Beach Bags and Burglaries (A Haley Randolph Mystery) Read Online Free Page B

apologize for the ... unpleasantness you’ve endured since your arrival,” Avery said.
    I guess unpleasantness was code for finding-a-dead-body here at the Rowan Resort.
    Avery seemed kind of nervous—and a heck of a lot more upset than I was.
    “Let me assure you that this sort of thing never happens here.” Avery drew a quick breath and straightened her shoulders. “It’s understandable if you and your friends want to leave, but I hope you’ll stay. Rowan Resort will do everything possible to ensure that the remainder of your stay exceeds your wildest expectations.”
    I figured that someone up the management chain had decided it would be Avery’s fault if four guests departed prematurely—a story bloggers and tabloids would pick up on and spin into something bigger than it actually was. If that happened, the resort’s reputation would take a major hit—not to mention the celebrity cancellations they might get.
    I didn’t like the way detectives Vance and Pearce had been giving me stink-eye. While I had no intention of leaving because of them, I figured the quicker the investigation was wrapped up, the better it would be—for me, of course—so I saw no reason not to take advantage of the situation.
    “Do the detectives think Jaslyn was murdered?” I asked, and managed to use my gee-I’m-worried-a-killer-is-on-the-loose voice.
    Avery glanced up and down the corridor, then leaned closer and lowered her voice. “I overheard the detectives say that it didn’t appear Jaslyn had been attacked. They think she’d been climbing on the rocks, then fell and struck her head.”
    The detectives thought it was an accident? An accident? How could that be?
    “What about her cell phone and driver’s license that was found on the opposite side of the island, up on the cliffs?” I asked.
    “They believe she accidentally left them,” Avery said. “The detectives don’t know how long they were lying there.”
    Okay, well, that made sense. Kind of.
    “So, you see,” Avery said, “the whole incident, while very upsetting, was probably just an accident.”
    A few seconds passed, then I asked, “Do you really think that?”
    I guess my words sounded sincere, because Avery’s shoulders slumped a little and she said, “I don’t know what to believe.”
    “Why wasn’t Jaslyn found sooner?” I asked.
    “I don’t understand it. The entire island had been thoroughly searched immediately upon realizing she was missing.” Avery shook her head. “I can’t imagine why she was out there in the first place.”
    A great reason zapped me immediately.
    “Maybe she was hooking up with someone,” I said.
    I didn’t think that end of the island was a good spot for a hookup. The hills behind the hotel offered much more seclusion and privacy.
    Not that I’d ever do that, of course.
    “Many of our employees are college students who work here during their school breaks. Dating is frowned upon,” Avery said.
    Just because a fling was against the rules didn’t mean it never happened.
    Not that I’d know anything about that.
    “In fact, it’s cause for termination,” Avery said.
    Ignore a corporate directive? Who would do such a thing?
    “Jaslyn wasn’t the type to get romantically involved,” Avery said.
    But if the guy was really hot?
    No comment.
    “She was more interested in finishing college and starting her career,” Avery said. “I saw her studying to get a jump on her upcoming classes.”
    Okay, that was weird.
    It was weird too that Avery seemed to know so much about one of the hotel maids.
    “Were you two friends?” I asked.
    “We work in teams here at the resort, to maximize guest satisfaction,” Avery said. “Housekeeping and room service report any special needs to me so I’m aware of guest preferences. Jaslyn was one of my team members.”
    “You monitor what every guest orders and how they use their rooms?” I asked.
    “That’s the level of service we provide our clientele,” Avery said.