“Yes.” Lyra set her glass aside. “I talked to several of the treatment ladies in the spa. In addition to Raina, at least three other women who were booked into that room checked out in the middle of the night.”
“Lyra, people check out of hotels early all the time. Why would the staff of the spa pay any attention?”
Lyra gave him a triumphant smile. “Because the women all had appointments at the spa that were canceled. Trust me, the treatment ladies remember who cancels at the last minute, just as they remember who tips and how well. But the main reason they recalled the room number is because two twenty-one has a reputation for being haunted.”
Simon got the edgy sensation he always got when another piece of a pattern fell into place. “You’re sure?”
“Yes.”
“How did you discover that?”
“The thing about spas and salons is that gossip is part of the experience. The missing women all had a few things in common. In addition to the fact that they were all wealthy, they all checked in alone. No husbands or companions or personal maids. They were all booked into the haunted room. Every hotel has one, you know.”
“A haunted room?”
“Right,” Lyra said. “It’s practically a requirement for an older hotel.”
“What’s the story behind the haunting of two twenty-one? I assume you got that, too?”
“The rumor began to circulate several months ago because a woman was found dead in that room.”
“A hotel guest?”
“No. The dead woman was a treatment lady who worked in the spa.” Lyra paused. “She supposedly died from an overdose of heroin. Now you can understand why the treatment ladies made a special note of that particular room.”
Simon gave himself a few seconds to process the information. “You are nothing short of amazing, Lyra. People really do talk to you.”
“You see? I told you that you need me.”
“All that spa conversation nearly got you killed.”
“Maybe,” Lyra said. “We should keep in mind that the incident in the steam room could have been an accident.”
“No. It wasn’t an accident.”
“All right, I admit that under the circumstances it seems unlikely. But if you’re right, it only goes to show we’re getting closer to finding Raina.”
“What it goes to show is that you don’t know what you’re doing. You’re an amateur.” Simon got to his feet and began to pace the room. “The fact that someone tried to murder you means you blew your cover, and mine, too. Whoever is behind this is onto us now. They’ll try to hide all of the evidence.”
Lyra’s eyes glittered in an ominous fashion. “Stop lecturing me. I contributed vital information to the investigation. Admit it.”
He came to a halt in front of her. “You kicked over a hornet’s nest, that’s what you did.”
She jumped to her feet. “At least we’ve got a lead. Do you know what I had to go through to get that information?”
“You think I’m ever going to forget that you almost got steamed to death?”
“Forget the steam bath experience. I’m talking about a painful massage, weird stuff painted on my face, hot and cold baths in water that stank of sulfur and who knows what other minerals. Not to mention the dreadful instruments of torture in the exercise room. I didn’t even get to try out the one machine that looked like it might be an interesting experience.”
He stared at her, riveted. “What?”
“The big gyroscope. You get inside and roll around like a ball. It was out of order.”
“You thought that would be an interesting experience?”
“What can I tell you? It looked like a carnival ride. Everything else looked painful and scary. Never mind, my point is that I did my job today and now we have information we can take to the police.”
“You really think that will help Raina? In case you haven’t noticed, we’re in a hurry here. Bringing in the police will not only cost us time, it will cost us whatever edge we still have.”
