Murder at Brighton Beach by Lee Strauss

Author:Lee Strauss [Strauss, Lee]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781774091098
Publisher: La Plume Press
Published: 2020-07-27T16:00:00+00:00

16

How serendipitous that Ginger and Felicia’s taxicab would pull up to the front of the hotel at the very same moment Basil had returned. When he saw them, he opened Ginger’s door and held up a black umbrella.

“Thank you, love,” Ginger said. “Ghastly turn in the weather.”

Holding her umbrella over her head, Felicia exited the taxicab and hurried into the hotel without so much as a “how do you do”.

Heading to the hotel entrance, Ginger held Boss under one arm and grasped Basil’s arm with the other. “Speaking of a ghastly turn in the weather, Felicia’s got her bonnet in a blizzard.”

“Did something happen at the train station?”

The porter held the door open before Ginger could answer. “Good afternoon, Chief Inspector, Mrs. Reed.”

“Thank you,” Ginger said.

Basil collapsed the umbrella and gave it to Mr. Cooper, who placed it into the brass umbrella holder.

The lobby was unusually quiet, and a glance into the lounge as they walked by showed an empty room.

“Where is everyone?” Ginger asked.

“The storm has frightened most of the guests away,” Basil said. “Our suspects, of course, must remain, but it may just be us on the second floor tonight.”

“How eerie.”

“It’s just a storm. So why is Felicia up in arms?”

They stepped into the lift, and the attendant, already knowing their floor number, pushed the knob engraved with the number two.

“We had a rather unpleasant encounter with Miss K—” Ginger cast a glance at the attendant who astutely looked straight ahead with a blank expression on his face, “—with a certain lady at a dress shop. The lady and our miss appear to be interested in the same gentleman.”

“Oh,” Basil said.

Ginger would give him more details once they were in their room. She smiled at the attendant. “Mr. Weaver, how long have you worked as a lift operator at this hotel?”

“Seven years, madam, since it opened..”

“You were then witness to the affairs that occurred around Mr. Austin Bainbridge’s disappearance?”

“I was, indeed, madam.”

Ginger looked at Basil, who nodded, willing her to go ahead with her questioning.

“Did you notice anything untoward leading up to the sad event?” she continued. “Anything unusual or out of the ordinary?”

The bell rang, indicating the lift cage had arrived at their floor.

“I make it a point not to notice things, madam.”

The grate of the outer door opened, and Basil stretched out a hand as if he were keeping it so. Mr. Weaver shifted, his white-gloved hand poised over the down button.

Ginger smiled. “I’m sure you do, Mr. Weaver, and it’s a very commendable quality for one in your position. However, you are only human.”

Basil added, “If you can help us with a murder investigation, you must do so.”

Mr. Weaver’s jaw tightened. “I can’t really say. It would be wrong for me to shed an ill light on one of my own.”

Ginger blinked. One of his own? “Do you mean to say a member of staff acted out of order?”

“I saw Cooper with the trunk you were asking about—the one belonging to the actress. He came out of the stairwell on the ground floor with it hoisted over one shoulder.

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