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“Something like that,” Gorsk said. “I’m always on the lookout for smart writing that holds promise.” He looked down at Earl Grey and said, “Nice dog. He much of a guard dog?”
“He most certainly is,” Theodosia said, thinking it was a strange question to ask.
“Well, good night,” Gorsk said, brushing past her. “Have a nice evening.”
Theodosia walked outside and hesitated on the front sidewalk. The moon was a glowing orb, shuttling in and out of passing clouds as the breeze off the Atlantic picked up and cooled the evening. And tickling in the back of Theodosia’s brain was the idea that Gorsk could have been the one who killed Josh Morro. If he represented Andrea’s best interests, maybe he was the one who’d hot-wired that chair. Getting rid of Morro might have made Andrea deliriously happy. And as far as tonight went, Gorsk had been out somewhere and had been more than cavalier about her getting pushed down the stairs.
Interesting. Maybe even telling.
Could Gorsk have been the jerk who choked her and pushed her down the stairs? He’d been huffing and puffing like an old-fashioned steam engine when she ran into him. Had Gorsk delivered that final hard shove that sent her sprawling? Maybe Gorsk had found out through the grapevine that she was looking into things? Or maybe he’d deduced it from their conversation this morning?
Then, in the wild melee with Earl Grey, maybe Gorsk had escaped down the back stairs and come in through the lobby looking all innocent-like. But if it had been Gorsk, what would he have been doing up there? Wanting to talk to Andrea? Or was there another reason? Theodosia thought about this. Maybe Gorsk had been trying to get into Josh Morro’s room and she’d interrupted him?
Josh Morrow’s room. Had that been the real target? Not Andrea and certainly not her. And if someone had been trying to break into Morro’s room, what had they been looking for?
There’s only one way to find out.
Walking on dry grass with scant moonlight for their guide, Theodosia and Earl Grey cut through a stand of banana shrubs and circled around the Saracen Inn to the back door.
Jason, the sleepy desk clerk, was just coming out.
“Back again?” he said as he held the door open for her and her dog. “You must be working with the movie people, huh?”
Theodosia smiled as they slipped past him. “You might call it that. And it looks as if you’ve put in some long hours.”
Jason nodded sleepily. “Been on since noon today. I’m the last one. Mr. Kay already skipped out. Hey, that’s a nice dog. Is he in the movie, too?’ ”
“He’s the star.”
Jason did a fist pump. “Excellent.”
Once inside, Theodosia and Earl Grey followed a dimly lit hallway to the front desk. She hunted around, opening drawers and looking for keys. She finally pulled the top off a ceramic cat dish and found a master key.
Perfect.
Then it was up the stairs again—the back stairs this time—to Josh Morro’s room.
Theodosia had a bad moment when she slipped the key into the lock and it didn’t immediately turn. But she jiggled it gently and, finally, the door swung open. She tiptoed in, Earl Grey behind her, then closed the door quietly and hit the light switch.
Two lamps winked on, giving the room a warm, pinkish glow. And just as Bobby Kay had said, these were small rooms but also quite charming. There was a queen-sized bed with a paisley coverlet, a small desk and dresser done in Shaker style, and a dormer that had a custom cushioned window seat. Original oil paintings—many depicting sailboats—hung on the walls. Overall, the room had a cozy, snug feel to it.
Theodosia headed for the closet and found that it was still packed with Josh Morro’s clothes. Which suddenly dampened the coziness of the room and made it feel somewhat sad. Still, if her assailant had been trying to get into this room, what exactly had he expected to find? What had he been looking for?
That’s for me to try and find out.
Theodosia hurriedly went through the clothing, checking pockets and poking in shoes. Nothing. She pulled a leather suitcase and large nylon tote bag off the shelf overhead, but found both of them empty.
The desk and dresser drawers were next. The desk was small, only one drawer, so all she found there were a lined yellow notepad with a few scribbles on it, a silver Waterman pen, and a phone charger. The dresser contained folded jeans, shirts, socks, and underwear. The bottom drawer held a pair of Teva walking sandals.
That left the top of the dresser, which was mostly a scatter of guy stuff. Pocket change, a set of car keys, a penknife, a large-face watch with a black rubber strap, two twenty-dollar bills in a money clip, and a business card for Delta Labs, which Theodosia knew was a local postproduction house. Probably, Morro had intended to have some of his film transferred to tape so he could take a look at it and maybe even do a rough edit.
So nothing of any interest. Nothing that had jumped out at her, anyway. Theodosia figured the police had already torn through Morro’s rental car, and if something critical had been discovered, they’d be running with it.
* * *
Just as Theodosia and Earl Grey crept down the back stairs, what little overhead light there was suddenly winked out and the stairway was plunged into complete darkness.
Not again!
