A Lethal Deception by Rachel Amphlett

Author:Rachel Amphlett [Amphlett, Rachel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781913498818
Publisher: Saxon Publishing

Thirty-One

Gavin reached out for the polished brass handle of the glass door leading into the boutique hotel and let Laura enter the building before him, his colleague’s heels clacking on the lacquered tiles.

An intricately carved staircase wound upwards to his right, and as he raised his gaze, his mouth opened in wonder at the enormous chandelier hanging above his head.

He blinked to counteract the blinding effect from all the bulbs and turned his attention to the suited man behind a solid oak reception desk who smiled as Laura approached.

The smile faltered a little when she held up her warrant card, but his professionalism won over and he picked up a phone beside a laptop computer and waved them towards a cluster of soft armchairs to the left of the entrance.

‘Mr Knight will be with you shortly,’ he called over as they took their seats. ‘He won’t be a moment.’

‘Thanks.’ Laura crossed her legs, then leaned forward and selected one of the glossy magazines laid out on a low wooden table in front of them.

‘You look at home here,’ Gavin said with a grin.

‘It’s nice, isn’t it?’ She raised her eyes to the ceiling, then frowned. ‘I wouldn’t want to dust that bloody chandelier though, would you?’

‘Thankfully, detective, we have a talented team of cleaners who do that for us.’

Gavin looked up at the voice to see a tall man in his early thirties strolling across the reception floor towards them, his hand outstretched when he reached them.

‘I’m Lee Knight, manager of this fine establishment. How can I help you?’

After making the introductions, Gavin tucked his warrant card into his jacket pocket and tipped his head towards the rear of the building. ‘We understand you have a function room through there that’s used for a regular breakfast club meeting on Friday mornings. We have some questions about the attendees we’d like to ask.’

Knight’s brow furrowed before he recovered, and then he gestured towards an open doorway leading past the reception desk. ‘Would you like to come this way? I can show you where the function room is while we talk if you like.’

‘Thanks.’

Gavin followed in Laura’s wake as Knight led them down a corridor, their footsteps muffled by the thick carpet hugging the floor. Framed landscape prints of the local countryside hung on the walls, and antique brass light fittings emitted a soft glow that offset the pale-coloured paintwork.

A steep staircase led off to his right and noticing a vacuum cleaner abandoned on the top step, he realised it was how the cleaners reached the upper floors.

Knight glanced over his shoulder and smiled. ‘This was an old merchant’s residence originally, and when we took over the building from the bank, our developers re-established the old servants’ staircase. Our guests of course use the main stairs from reception, or the lift.’

He paused and opened a door on his left before ushering them through and flicking a series of switches on a wall panel.

Gavin blinked as his eyes adjusted to the bright spotlights in the ceiling that shone over a U-shaped formation of tables in the middle of the room.

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