Resorting To The Truth

“I had a headache and decided to come up here to rest.” Lying didn’t come easily to her, but the fib wasn’t far from the truth. Her pulse now pounded in her temples.

“I see.”

Was he turning this on her? Blaming her for the theft? “You see what?” Her tone was sharper than she intended.

He looked up again from writing on his pad. “I see that you weren’t feeling well and decided to skip the afternoon workshops.” He stared at her and finally added, “Is that correct?”

“Yes, it is.” She’d been put in her place. She straightened and asked, “What are you going to do about the theft?”

He pocketed his pad. “I’ll alert our head of security and have him check the video of the hallway outside your door.”

“Oh!” That was great news. “So you might be able to find my wallet?”

“That’s my hope.” He surveyed her room. “Let me ask you something. Had your room been cleaned before you returned or was it done during your nap on the balcony?”

“It was already done when I came up here after lunch.”

He pursed his lips.

“Why does that matter?” she asked.

“Because unless your door wasn’t shut tight, the only people who could have gotten in would have been staff, which includes Housekeeping. Your door was secure?”

She thought back to when she looked out into the hallway. “It was closed tight after I noticed the theft, but I can’t say for sure about before.” She narrowed her eyes. “You aren’t trying to blame me for this, are you?”

“Not at all,” but he didn’t sound convincing. “I’m gathering the facts. Even if your door had been left wide open, there’s no excuse for the theft.” He walked to the door, his hand grasping the handle. “I’m very sorry about this, Ms. Miller. I’ll be in touch.”

So it was Ms. Miller, now, was it? Her frustration threatened to spill over, but she kept it in check. Without her ID, she couldn’t prove who she was. Why had she been so stubborn? She should have simply waved her ID in his face the first time he’d asked for it.

He was out the door before she could say another word.

* * *

SAM LEFT ALLIE’S ROOM, wondering how she was involved in the burglary. Was it a coincidence that the thefts began with her arrival? Had she purposely made herself a victim to throw him off, or had her wallet actually been stolen? Such a coincidence to have her wallet stolen after he’d asked her for ID to prove she was Charlotte and not Allie.

He returned to his office to discover a message about another theft. Someone attending the conference hadn’t locked their laptop in their safe and it was missing. He immediately dialed his head of security.

“Hey, George, we’ve got more problems.” He filled him in on the thefts. “I’m going to talk to the guest whose laptop was stolen, but I’d like you to take a look at the video from the third-floor hallway. Both thefts were from the same floor.”