Harlequin Romantic Suspense April 2021 by Karen Whiddon (interesting books to read for teens TXT) 📕

The Pleasant Pines Inn sat atop a rise. Built in the late 1800s, the building was made of wood and stone. Aside from having over two dozen guest rooms, there was also the pub, which doubled as the town’s favorite watering hole, and Quinton’s, a fancy restaurant.

Julia and Luis approached. A set of doors automatically opened.

The lobby was sparsely furnished with a set of wingback chairs covered in forest green upholstery, along with a wooden coffee table. One wall was filled with shelves of books. A brass plaque invited guests to borrow or leave a volume. A large fireplace filled another wall, and several logs were stacked on a grate, yet nothing burned. The front desk was to the left and even at this early hour—6:30 a.m.—it was manned by a young woman in a pressed shirt.

“Sheriff McCloud,” the woman said effusively. Her name tag read Kate. “What brings you in at this early hour?”

Julia thanked the gods that ruled over small towns that the desk clerk recognized her on sight. “We need to talk to you about one of your guests.”

“Do you have a name?” Kate asked.

Luis picked up where Julia left off. “A body was found at the park. He had no identification and the sooner we can figure out the man’s name, the sooner we’ll know what happened. Are any of your guests missing?”

Kate’s eyes went wide. “A body? And you think...you think they stayed here?”

“We don’t know what happened to this man and are only trying to get a name,” said Luis. He held up his phone, with a photo of John Doe on the screen. “Can you take a look and let me know if you recognize this man.”

Kate leaned in closer and stared at the screen. “It’s kinda hard to tell, but he might be part of a big group that arrived two days ago to mountain bike. I mean, there’s several guys but maybe...”

It was exactly what Luis had suspected. At least Julia knew that they were headed in the right direction. “Can you call a member of the party?” Julia asked.

“Sure. I mean, of course, we can help.” Kate picked up the house phone and pressed several buttons.

Julia heard the line begin to ring.

“Hello,” Kate said. “This is the front desk. There are some people who need to speak to you in the lobby.” She paused a moment before saying, “Thank you,” and placing the phone back on the receiver. “Someone will be over in a minute,” she said to Julia and Luis.

Julia nodded her thanks, then stepped toward the fireplace, situated on the opposite side of the lobby. Luis followed, slapping the phone into his open palm. Several minutes later, a man walked into the lobby. Medium build with dark hair and blue eyes. Julia put the man’s age at early thirties. His hair stood on end and he wore a pair of jeans and an untucked T-shirt.

He went directly to the front desk. “I’m Sean Reynolds. Someone called and asked me to come to the lobby.”

The desk clerk pointed to Julia and Luis. “Those two need to speak to you.”

Rubbing his bleary eyes, the man approached. “What do you need?” he asked.

Julia stepped forward and held up her badge. “Mr. Reynolds, my name is Julia McCloud. I’m the sheriff in Pleasant Pines. I understand that you came here with a group of people, perhaps to mountain bike.”

“So, what of it?”

“Is everyone in your party accounted for?”

Until now, Julia would have described the man’s tone and demeanor as defiant, or at least unfriendly. Casting his gaze from Julia to Luis and back again, he changed to seeming bewildered and confused. “I’m sorry. What do you want to know?”

Luis lifted his phone and brought up the photo of John Doe. Holding up the picture, he asked, “Do you know who this is?”

“That’s Tom Dolan, my brother-in-law. Why?”

“Have you seen him recently?” asked Luis.

“I spoke to him last night. We biked in the morning and then had late lunch in the pub. We went back to the bar for drinks last night, showed up around ten o’clock. The place was packed, and the party was pretty wild. I lost track of all the guys. But, I mean, we’re all adults and staying at the hotel. It’s not like anyone needed a babysitter or designated driver or anything. Tom never came back to the room.”

Julia sucked in her breath, but Luis kept going.

“What do you remember about last night?” Luis asked.

“Tom was talking to a woman. She was tall. Blonde. I didn’t get a good look at her, but she seemed...” Sean paused, then added, “Friendly.”

“Friendly?” Luis echoed.

“Kissing Tom. She had her hands all over him. That kind of thing.”

Julia flexed her hand as her missing fingers started to ache. The scar on her stomach itched.

“In fact, that’s why I wasn’t worried at all when he never came back to the room. Honestly, I thought he’d gone home with her. He hasn’t been back. Do you know where he is? Are you here because you’re looking for him?”

This part was never easy. “He was found this morning in the town gazebo. He’d passed away.”

“No!” Sean was stricken. “He’s gone? What happened to him?”

“I’m so sorry for your loss. And that’s exactly what we are trying to find out,” said Luis.

“Can you let us look around?” asked Julia. “See if there’s anything that’ll give us a clue about what happened?”

Sean nodded, wiping away tears. “My wife will be devastated.”

Julia and Luis followed him across to his room on the first floor.

It was unremarkable—a standard hotel room. Two double beds. Single dresser with TV on top. Chair and desk. Adjacent bath.

Clothes littered the floor, and the room was filled with a not-so-fresh, locker-room aroma. Aside from the smell and clutter, Julia noted that one bed had been slept in, while the other was made. “What can you tell us about Tom’s life? He’s your wife’s brother?”

“Tom lived in Atlanta. An architect.