Page 51 of The Newcomer
“I was just a goofy kid, but she was always super nice to me. Rooney was nice too, but I guess that was just so he could rip people off.”
“What can you tell me about him, Isabelle?”
The teenager shrugged. “He had that sexy Irish accent, you know? But I think Mom must have sensed he was up to no good. Back then it was my job to deliver clean sheets and towels to everyone’s room every week, but she made sure she delivered them to Rooney and Tanya, not me. Come to think of it, she acted weird around Tanya too. But maybe that’s because she was worried her asshole boyfriend might get too friendly with her.”
“You’re talking about Chuck?” Letty asked.
Isabelle shuddered. “That old dude was totally sketchy. The day she kicked him out of our place was the happiest day of my life.”
“Joe told me a little bit about their scam, and how when the police came to arrest them, Chuck and Rooney were gone, along with the money and gold coins and jewelry,” Letty said. “Were you around when that happened?”
Isabelle shook her head. “No. I don’t remember where I was, just that when I got home, there were all these cop cars in the parking lot, and all the regulars were standing around, trying to figure out what was going on. Mom made me go up to the apartment, but I was looking out the window when they brought Tanya out in handcuffs. It was so messed up, you know? Rooney and Chuck took off and your sister ended up in jail.”
“But not for long,” Letty mused. “Somehow, she talked her way out of it. The cops dropped all the charges.”
“I didn’t know that,” Isabelle said. “Mom never talks about Chuck around me. I think she’s embarrassed that she fell for his bullshit.”
“And nobody has any idea where the two men went?”
“It’s not something Mom would ever discuss with me,” Isabelle said with a shrug. “And Joe thinks I’m still a little kid. He never tells me anything.”
“They’re trying to protect you,” Letty said, reaching out and tugging at Isabelle’s ponytail. “Be glad you have a big brother and a mom who cares. Tanya and I never had that. All we had was each other. And now she’s gone.”
“But you’ve got Maya,” Isabelle pointed out. “Hey Letty, couldn’tyou just call the cops in New York and tell them what happened? How it was Evan that killed her, not you?”
Letty ripped a plastic bag from the large roll on the table. She placed a set of sheets, four bath towels, two face towels, and two washcloths on a stack, then slid them into the bag and knotted it.
“I wish it were that easy. But I can’t prove a negative. I can’t prove I didn’t kill my sister. And in the meantime, what happens to Maya? If I went back, Evan’s lawyers would either get a judge to award him custody, or they might put her in foster care. I can’t let that happen to her.”
Isabelle was bagging up linens, too. She took her stack and placed it in another laundry cart and added the stack Letty had just finished. “So what are you going to do?”
“I don’t know how, but I guess I’m going to have to prove Evan Wingfield killed Tanya,” Letty said. She put the last stack of linens into the cart. “But first I’ve got to deliver all this laundry.”
“I’ll help,” Isabelle said. “With both. I’m good at figuring stuff out.”
“Absolutely not,” Letty said. “I never should have told you anything. Don’t even think about trying to play detective, Isabelle. You don’t know Evan. You don’t know what he’s capable of.”
19
“UGH,” AVA SAID, PUSHING AWAYfrom the computer monitor. She’d been working with the new booking software all morning, mumbling and cursing under her breath. “That’s enough of that for today.”
Letty came in from the storeroom, where she’d been reorganizing the shelves, and looked over her boss’s shoulder at the spreadsheet. “This looks great, Ava. You’ve uploaded all the upcoming reservations. Don’t be so hard on yourself.”
“It was a lot easier when I just had a paper calendar and a registration book,” Ava groused. “Why is progress always such a royal pain in the patootie?”
“You’re getting there,” Letty said. “Okay, I’ve cleaned out a bunch of shelves in the supply room, and labeled everything, so I’d say that’s progress. Hope it’s okay that I threw out all the old outdated rate cards, promotional flyers, and motel stationery. I found stacks and stacks of brochures that were so old they didn’t even have our area code.”
“Good work,” Ava said.
“Letty, look what I did,” Maya said proudly. “I do good work too.”
She’d assembled a large wooden puzzle that was a map of the United States.
“That’s great, ladybug,” Letty said. “Where’d you find the puzzle?”
“I gave it to her,” Ava said. “That used to be Joe’s. And then Isabelle’s. I know I promised to clean out every closet in the place, and I did getrid of most of their old books and toys, but there were a few things I just couldn’t part with.”
Maya placed her hands protectively over the puzzle. “Mine.”
