"Here are the keys to your suites, Ms. Stellart." The front desk attendant handed the keys to the woman dressed in a breezy pant suit, a silver streak in her dark hair.
"Thank you. One last thing. Do you know if Alex Walker is in?"
"Oh, he is due in about 4 o'clock, ma'am. He had some business to attend to this morning. May I take a message?"
"No. Thank you." The woman stepped away towards an elderly man waiting with a luggage trolley.
"He's not in. Surprise," the man snickered.
"We'll check later. Here's your key." The woman handed one key to him.
"You will tell him this time."
"It isn't that easy. But I'm here, aren't I?"
"Yes, you are."
"The most important thing is making sure he knows about the money. The rest is..."
"What needs to be said..." The man gently shook his head.
"Thirty years, August. It doesn't…. no. It isn't fair to do that to him. Not now."
"What did your father always say?"
"No regrets." She sighed.
"You will regret not telling him."
"I know. But what about the regret of what I will leave him when I do?"
"Maybe you shouldn't judge for him."
"You're right. Maybe I misread him back then, or maybe things are different and it won't matter to him."
"You forget I was there back then. You didn't misread. But he is the one who left."
"Enough now. Let's get this stuff up to the room before I can be talked out of this whole thing."
"Fair." August grabbed the trolley and proceeded down the hall.
As the hands approached 5:30 on the clock, Alex slunk through the lobby, trying to avoid notice. His clothes were disheveled and covered in dirt. The shoulder of his shirt was torn, sweat plastered the hair to his temples, and a trickle of blood dripped from his split lip.
"Oh, Mr. Walker..." the desk attendant called as he passed. He winced and stopped without turning around to face her.
"Yes?" his voice rose slightly.
"There was a guest looking for you earlier. She didn't leave a message."
"A guest?" He turned around, curiosity getting the better of him.
"Well, some things didn't change." The woman stood in the lobby, staring Alex down. His eyes widened in recognition.
"Kat?" he breathed.
"Alex."
"Wha… when… what brings you here?" he stammered and stepped closer as he attempted to reassert control of himself.
"I needed to discuss some business with you, actually."
"Business with me?"
"Oh, don't worry. It isn't anything big. Just, more letting you know. But it is important to me, so I had to do it in person."
"Right." He rolled his neck awkwardly. "Hey, sorry about your parents. I heard about the crash."
"Thank you. They were doing what they love, together."
"So, I..."
"We'll talk later. Dinner tomorrow. Business casual?"
"I think I can handle that."
"See you tomorrow." Kat tipped her head and exited the lobby.
"So, who was that?" Cory approached Alex.
"Kat, Catalina Stellart." Alex didn't shift his eyes from the door, even as Kat vanished from sight.
"Like Ambassador Stellart?"
"His daughter. Yeah."
"Ex-girlfriend?"
"What? No. No." Alex finally snapped his head back to converse. "There were some feelings, but no, nothing happened."
"That's too bad. You can feel the sparks. Why not?"
"I worked for her family for a bit. I was still a kid, nervous about not getting fired. Her father had contacts in 2 dozen countries who could have made sure my body was never found…"
"I understand. What about now?"
"This is the first time I've seen her in thirty years."
"Never too late. Now, go clean yourself up. You're scaring the guests." She walked away.
Alex looked down at the dirt falling from his pants.
Kat closed the clasp on her bracelet. She smoothed the side of her dress, the gold of the bracelet popped alongside the dark blue of the fabric.
"Please tell him everything. He deserves it." August insisted. He stood holding a shawl and clutch for her.
"I will. Don't worry about me. Enjoy your evening." Kat gave him a kiss on the cheek as she threw the shawl over her shoulders and grabbed the clutch.
"It is my job to worry about you. Someone has to."
"Goodnight, August." She blew a kiss as she exited the room. August shook his head, sighed, and followed her out to his own plans.
Alex paced in the lobby. He'd dug out a pale blue suit, and taken time to have his shoes polished properly. He didn't know what Kat wanted to discuss, but he knew enough to take the dinner invitation seriously.
"You still clean up nice, don't you?" Kat smiled as she entered the lobby. An extra smirk enlarged her smile as she saw him in the blue palate as well.
"You always did light up the room." He smiled back.
"Shall we?"
"We shall." He presented his arm to lead her out.
"What do you have?" Kai approached the crime scene in the hotel hallway.
"One elderly male victim out here, knife in his chest. Second victim, a woman, knife wound to the chest inside," the officer replied.
Kai glanced at the tarp covering the male victim. She pulled it back to check out the wound. A large pocket knife was buried in his chest.
"Who found them?"
"Housekeeper found him when she arrived. Manager found her on a welfare check following. Looks like she was killed first and he got it as the suspect fled."
"Why take the knife after stabbing her, but leave it after stabbing him?"
"That's your area."
"Yeah." Kai entered the room, nodding at the uniformed officer standing watch. She approached the bed where the female victim was found. Both victims were stabbed directly in the heart. No signs of struggle. The female victim was still dressed for an evening out, her jewelry sat untouched on the bedside table.
"Detective Mendoza. The manager's here," the uniform called from the hall.
Kai exited to the hallway to speak with Cory.
"Oh, I can't believe this. Why did it have to be her?" she fretted. "The international press is going to tear us apart."
"Calm down. You know the victims?"
"Not personally, but she's Catalina Stellart. Ambassador Stellart's daughter. Why did this happen?"
"I intend to find that out. Can you tell me anything about her stay? Was she here on business, pleasure, any meetings?"
"She went to dinner last night with Alex Walker. There was some history there. He would know more."
"Alex?" Kai closed her eyes.
Alex woke with a massive hangover. His head throbbed, everything ached, and moving brought on dizzy spells. The night was a blur of images and sounds swirling in his mind.
KNOCK! KNOCK!
He winced as the rapping on the door beat in his brain. He staggered over.
"Who is it?" he muttered.
"Kai. I need to talk to you."
He groaned but opened the door. "Just keep the volume down a little bit, please." He stumbled over to the couch and flopped down, closing his eyes and cupping his hand over his forehead.
"Rough night?" She noted he was dressed in a suit, wrinkled and reeking of alcohol.
"You could say that. What did you need?"
"Catalina Stellart."
Alex's eyes popped open. "How did you know?"
"She was found dead this morning, and I'm told you were the last person to see her alive."
"She's dead? When? How?" He leaned forward, holding on to denial.
"Stabbed sometime over night."
He buried his mouth in his left hand, unsure what to say.
"I know she is a friend of yours, and I'm sure you need some time to process this, but anything you can tell me to help would be appreciated."
He breathed deep and nodded. Tears started to sting his eyes.
"Why don't you clean and sober yourself up a bit. I'm going to head back to the scene for any updates and we'll talk at the station later?"
"Yeah." He nodded absently.
"I'm sorry about your friend." She gently pinched his shoulder and left.