Caught in the Frame (Ponderosa Pines Cozy Mystery Series Book 3) by ReGina Welling (novel24 .TXT) 📕

person; someone to hit the switch, and someone to open the door. Seems like an awful lot of trouble considering nothing is missing.” Javier explained. “Come to think of it, are we sure all the room keys are accounted for?”

EV searched her pockets, wallet, and the small backpack she most often carried instead of a handbag. Chloe’s key card was on the console table near the door, right where she had dropped it when they walked in. Lila and Javier were able to produce their own within moments. A strangled “damn it all” echoed from EV’s room, where she had retreated in search of the last key.

“It’s my fault.” She moaned. “It’s not in my bag, or any of my pockets. My key is missing.”

“When was the last time you know you had it?” Javier questioned.

“It’s been a couple of days.” Her face screwed up while she accessed her memory, “Maybe more. I haven’t left the room without Chloe by my side except for last night, and when we came back, I went in through the connecting door from Lila’s room. They got in with my key, and then it was easy to get to Chloe’s things. I’m so sorry.” She whispered.

A chorus of reassurances rang out as Dalton kneaded her shoulders in an attempt to soothe her nerves. Chloe noticed, even through the haze of worry in which she was currently mired, that EV did not shrug away from Dalton’s touch as she had in the past.

“They’re right; it’s not your fault. If someone wanted to get in here this badly, they would have found another way.” Javier reassured EV before turning his attention back to Lila. “Are you going to be okay, love?” He asked at her visible distress.

She didn’t answer. In fact, she couldn’t bring herself to say anything at all. Instead, she stood stock-still, hands clenched at her sides, white rage spreading through her entire body. The others watched as almost visible emotion roiled off her. Chloe shrank back, closed her eyes, and waited for the diatribe to begin.

“There will be hell to pay if this doesn’t get resolved in a timely manner! This is supposed to be the happiest time of my life, and it’s turning into a nightmare! You’re all distracted; my photographer—and friend—is missing; my family is being threatened; and I’ve got the wedding planner from Hades following me around like a tail, trying to satisfy my every desire! Now my suite has been broken into, my daughter’s room has been ransacked, and security is going to try to put me on the back burner? I. Don’t. Bloody. Think. So. I can’t handle worrying about all of you while also pulling off a spectacular event. This isn’t the time. Maybe we should postpone the wedding.”

She shot a helpless look at Javier, then continued to stomp around the room, stuffing articles of clothing back into drawers, straightening pillows, and muttering to herself. Nobody spoke, until finally, she collapsed into Chloe’s waiting arms. As Lila sobbed into her daughter’s shoulder, Chloe’s gaze met Javier’s. Concern and helplessness etched into the lines on his face; his eyes flicked over to the door, and Chloe nodded slightly. Lila needed to get some air; clear her head before going off on the hotel staff.

“That’s not an option. We’ll get this resolved, and then we’re getting married.” Javier’s voice hardened momentarily, then softened as he gazed at Lila’s contorted expression. “Come on, darling, let’s take a walk. Then we can go have a little chat with hotel management and take a look at that security footage. Whether they want me to or not.” He suggested. Lila kissed Chloe on the cheek, smiled weakly at the rest of the group, and followed him out the door without another word.

“Well, it’s not hard to see where you got your penchant for ranting, Chlo.” EV chuckled lightly, attempting to inject some humor into the room. Nate’s eyebrow twitched, and Chloe let a bubble of nervous laughter escape her lips.

Dalton was the first to speak what had been weighing on everyone’s minds. “Does it seem to you all like trouble just keeps popping up whenever Remy Vincent is involved? Or am I paranoid because I want to see the bastard behind bars, where he belongs?”

“I don’t think you’re wrong.” EV reassured him. “But we’ve been over and over this before, and can’t figure out what his motive would be. It’s a possibility, but if it was him, he clearly didn’t find what he was looking for. Nothing is missing, and everything we brought with us is in these rooms. What could he possibly be looking for?”

“Let’s get real, here. It’s obvious to me that Javier is to blame.” Chloe interjected. “My instincts are screaming that he’s hiding something. Isn’t it convenient that his and my mother’s suite wasn’t touched—and that he has intimate knowledge of what it would take to break in? Not to mention that he has access to the security footage? We know he has an accomplice; we heard him talking on the phone. This could be the break in he was talking about.”

“Why would he break into a suite that’s attached to his own room, and then take nothing? It makes no sense. He could have left the door unlocked and come in here any time, leaving no trace. Why would he steal EV’s room key? It didn’t sound like he was planning on stealing a key; it sounded like he was planning on screwing with the system to gain access that way. And what could he possibly want?” Nate asked. “If you think it through, you’ll agree.” He gave her a minute to consider and watched as she visibly calmed, then reconsidered.

Chloe looked at each of them in turn. “This isn’t a coincidence; it wasn’t random. This person was looking for something specific. I agree that Javier had access to our room without sneaking around, and I don’t think he would make his presence known. Plus, I saw his