Murder with Honey Ham Biscuits by A.L. Herbert

Author:A.L. Herbert [Herbert, A.L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kensington Books
Published: 2020-04-10T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 20

“Girl, this place is lit!” Wavonne gives our room a good once over. “Plush linens.” She rubs her hand around on the bed. “Giant screen TV, surround sound, fancy bathrobes...” She opens a little refrigerator next to the desk. “Minibar!” she exclaims. “Russell said it’s all complimentary—I may just have me a five-dollar bag of M&Ms.” She bends over and looks inside. “It’s all computerized and stuff.” Wavonne eyes the red digital numbers underneath each row of tiny twelve-dollar bottles of liquor and six-dollar cans of Pepsi before getting distracted by the sights outside the sliding glass doors. “Look, Halia. We can walk right outside our room to the pool. Shame it’s not ready yet.”

I join Wavonne by the doors and look out. Straight ahead is the pool with a wooded area behind it and, slightly to the right, a charming view of the river.

“It really is quite nice,” I say, before looking away from the window at the interior of our room. We have two queen beds, a dresser, a contemporary sofa, a sleek desk covered with all sorts of local magazines and tourist guides, and a table with two leather chairs at each end. “This carpet feels like it has three inches of padding underneath it. I’m not sure I’m going to be able to stay at a Holiday Inn after first-class lodging like this.” I grab my suitcase from the bed where Mitchell laid it, move it to a luggage rack, and unzip. “I don’t think I’ll bother unpacking since we’re just here for one night.”

“Me either.” Wavonne sets her suitcase down on the floor, pulls the spread back on the bed closest to the sliding doors, and plops down on the crisp white sheets. She grabs the remote control for the TV and starts pressing buttons. “All this Ritz, and there’s no Netflix on this TV,” she groans, as I walk into the bathroom with a few toiletries and set them on the counter. When I come out Wavonne has found something to watch, but is only half paying attention to it as she rubs lotion on her arms.

“What’s this?” I ask, looking at the TV.

“Nappily Ever After. It’s about a sista who shaves off all her hair and finds inner peace or somethin’... I dunno....”

“Can you turn it down a bit? I’m going to change and then crawl in bed and call it a night.”

Wavonne lowers the volume on the TV while I grab an oversized T-shirt from my suitcase and return to the bathroom. I change clothes, brush my teeth, and give my face a quick wash before heading back into the room, turning off the overhead lights, and getting into bed.

“How late are you going to stay up?” I ask, hoping Wavonne will turn the TV off shortly, so I can sleep in peace.

“It’s not even eleven thirty, Halia. Most nights you’ve barely left the restaurant by now.”

“True,” I say. “But for some reason, I found today to be particularly exhausting.”

“I think you’re just gettin’ old, Halia.

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