After Midnight: A gripping psychological thriller by Irina Shapiro

Author:Irina Shapiro [Shapiro, Irina]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Merlin Press LLC
Published: 2024-04-02T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 26

I loaded my cart with cleaning supplies, towels, sheets, and toiletries, and set off. I started with Stephanie and Britt. Their room was remarkably messy, but it was instantly obvious which side of the bed was Britt’s and which was Stephanie’s. Britt’s nightstand held her Kindle, her phone, and a bottle of water. The floor was strewn with clothes on Stephanie’s side, and there were toiletries and makeup on every available surface. Britt didn’t wear makeup, so all the cosmetics had to be Stephanie’s. I didn’t see anything that might be incriminating but opened the dresser drawers and peeked into their handbags, just in case. Then I quickly changed the sheets and towels, cleaned the bathroom, and left.

The next room was Paulette and Wade’s. As with Stephanie and Britt, I didn’t see anything that could be considered suspicious. Their clothes were neatly folded, their toiletries organized on the vanity, and their shoes lined up against the wall. These were my kind of people. Cleaning their room was easy and fast, and I was out in under fifteen minutes.

I did Adam’s room, then moved on to Shelly and Bruce’s room. It was the biggest room and had at one time been the master bedroom. Most of the furniture in this room was original to the house, and it was the most expensive accommodation at the Oleander Plantation. It also had the nicest view on a day when you could actually see the property in all its glory. Shelly and Bruce were not slobs, but there were no signs of anal-retentive personalities either. There were clothes on the chair, shoes by the bed, and Shelly’s lacy bra hanging from a doorknob. Both their phones were on the dresser, the screens dark, and the cases the heavy-duty kind that could withstand just about any form of abuse. Shelly’s was lavender, and Bruce’s was dark green.

I finished inside the room, then headed to the bathroom. Unlike the other bathrooms, this one had a window, so I had plenty of light to work by. I did a quick clean, then opened up the medicine cabinet. There were two bottles of pills. One was prescribed for Bruce. I didn’t recognize the name and couldn’t look it up, but I took a picture. The second was prescribed to Shelly. It was Ambien, and I knew exactly what it was. My grandmother used to take it every night. It was a prescription-strength sleep aid. I reached out and picked up the bottle with my rubber-gloved hand. The count on the bottle was thirty. I opened the bottle and looked inside. There were nine pills left, so I checked the date the prescription had been filled. Three weeks ago, which meant that if Shelly took a pill every night, she’d have about this many pills left. Did she take a pill every night or only on those nights when she couldn’t get to sleep? I could hardly ask her. I took a picture of the bottle, put it back, and shut the medicine cabinet.

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