Chapter 5 - THE HOTEL MANAGER WHO KNEW TOO MUCH
Julian Hart had worked for my father for twenty years.
He knew the hotel.
The employees.
The suppliers.
The hidden corridors.
And the complicated relationships that kept a luxury property running smoothly.
After the board meeting, he asked to speak with me.
We met in the private dining room.
He looked uneasy.
“Elise, there's something I should have told you earlier.”
I felt my stomach tighten.
“What?”
Julian placed a folder on the table.
“Your husband has been visiting the hotel for months.”
I stared.
“With Celeste?”
Julian nodded.
“Sometimes.”
I swallowed.
“How long?”
“Since January.”
My father had died in April.
I looked down.
“So this started before Dad died.”
Julian nodded.
“Yes.”
I took a slow breath.
“What else?”
He hesitated.
“Adrian asked staff about your father's private residence.”
I looked up.
“When?”
“Two weeks after the funeral.”
My chest tightened.
“He was already planning to use it.”
Julian nodded.
Then he placed a second document on the table.
A visitor log.
Names.
Dates.
Times.
I scanned the entries.
Adrian.
Celeste.
Several unfamiliar executives.
And one name that made me stop.
THOMAS REED.
I looked at Julian.
“Who is Thomas Reed?”
Julian swallowed.
“Your father's former chief financial officer.”
I stared.
“He resigned last year.”
“Yes.”
“Why was he meeting Adrian?”
Julian hesitated.
“I don't know.”
I looked at the dates.
Thomas had visited the hotel six times in the past two months.
Always late.
Always through the private entrance.
I closed the folder.
“Julian.”
“Yes?”
“I want every document connected to those meetings preserved.”
He nodded.
“Of course.”
Then I asked:
“Did my father know Adrian was meeting Thomas?”
Julian looked away.
That was answer enough.
“Elise,” he said quietly, “your father was investigating something before he died.”
I felt cold.
“What?”
Julian swallowed.
“Someone was trying to sell one of the hotels without board approval.”
I stared.
“Which hotel?”
Julian looked around the room.
May you like
Then whispered:
“This one.”
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