Experimentally, I pressed the button on the massive ice machine. It roared to life and dispensed a few cubes onto my feet. Not broken at all, as Luis had claimed.
“Excuse me?” a voice called impatiently. “Excuse me!”
I turned to find Penelope Delacourt, wearing a silk robe and a gel face mask, poking her head out of one of the suites.
“Yes, Mrs. Delacourt?”
“We need fresh towels in our room,” she simpered. “Be a doll and go get some.”
“I don’t work here.”
She stared vacantly at me.
“I’m Jack. Evelyn’s friend? We met a few nights ago.”
Penelope continued to stare.
“I’ll see what I can do about the towels.”
Still in my pajamas, I rode the elevator to the lobby. Janine, at the front desk, didn’t bother to acknowledge me. She pretended not to see me as she checked in new guests. For whatever strange reason, she didn’t want to answer any more of my questions, so I didn’t ask her for directions to the laundry room.
Instead, I followed the darker hallways into the depths of the hotel. Eventually, I turned enough corners to make it to the kitchens and the service areas. A sign pointed me to a set of steps that led beneath the first floor, into the chilly basement of the Saint Angel. Down here, the concrete walls bore no lavish decorations like the rest of the hotel. Such accommodations were reserved for the people who paid to be here, not the people who worked here.
With some guesswork and a bit of luck, I finally located the laundry room. The industrial machines whirled and worked, slinging sheets and towels inside the massive drums with hypnotizing rhythm. A woman pulled clean linens from an enormous dryer and folded them with impeccable precision.
“Excuse me?” I said.
The woman jumped and put a hand to her heart. “Dios mio! You scared me. Guests aren’t supposed to come down here.”
I grimaced apologetically. “Sorry about that. I was looking for fresh towels.”
“How many do you need?”
“Two or three, to be safe.”
She stacked a few freshly-folded towels and handed them to me. They were still warm from the dryer.
“Thanks.” I hesitated in the doorway.
“Something else?” she questioned.
“Do you know anything about Luis?” I asked. “The guy who works maintenance around the hotel?”
The maid nodded. “Of course. Everyone knows Luis. He hardly leaves here.”
“Is he…trustworthy?”
She gave me a sharp look. “What is this about?”
I changed tactics, sensing danger. Scuffing my foot against the floor, I feigned sheepishness. “Oh, gosh. It’s a bit embarrassing. I just happened to notice how handsome he was, and I was wondering if his personality matched his good looks.”
Though my acting wasn’t stellar, it convinced the maid. A wry grin spread across her face. “You have a little crush on Luis, eh? I’m afraid you won’t get far. He’s in love with somebody else.”
“Someone who works here?” I pried.
She mimed zipping her lips. “Gossip spreads like a virus in this hotel. If you want to know more, you’ll have to ask Luis yourself.”
I pouted. “You won’t be my wing woman?”
“I don’t know what that means.” She jerked her chin toward the exit. “You better get back upstairs, chiquita. You might get lost down here.”
On my second pass through the lobby, Janine was alone at the front desk. I tucked the towels against my chest and strode over to her.
“Can I help you?” she asked through tight lips, as if she’d rather not talk to me at all.
“I’m here to help you actually,” I replied. “With Luis.”
Her cheeks turned bright red, confirming what I already knew. I’d seen the way Luis and Janine acted around each other. Despite the wedding band on her left ring finger, there was some sort of attraction between them.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said stiffly.
“Oh, I think you do,” I said. “And I think you need someone to talk to about it. You’re stuck in the hotel almost all day. Do you ever get to hang out with your girlfriends?”
Janine pursed her lips. “No. They stopped asking me to go out with them.”
“Exactly,” I said. “Face it. You need me. Now let me hear it: tell me all about Luis. What do you like about him?”
She narrowed her eyes. “Why do you want to be friends with me?”
“Honestly? All this wedding prep is making me anxious,” I lied. “I need something else to focus on, and playing matchmaker is one of my favorite things to do.” My lower lip jutted out. “Please? Let me help hook the two of you up. I’m so good at it.” I nodded at her ring finger. “And I know how to keep a secret.”
Her blush deepened. “It’s not what you think. I’m not married anymore. I wear the ring so the creepy businessmen who stay here won’t hit on me.”
“So what I’m hearing is you’re single?” I wiggled my eyebrows. “And ready to mingle.”
“Please, don’t ever say that again.”
“Come on!” I stomped my foot like a petulant toddler. “You gotta give me something. I’m dying here.”
Janine glanced around. When she saw the lobby was empty, she leaned her elbows on the counter and beckoned me closer. “Okay, fine. I’ve been in love with Luis ever since I started working here. He’s so kind and funny and that butt—”
She cut herself off, but I lifted my hand to high-five her.
“Get it, girl,” I advised.
To my absolute shock, she let out a giggle. Now we were getting somewhere.
“He works so hard,” she sighed. “Most men aren’t like that.”
“He always seems to be around,” I said. “Even at night. Doesn’t he ever go home?”
Janine frowned. “Now that I think about it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him leave the hotel.”
“That’s a bit odd.”
“I suppose it is,” she mused.
I bounced up and down on my toes, mustering
