he and Raina are a couple. Pell has a lot of money.”

“A kidnapper would have to be a complete fool to send a ransom note to Pell. Talk about dining with the devil.”

“You’re right,” Lyra said. “Mr. Pell is a very dangerous man. They say he has