Murder at Mama Gene's by Rachel Pinder

Author:Rachel Pinder
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rachel Pinder
Published: 2022-02-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 6

2 a.m.

Stella and Mama Gene walked into the lobby with somber faces. Will closed the front door behind them. Aaron attempted to greet everyone with a casual smile, piano music filling the hall behind him. His congenial air diminished when Mama Gene shouted, “Turn that music off!”

“Yes, ma’am.” Will scurried into the kitchen for the radio.

Mama Gene loosened the tie of her butterfly-themed bathrobe and glowered. “What the hell has been going on around here?”

Stella opened the closet door and took off her coat. Cell phone in hand, she made sure the Glock was pushed to the bottom of her pocket and closed the door.

“What do you mean?” Aaron asked.

“I get a call in the middle of the night.” She stomped one of her pink slippers and roared, “One of the guests says there’s been an attack!” She shot an icy gaze toward Aaron, who stiffened. “I don’t pay you to scare away my customers.”

He bit his bottom lip and slowly nodded.

“Now, I’m going upstairs.”

Aaron opened his mouth to speak.

She brushed a strand of gray hair behind her ear. “You got something to say?”

He handed her the master set of keys.

Mama Gene sneered. “Get back to work, or you’re fired.”

Aaron grabbed a rag from the lobby’s desk and began dusting. Mama Gene watched him closely before turning and climbing the stairs.

Stella inched closer to Aaron. “What happened?”

“The woman in suite four tried to check out. We had to stop her. She must have called the number beside the bed.”

“Okay, breathe.” Although Will had almost convinced her of Aaron’s guilt, that time, he was telling the truth. “We show Mama Gene everything is fine. She goes home, and we bury the body out back.”

“No,” Aaron said, his face resolute. “We can’t let that woman check out.”

There was no time to argue or feel guilty about betraying Aaron’s confidence. Stella had to keep track of everyone and find Roger’s missing money. “Where’s Theresa?”

“Upstairs. Did you find anything outside?”

“Not very much. Footprints.” Stella waited for Aaron to show signs of being scared, like a tremble or more sweat, but he remained unruffled. “What about you?”

“Nothing. There wasn’t enough time.”

Footsteps descended the stairs. Mama Gene and the woman from suite four were coming down.

Whatever it took, Stella needed to get Mama Gene to leave. If she found Roger Turner’s body in her parlor, their boss would assume that either Stella, Will, or both of them had been involved. Then the old crone would demand hush money, which neither of them had.

When she reached the bottom step, Mama Gene apologized to the woman in black. “My dear, we hope you come again.”

The woman handed Mama Gene a key. Her very toned arms carried that same duffel bag, which was stuffed with something bulky. “You haven’t heard the last of me.”

Stella tensed. Is she going to walk out the front door with my money?

Mama Gene’s false grin dissolved as she squinted at Aaron. “Get my friend a coffee and some biscuits.”

Stella rushed to her side with the attentive air of a hostess.

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