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“Yes. A few guests mentioned that. Things like tablets and laptops were taken, and while they were top of the line and expensive, but there were plenty of pieces of expensive jewelry and designer bags that were left behind.”
“It’s possible they didn’t know the value of the other items, so they didn’t want to risk taking something and finding out it wasn’t worth anything.” Hudson frowned. “But perhaps the motive isn’t money.”
Kayleigh hadn’t thought a lot about motive because she’d assumed that it had to do with money. “What other motive could there be?”
Hudson looked up at her. “If someone had a desire to cast aspersions on the Remington name, the theft wouldn’t be about what was stolen, but rather how the theft would reflect on the resort and the company.”
That made Kayleigh frown. “So, a vendetta of sorts?”
“Possibly.” Hudson shrugged. “Who knows? Only the person or people involved in the thefts will know for sure.”
She was just getting used to the idea of one thief, and now Hudson was suggesting there might be more than one?
“I’m going to speak to the head of security here and then the police chief,” Hudson said.
“Do you mind if I join you for those conversations?” Kayleigh asked.
Hudson regarded her for a long moment, but Kayleigh didn’t look away. She wanted to be aware of what was going on. Of what he was finding out.
“I suppose that would be okay.”
“Did you want to go speak to Mario now?” Kayleigh asked. “I believe he takes his lunch at noon, so if we don’t go now, you’ll have to wait until after one.”
“Let’s go now. You can introduce me, and we can have a bit of a conversation now, then perhaps a longer one later on.”
Kayleigh hoped that Hudson didn’t plan to cut her out of whatever investigation he was going to carry out. She had a feeling that her job was on the line, and she needed to do what she could to fight to keep it.
The manager's job had been her dream, starting back when she’d first begun to work at the resort bussing tables in the restaurants. She’d worked her way up to serving, then to manning the hostess stand. From there, it had been her goal to work the front desk.
After she’d garnered the attention of Alexander Remington, he’d told her that he’d pay for a degree in hotel and restaurant management if she would return to the resort to work once she graduated. She was smart enough to take him up on that offer, since her goal aligned with what he was offering her.
She’d come back to work for several years in the position that Liz now held, learning the ins and outs of running the resort. And then, when the position of manager of the resort had opened up two years ago, Alexander had flown in and had a long meeting with her before offering her the position.
Kayleigh knew that at thirty-two, she was probably considered young for the role, but she had confidence in her abilities. When others her age had been goofing off and enjoying their college years, Kayleigh had been studying hard with one solitary goal in mind.
She’d worked hard for her dream, for the manager position, and she wasn’t going to let it go without a fight.
And if Hudson St. James didn’t know that yet, he would soon.
CHAPTER FIVE
Hudson stood up and buttoned his suit coat as he waited for Kayleigh to come around the desk to join him. When he’d first seen her, he’d quickly realized that she was the woman he’d seen at the gym. That had been a surprise, but so had her relative youth. She was definitely younger than he’d expected, though she still came across as competent and professional.
As they left the office, Hudson fell into step beside her. Being next to her, he noticed how short she was, barely coming to his shoulder, even in heels. Keeping that in mind, Hudson shortened his stride so that Kayleigh didn’t have to run in order to keep up with him.
“Mario Alameda has been working as head of security for the past three years,” Kayleigh said. “Before coming here, he was working at a Remington resort in Florida.”
“What brought him so far north?” Hudson asked as they made their way down a carpeted hallway.
When they reached an elevator, Kayleigh pressed the button to call the car. “Love.”
“Love? Love of snow? The mountains?”
Kayleigh gave a huff of laughter. “Love of a woman.”
“He fell in love with someone from Serenity?”
“Coeur d’Alene, actually, but they live in Serenity. His wife—they’re married now—is a nurse, but she only works three days a week, so she was willing to commute. She’s pregnant now, and it sounds like she’s going to be a stay-at-home mom once the baby is born.”
