“We never finished the presentation. I never got them to sign our form, but it got really awkward because they started arguing and then left.”
If it was who she was thinking of, Sasha remembered them too. The man, Trey, had been friendly enough and funny, making her laugh with that bathrobe joke, plus he’d been really good-looking. But Catalina, the woman with him, looked like she’d rather be anywhere else, with arms crossed as though she’d been dragged against her will. She had leaned against the wall away from them. Her attitude was different from everyone else’s, who was more or less pleased to be at a vacation resort even if they had to go through a boring presentation.
“She had brown, wavy hair, right? Petite?” Sasha asked.
“Yeah, that was her. They left fighting, and I didn’t know what I was supposed to do, so I left the ballroom just to see if they were planning on returning. But it seemed like things were getting reallyheated between them because they were still arguing loudly in the hall.”
“The hall? Like, where in the hall?”
“I don’t know. Just in the hall. I did a quick peek and decided it wasn’t worth getting in the middle of all that.”
That funny tingling was back in her gut. “Would you say it was close to the MASS room?”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“And they never returned?” she asked.
“Not that I saw. Why? What is this all about?”
“Nothing. I-I just…found something, and I’m trying to return it, that’s all.” It was a weird excuse, but the best one she could think of off the top of her head.
“Why don’t you leave it at the front desk then? I’m sure they’ll make sure they get it.”
“Oh. Good idea. Thanks.” She disconnected the call with Bill without so much as a goodbye and picked up the hotel phone, dialing for the front desk.
“Reception.”
“Hi. I’m with the Vacations4Fun team, and I’m looking for guests Catalina Rosario and Trey Schuster. Can you tell me what room they’re in or patch me through to their phone?”
“Catalina Rosario and Trey Schuster?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Quick keyboard tapping was heard in the background. “Ah, sí. We have them in room 236. Do you want me to put you through?”
“Yes. Please.” Sasha sank to the bed, wrappingthe phone cord nervously around her hand.
“Okay. Hold, por favor.”
Sasha held her breath, waiting for someone to pick up the phone. A voice, any voice, would fill her with relief. Except the phone continued ringing, each time like a foreboding warning that something was wrong.
She tried to reassure herself this in itself didn’t mean anything. There was still plenty of daylight left. They could be out on the beach, exploring the city, doing any number of things people did on a tropical vacation. Besides, people on vacation didn’t usually spend a lot of time inside a hotel room unless they were honeymooners and this couple seemed far from that if Bill’s account was accurate. There was no reason for her to jump to any and all conclusions…not yet. Returning the phone to its cradle, she decided to try again later.
Sasha returned to her task of packing, but not five minutes later it hit her. There was one way to know for sure. The video security feed inside the room. If she could access it, searching during the period of the presentation, when she knew the couple was in the area, she could see if they had entered the room or not. It was worth taking a look instead of waiting around to see if Trey and Catalina returned to their room, without needlessly sounding the alarm if it was nothing.
She didn’t have access to the video feed, but she knew Dr. Cutchin did. Retrieving her cell again, she dialed him and hoped she’d finally be able to put this mystery to rest.
Chapter 13
Trey
"Reason number twelve on why you should love me—I make a mean red velvet cake for your birthday every year. Delicious, moist, red velvet cake. It’s your favorite. You can’t deny it.”
As with most of the other entries, reasons number one through eleven on why Catalina should love him, she answered with a shrug. “Just because other red velvets aren’t as good as yours doesn’t mean I wouldn’t be completely fine eating a red velvet cake made from a box mix. I think it’s survivable.”
He feigned a gasp, acting offended. “Box cake? What kind of a life are you setting up for yourself if you’re okay settling for subpar box cake? I didn’t invest all that time watching baking shows for my wife to eat box cake.”
While his wife was an excellent cook, which served her well for her work, she had never been much of a baker despite having a sweet tooth. This was the main reason he had taken it up as a hobby. Also, bringing home-baked goods to work made him an instant favorite among other teachers and school staff. Buthe’d only learned and perfected cake making in the first place in order to please his wife, and this was all that mattered.
