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We met up with Chase once more, and the four of us headed out to the Giltmore Hotel and Spa, located in a residential area, to find corroboration for Adolpho’s story.

The Giltmore is not merely a hotel but, as the name indicates, also a spa and beauty parlor, and a place where people like to go to be pampered. When you walk out of the hotel, to the back there are several bungalows, which can be rented on a daily but also an hourly basis, and which provide even more privacy than the regular rooms the hotel has to offer. And it was in one of these bungalows that Adolpho said his love life had experienced a renaissance under the influence of Veronica James.

The hotel manager was at first reluctant to divulge his clients’ secrets, but when he was confronted with not one but two police badges, and Chase’s assurance that they would exercise discretion, he loosened up and was even eager to talk. “Oh, yes, they come here all the time,” he said, studying pictures of Veronica and Adolpho on Chase’s phone. “John Gage and Diana Murphy.” When Chase gave him an odd look, he smiled. “From the movieIndecent Proposal. John Gage was the billionaire played by Robert Redford and Diana Murphy the lady, played by Demi Moore, who got a million dollars to be his mistress for one night. I know my classics, detective.”

“I wouldn’t exactly callIndecent Proposal a classic,” Chase grunted.

“Well, I liked it, and so, apparently, did these two.”

“So they’ve been coming here for a while?” asked Odelia.

The manager nodded.“Twice a week, always on Monday and Thursday night, and they always rent the same bungalow. Number 18, right at the back. Very private.” He grinned.

“So can you tell me if they were here on Monday, and at what time?” asked Odelia.

The man consulted his computer.“They were here, all right. In fact I see that a noise complaint was brought against them that evening by the guest renting Bungalow 17.”

“A noise complaint?”

“Yes, a Mrs. Baumgartner had rented the bungalow as part of our Beauty Deluxe Package, and was resting after her steam bath when she heard sounds that greatly disturbed her. She said it sounded as if a woman was being murdered. One of our staff members went out to check and said they were the normal sounds of a woman in the throes of ecstasy. And anyway, when the couple checked out they both looked fine, so obviously Mrs. Baumgartner was mistaken. Then again, the sounds a person produces when in the throes of passion can easily be mistaken for those of a person in distress.” He leaned in a little. “Did you know that there is a fine line between fear and rapture? No? It’s an interesting subject, and one I’ve studied extensively.” When only two blank stares met his eye, he sobered. “Well, as the manager of this fine establishment it is of course important to me to gauge the satisfaction of our guests, and so a certain knowledge of human psychology is always… At any rate, I trust I’ve informed you sufficiently?”

“Absolutely,” said Odelia, and I had the impression he’d informed them a little too well. Sometimes less is more, especially when it comes to the details of human passion as practiced in private bungalows.

“So looks like Veronica is in the clear,” said Chase as we walked back to the car.

“And so is Adolpho,” Odelia chimed in. “So where do we stand now?”

“For my money, and after what you’ve told me about Veronica’s son, he’s my number one suspect. Apart from Jayme, of course, who is still the prime suspect.”

“But I checked Danny’s locker and there was nothing to tie him to the murder.”

“So maybe he put the murder weapon elsewhere,” said Chase as we all got into the car again. “And I think I know exactly where he might have dumped it.” And as he started the car, I was thinking that we just kept hitting dead ends on this case, one after the other. But time was running out for Jayme, and if we couldn’t find another suspect and tie them to the case, soon she’d go down for the brutal murder and her life would effectively be over.

Chapter 24

The police activity in and around the house of Eddie Tomon was extensive, and most people would have felt extremely annoyed, and might even have lodged a formal protest of having their privacy invaded like this. But Eddie, who was Danny’s real dad and Veronica’s first husband, didn’t seem to mind one bit. On the contrary, as he stood talking to Chase and Odelia he actually seemed to revel in the attention, and was chatting away as if they were old friends he hadn’t seen in ages.

“Some people like to be part of a police inquiry,” I told Dooley as a possible explanation for this anomaly.

“He does seem to enjoy all the attention,” my friend agreed.

“So when was the last time Danny was here?” asked Chase.