had returned to the room. All of the outward elements of glamour had been scrubbed or showered away, and yet she was more compelling, more intriguing than ever.
He had almost lost her today.
That thought was going to keep him awake tonight.
“All right,” he said. He crossed to the liquor cart and took the lid off the silver-plated ice bucket that room service had filled a short time ago. “After you tell me what you discovered, I’ll tell you what I found in the employee parking lot. But first I’ll fix both of us a drink. I think I need one, too.”
He tried to focus his thoughts while he mixed the cocktails. He was finally getting himself under control, but the what-ifs kept screaming silently in his head.
What if Lyra hadn’t realized what was happening in time to save herself? What if she hadn’t been thinking clearly enough to realize she had to smash the glass window in the door? What if she hadn’t had enough strength to haul the bench over to the door so that she could use it as a platform? What if he had lost her?
At that last thought he had to suppress another storm of emotion. He usually declined jobs that involved working with a partner, and this was the reason why. The sense of responsibility was distracting. This case was getting dangerous. He did not want to have to worry about protecting someone else, especially a complete amateur, now that it was clear they were hunting a killer.
“Don’t even think about it,” Lyra said. “You can’t ditch me or send me back to Burning Cove. Besides, I would like to remind you that posing as a couple was your idea.”
Simon stifled a groan and finished pouring the martinis into the glasses. He carried the cocktails across the room and handed one to Lyra.
“How did you know?” he asked.
“What you were thinking?” Lyra took a sip of her drink and lowered the glass. “You’re getting easier to read.”
“Easier?”
“I can get a fix on most people within a few minutes, but with you it’s much more difficult. This martini is excellent, by the way. Exactly what the doctor ordered.”
“Do you ever make mistakes when you try to read people?”
“Sure. The biggest mistake I ever made was thinking that my fiancé was the right man for me.”
“You’ve had an interesting life, Lyra.”
“It’s a lot more interesting now. Ready to hear what I learned in the spa?”
Simon swallowed some of his martini and sat down. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his thighs, and cradled the glass in both hands.
“Yes, but first, we need to be realistic,” he said. “Someone tried to murder you today. That means our cover is no longer working. Whoever made Raina disappear—”
“It was Raina who vanished from room two twenty-one, by the way. I confirmed it today.”
He stilled. “Are you certain?”
“Yep.”
He sighed. “That explains why someone tried to murder you.”
“I don’t think so. I was very subtle.”
He winced. “Right. Subtle. Do you realize what this means?”
“Sure,” Lyra said. “It means we need a new strategy.”
“What it means is that I should put you on the train to Burning Cove. You’ll be safe there. Luther Pell will make certain of it. I’ll continue the investigation on my own.”
Lyra took another sip of the martini and lowered the glass. Her eyes glittered with determination.
“No,” she said. “I can’t walk away now. You need me.”
“Do I?”
“I’m a good investigator, Simon. I’ll prove it. One of the things I learned today is that Raina is not the only woman who has disappeared from this hotel in the past year or so.”
He went very still. “Are you positive of that?”
“Yes.” Lyra set her glass aside. “I talked to several of the treatment ladies in the spa. In addition to Raina, at least three other women who were booked into that room checked out in the middle of the night.”
“Lyra, people check out of hotels early all the time. Why would the staff of the spa pay any attention?”
Lyra gave him a triumphant smile. “Because the women all had appointments at the spa that were canceled. Trust me, the treatment ladies remember who cancels at the last minute, just as they remember who tips and how well. But the main reason they recalled the room number is because two twenty-one has a reputation for being haunted.”
Simon got the edgy sensation he always got when another piece of a pattern fell into place. “You’re sure?”
“Yes.”
“How did you discover that?”
“The thing