Alonso's smile returns.
"If you are open to suggestions, might I recommend a massage? It might help you relax. A technician can come right to your room for maximum privacy and indulgence."
"Thank you for the suggestion. I might just do that."
"Good." I start away, and he calls after me again. "Oh, and if you want a truly breathtaking experience, have Constance arrange for Joshua to give you his directions to the Cascada Esmeralda.”
“What’s that?
“The name means Emerald Falls. It is, pardon my pun, a hidden gem of the island. You might find a visit there enriching."
"Thank you again. I'll see if I can find a time."
"If you'll excuse me, I have guest requests to arrange. Please don't hesitate to let me know if there is anything I can do for you."
"Your suggestions are plenty. Thank you," I tell him.
He gives a nod that is almost a bow and starts toward the lobby. I stare down the path toward the staff village before reluctantly turning back around. Bellamy coming down the path toward me is a surprise, but she looks relieved when she notices me.
"There you are," she says.
"Was I supposed to be somewhere else?" I ask.
"No, I was just looking for you and haven't been able to find you. I wanted to say I'm sorry for earlier. Eric and I shouldn't have talked to you like that."
Walking past her, I shake my head.
"You're right. You shouldn't have," I tell her.
She falls into step alongside me.
"It's not that we think something is wrong with you or that you are making things up," she says.
"You're doing really well putting together this apology," I comment.
"We want you to be happy. We want you to relax and just get your mind off everything."
I stop and whip to the side to look at her so quickly she stumbles back a step.
"You don't think I wish I could just turn my brain off and not think about anything? You don't think that every day I just want to be happy and be able to relax? To not constantly have questions and theories and ideas running around in my thoughts? That's not what this is about, B."
"Then what is it?"
I hesitate.
"Do you really want to know?"
"Yes. Obviously, something is really bothering you about this."
"Come on. I don't want to talk out here."
We hurry to my room, and Bellamy sits down, looking at me with expectation.
"You already know the issues I have with the way Rosa's body looked and how she ended up in the water. But that's not it. Remember when I went back to the room to get my sunglasses when we were on our way to the pool?"
"Yes."
"When I went into the building, I almost interrupted a conversation in the hallway. I immediately recognized one of the voices. It was Alonso. He called the woman he was talking to Rosa."
"He's a manager of the resort. He interacts with everybody who works here," she points out.
"Yes. But you have to admit; there's something about him. The way he talks to everybody. He's nice, but it seems slimy. Like it's not that he's purposely being nice to people. He's just following some sort of script. He's playing a part. And the way that he acted when we found Rosa's body and were waiting for the police. He wanted to just hurry up and get rid of it all. He seriously thought it was fine to drain the pool."
"Being creepy, tone-deaf, and insensitive don't necessarily mean something is wrong. He seemed genuinely surprised Rosa was floating around in that pool."
"Yes, he did. And I'm not saying he wasn't. But that's not it. I'm still focused on the conversation he was having with Rosa. He was telling her that a guest requested cabin three for that night, and she was to prepare it for him and make sure his expectations were satisfied."
"Cabin three?" Bellamy asks. "I didn't know the resort had cabins. I looked at the website because I was considering booking another trip here, and there were only guest rooms and suites listed."
"Right. There are no cabins for guest rental. The only cabins I've heard about are the ones in the staff village."
She looks at me quizzically. "He was telling her to get staff quarters prepared for a resort guest? I know they keep saying to let them know if there's anything that will make our stay better, but that seems like a very strange request. I mean, I guess people with this kind of money might not have ever seen anything but all the luxury and indulgence of the resort and be curious about the way the staff lives. But that still doesn't seem like something they would actually do."
"No, it doesn't. And I just talked to Alonso. He introduced me to the other manager while they were showing new staff around. He mentioned the staff village, and then when I said I was going to explore that area of the resort, he stopped me. It's for staff only," I tell her.
"So, what are you going to do?" Bellamy asks.
"He really didn't give me any option. I'm going down there tonight to check it out," I tell her.
"Of course you are."
Chapter Twenty-Three
“So, what are we going to do up until then?” Bellamy asks.
“Where is Eric?”
“A guy we met at the pool recommended he go to the spa. Apparently, they do hot shaves and the types of manicures and pedicures that are acceptable for men. I'm not exactly sure what that means, but Eric thought at least the hot shave sounded like a good idea, so that's where he's going to be spending the afternoon,” she tells me.
“Good. That means he's distracted and less likely to start in on the guilt trip again. I would like to try to find out more about Rosa if we can. I was thinking we could speak with some of the other girls on staff. And maybe a couple of the attendants. I've noticed that there only seem
