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Collier managed to keep a straight face until the elevator doors closed behind us, then he sagged against the wall and chuckled. I mean, I understood what Martina saw in him, but I wasn’t about to admit that.
“Not very subtle, was she?” he muttered.
I raised my voice an octave. “Just…call me, sugar. Do women hit on you often?”
“Occupational hazard.” He straightened. “So, what do you think?”
“That’s two people who say Kaylin wasn’t quite herself before she disappeared. For someone so dedicated to her career, who waitressed when she couldn’t get enough modelling work, turning down a shoot is weird.”
“Maybe not, if she was involved with a man, and that man was the jealous type. Say he told her that he didn’t want her showing flesh anymore?”
I considered that. If I wanted to model swimwear, would Ford be happy about it? Honestly? He probably wouldn’t, but he also wouldn’t stop me if it was something I really wanted to do. He accepted that I was my own person, and he trusted me. Not that I did want to model swimwear. The thought of strangers staring at my half-naked body made my skin crawl.
“We’re back to the mystery-man theory.”
“Yup.”
“But we have no clue who he is.”
“Said I liked my job. Didn’t say it was easy.”
The elevator reached the lobby, and Collier touched the small of my back, indicating that I should exit first. A gentleman. Had Kaylin’s mystery man been a gentleman? From the picture Charlotte had built up, I imagined Kaylin’s type was wealthy and well-connected. A man who could offer her something besides a quick roll in the sack. Chelle La Rocca had mentioned dirty old men showering her with gifts—had one of them charmed her into a date? A relationship? I shouldn’t judge people by the sins of their parents, and I sure hoped I was nothing like my own mom, but Renée La Rocca had been involved with Nico’s father for over a year. A married man. How much had Renée’s behaviour influenced Kaylin? I had a feeling this case was a hand grenade just waiting to explode.
“Let’s go see if Derek Trimmer will speak with us. If she met someone, maybe it was at one of those parties she worked?”
“It’s possible. And we should look into dating apps. There’s more than one that specialises in sugar daddies.”
“Would her profile still be active?”
“Unlikely, but there must be an archive. Fifty bucks says the geek squad can find her if she’s in there.”
Mack could; I was certain of it. “No way I’m taking that bet.”
* * *
“No, no, no, no, no. Fraternisation between staff and clients is strictly forbidden. A fireable offence.”
Kaylin had been a casual employee, not salaried, but I wasn’t going to get into the semantics. Derek Trimmer had granted us five minutes of his precious time, and the conversation wasn’t particularly private, seeing as he kept barking instructions into a headset in between answering our questions. Right now, we were following him around an empty hotel ballroom as he supervised arrangements for an upcoming gala.
“How about guests of the clients?”
“Same difference. Every Step has an excellent reputation, Ms. Chastain, and I’m not going to risk that by having a waitress doing the unmentionable with a client or future client. Every employee signs a contract agreeing to abide by our code of conduct.”
“Nobody ever breaks the rules?”
“Occasionally they—” Trimmer put a hand to his ear. “No, Deborah, the cake needs to come to us in the ballroom, not the kitchen. Have them put it on the table next to the stage.” A pause. “Good. As I was saying, Ms. Chastain, occasionally a team member does something stupid, and their contract is terminated immediately. Regular memos are sent reminding team members of the need to remain professional at all times.”
“Right, I understand, and it sounds as if you run a tight ship.”
“We do, and that’s exactly what I told the police. I honestly don’t see how this conversation is relevant. I haven’t spoken with Ms. La Rocca in over three years, not since she was a no-show at the Grumann Investments Christmas party.”
“We really appreciate you talking to us, Mr. Trimmer. I used to waitress myself, but nothing as fancy as this. How many events do you run each year?”
“Usually around four hundred. We get many more enquiries, but reliable staff are hard to find, and we don’t want to overstretch ourselves. Quality is more important than quantity.”
“What kind of events did Kaylin work in the months before she disappeared?”
“The usual—weddings, parties, corporate gigs. Although she started turning down more work than she took. Disappointing, but not unusual with girls like her. I figured her modelling career was taking off, and she lost interest in hospitality work. Even after she cut her hours, she began calling in sick, and then she didn’t show up at all. No phone call, no email, nothing.” He shook his head and tutted. “So disrespectful. Although of course, I was shocked when I found out what she’d done. Murdering that poor police officer? A tragedy, and such bad judgment on her part.”
