Rose From the Dead by Kate Collins

Author:Kate Collins [Collins, Kate]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Mystery & Detective, General, Women Sleuths
ISBN: 9780451222411
Google: 6vRi6w-jtcgC
Amazon: 0451222415
Publisher: Signet
Published: 2007-01-15T05:00:00+00:00

“No. Were you talking to yourself in the bathroom?”

“Maybe.” I sat down on the love seat and gave him a smile.

“I just wanted to be sure it was you and not those heads in the closet.”

“Creepy, aren’t they?”

“How about checking under the sofa cushions?”

I got onto my knees and lifted the cushions, then dropped down to feel underneath. I even crawled around behind the love seat to see whether the backing was loose. I checked the chairs next, then stood with a sigh. “Nothing.”

Marco closed the doors of the armoire and turned to look at me. “Well, this was a bust.”

We plunked down on the love seat and sat there gazing around the room, wondering whether we’d missed anything. Suddenly, Marco sniffed the air. “What’s that odor?”

“What kind of odor?”

“Like musky lemon oil.” He leaned over to sniff my hair.

“It’s not my hair.” I held my wrist under his nose. “Is this it?”

He took a whiff and immediately pulled his head back. “What the hell did you put on?”

“Sybil’s perfume. Envy Me.”

He rubbed his nose as if it burned. “No envy here. And no envelope or package either, unless we overlooked it.”

“Was there a safe in the closet?” I asked.

“Nope.”

“Anything other than those heads on the shelf?”

“A steam iron.”

“Did you check the pockets of the clothes hanging in the closet?”

“Yep. Did you look under the bed?”

“Sure did. And her drawers and makeup kit and a purse.” I paused, thinking about the drawers and makeup kit. “Did Sybil strike you as a sloppy person?”

“I haven’t really thought that much about Sybil.”

“Well, think about her now. Wrap dress, perfect hair, clipboard, schedules. I see her as extremely well organized, yet her things were all jumbled together in the drawers. Even her makeup kit was messy. That raises a red flag in my mind.”

“The police went through everything. They’re notorious for leaving a mess.”

It was plausible. I ran my heel over a stain in the rug. “Could there be anything hidden under the carpets? Any loose corners that could have been pulled up?”

“I didn’t see any telltale bubble in the carpet.”

I hurried back to the bedroom to check there, even dropping onto all fours to peer beneath the bed. “Nothing,” I said, returning to sit beside Marco.

“That’s it, then,” he said, slapping his knees. “Sybil didn’t leave Rex’s package here.”

“Where else would it be? At her booth? She wouldn’t leave anything there that she wanted to protect. She didn’t give them to the hotel for safekeeping, either, so they have to be here. We’re just not looking in the right place.”

Marco rubbed his eyes. “Could she have taken it with her to the storage room?”

“For her rendezvous with one of the Urbans? Not on your life.”

“You’re sure about that?”

“Women know these things, Marco.”

He glanced at me but didn’t argue. “What about her car? If she drove here, the package could be in the trunk.”

“I don’t think she’d take that risk. A thief could break into her car.”

Marco got up and pulled out his phone.

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