BooksBarbecue
Back Sunset Beach Save as PDF
Chapters (73)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Notice
  3. Dedication
  4. Acknowledgments
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. 47
  52. 48
  53. 49
  54. 50
  55. 51
  56. 52
  57. 53
  58. 54
  59. 55
  60. 56
  61. 57
  62. 58
  63. 59
  64. 60
  65. 61
  66. 62
  67. 63
  68. 64
  69. 65
  70. Epilogue
  71. Also by Mary Kay Andrews
  72. About the Author
  73. Newsletter Sign-up

He sipped his coffee. “Let me think. I know the cops asked me that, but it’s been so long. Lots of nights, we’d go out after she got off her shift, if our schedules worked out okay. Sometimes, I’d get us a room here, so we could be together, and then she’d go home, like around two in the morning, because her mom had to get to work, and Jaz was the one to take Aliyah to school.”

“According to the hotel, the day she was killed, Jaz’s car broke down on the way to work.”

He nodded. “Yeah, that Kia was a hunk of junk. But it was all she could afford.”

“She called her mom and told her she was going to have the car towed to a garage, and then she took a cab and got to the hotel more than an hour late.”

“I bet Byars reamed her ass out,” Jorge said.

“That’s the head of housekeeping?”

“That’s him. Total jerk. He was always at Shelnutt’s little parties.”

“Could he have been the one who was coming on to Jazmin?”

“Absolutely. Another piece of crap.”

“Did you know Larry Boone? One of the other housekeepers told me he grabbed her and propositioned her more than once.”

“Scary Larry, that’s what the girls called him,” Jorge affirmed. “When Shelnutt wanted to have one of his little parties, Larry Boone, who was head of engineering, would put a room ‘out of order’ so the front desk wouldn’t rent it to guests. That’s where the parties would be.”

“Back to the night she was killed. Byars told the cops that Jazmin asked to work an additional shift, because she’d gotten to work late. Do you think that’s true?”

“I never knew her to work an overnight shift,” Jorge said. “She and Aliyah lived with her mom, and the mom had to get to work in the morning. That’s why she never stayed overnight with me, and always went home, even though I didn’t like her driving home alone late at night like that. That neighborhood she lived in is kinda rough.”

“One of the other housekeepers told me that Jaz’s best friend was another housekeeper. Neesa? Did you know her?”

“Kinda.”

“What’s that mean?” Drue asked.

“I know she and Jaz were tight, but I wasn’t really a fan.”

“Why’s that?”

He toyed with the paper band around his coffee cup. “I thought she was a bad influence. This will maybe sound racist, coming from somebody like me, but I can’t help it. Neesa was pretty ghetto.”

“How so?”