“The night manager, Simon, the head chef Pierre, the sous-chef, and Donna,” Dawn said.
“Simon was working until seven this morning,” Liam explained. “Pierre would never go to a party. His wife would kill him as she is the sous-chef.” He smiled as he saw understanding filter through Dawn’s eyes. “They value what little time they have off, and Donna was on night duty.”
“With that in mind, unless it was Donna, Pierre, his wife, or Simon,” Dawn said, “I don’t think it was any of the hotel staff. But we can still look into housekeeping. I believe you contract that out?”
“I do.” Liam frowned. “We keep a roster of the staff from Housekeeping Inc. who are contracted to do it.” He sat back in his chair, looking thoughtfully at Dawn. “Although I’d really hate for it to turn out to be someone from them.” He shook his head. “They’ve been excellent so far. We had so much housekeeping turnover when I first bought the hotel. I decided to contract it out. The first company we used, Spic and Span Hospitality, was a disaster.”
“I’ll get the roster from Mary and start working through it,” Dawn said. “I’ll ask Carl to help me look into each person that’s worked here if that’s okay with you.”
“Of course it is,” Liam said. “I can imagine Carl has the contacts and means to do something like that covertly.”
“Yes, he does,” Dawn said with a sigh. “He’s already got some more security here to look after both Harper and Lila as well as Wade andus.”
“Us?” Liam’s brows rose.
“Yes.” Dawn nodded and looked at him apologetically. “Now that Harper and Lila are friends, I’m afraid that your family now falls under the protection of Vanderbilt security.”
“Geez,” Liam said, not able to help a smile forming on his lips. “Wow, I feel like I’m doing the surfing circuit again, having a security detail.”
“That’s right,” Dawn said, returning his smile. “I forgot you’re no stranger to the limelight and are used to having been protected from screaming fans.”
“I had Finn to hide behind,” Liam admitted. “I tried to hide in his shadow, but I guess I had a few of those.”
“More than a few,” Dawn guessed. “I have to admit to having Googled you and Finn.”
“I thought Harriet was one of Finn’s fans?” Liam looked at her questioningly. “I didn’t think you’d need to Google him.”
“I never followed surfing as closely as Harriet did.” Dawn shook her head and laughed. “Although she never surfed herself. In fact, for someone who loves boats as much as she does, Harriet is surprisingly afraid of the ocean.”
“Oh?” Liam said, looking surprised. “Then it is a big achievement for her to be letting Finn and his kids teach her how to surf.”
“I feel sorry for them.” Dawn snorted. “They’ll soon find what a challenge it is to try to teach brainiac Harriet anything. She’ll have read up everything she could about how to do it and then they’ll be questioned about every technique, with her throwing in her own suggestions on how to teach her.”
“I think I can actually picture that,” Liam said. “Especially after Harriet helped Jennifer learn how to whitewash a wall.”
“Harriet means well and tries hard to live in a world of those not on her intellect plane,” Dawn stated. “Growing up with her was like having a human shield. No one messed with me as they were so scared of Harriet.”
“She is very protective over her loved ones,” Liam stated. “So is Finn.” He laughed. “It’s like the clash of the titans with those two.”
“I don’t think clash,” Dawn said. “It’s more like the joining of the titans. I think they complement each other nicely. And it’s so great to see Harriet trust someone as much as she does Finn to put her heart in his hands.”
“I’d say ditto for Finn,” Liam added. “No two people deserved the happiness they’ve found with each other more.”
“Plus, Maggie is really excited about being a real princess.” Dawn laughed.
“Yeah, Maggie is in her element,” Liam agreed. “Although I think Tucker makes an awesome prince, like in a Disney movie.”
“Ooh!” Dawn’s eyes widened, and Liam saw a light switch on in her eyes that he’d come to think of as her creative spark. “I’ve just had an incredible idea for a movie script.”
“Do you want a pen and paper?” Liam asked.
“No, but thank you. I’ll remember it,” Dawn assured him, glancing at her wristwatch. “I’d better get moving if I want to finish going through the guest lists and get the information on the housekeeping roster.” She stood, and Hicks instantly got up too. “I’ll meet you in the lobby at six?”
“Yes,” Liam said, nodding. “We’ll fetch Lila and Harper, then go to the rink. There’s a nice restaurant near it for when we’re finished ice skating.”
“Great.” Dawn nodded and walked to the door with Hicks. “I’ll see you later.”
Liam watched her and Hicks leave, closing the door behind them. He sat staring at it for a few minutes and was looking forward to seeing her later. Liam hoped that he still knew how to skate and didn’t end up making a complete fool of himself, as he hadn’t been on the ice in years. He’d given up ice hockey when he was nineteen for surfing. Liam couldn’t do both, and he didn’t think he’d ever become a pro hockey player, so he dropped it.
