‘This is Lorna Price from Hotel Camino. I came to see—’

‘I remember. Are the men you mentioned there right now?’ Even as she spoke, she tugged off the t-shirt she’d fallen asleep in and replaced it with a fresh one from the closet. With the phone secured between her ear and her shoulder, she dragged on the first pair of jeans her hands touched. From her dresser, she pulled out a pair of socks, not caring what kind or color. She debated waking Brock to let him know she was heading out, but found he was already awake, watching her carefully as she moved quickly around their bedroom. She lifted a hand, mouthed, ‘Gotta run. Love you,’ and then raced down the stairs.

‘Not exactly,’ Lorna answered. ‘But there’s another guy here. I forgot about him, but I’m pretty sure he was with that girl who was killed.’ If it was possible for her to speak any lower, she managed. ‘I saw him trying to get into one of the rooms even though he’s not a guest. I pretended I was taking out the trash, and I took a picture in case it helps.’

Alyssa felt her heart drop to her stomach. ‘Lorna, listen to me. I want you to lock the front door.’ She waited until she heard a click. ‘Now, can you still see him from where you are?’

‘Yes, but now he’s just looking around.’

‘What’s he’s driving? Can you see that?’ Alyssa climbed into her Tahoe and backed out of the garage.

‘No. The only cars in the parking lot are the ones that were here when I got to work. Should I go out—’

‘No! No, stay where you are. I want you to stay on the phone with me and tell me what you see but stay where you are. Okay?’

This time Lorna’s voice was filled with panic. ‘He’s coming to the door. What do I do?’

Alyssa pressed the accelerator. ‘Get inside the office and lock it. I’ll be there as quickly as I can.’

‘He’s rattling the door. What if he gets in?’

Where was the surveillance team that was supposed to be posted outside? Alyssa’s heart rate tripled, but somehow she managed to keep her voice calm. ‘Lorna, listen to me. You have an office phone, right?’

‘Yes.’

‘Don’t hang up now, but I want you to use that other phone and dial nine-one-one, tell them you’ve got me on the line, but you need a unit sent to Hotel Camino immediately. Tell them I told you to request no lights or sirens. Do that now.’

She listened as Lorna spoke to Dispatch, and when she said, ‘I don’t see him at the door anymore. I don’t see him anywhere,’ Alyssa didn’t know if Lorna was informing her or the dispatcher. Either way, she had a feeling she was too late.

Twelve minutes later, she pulled into the parking lot of Hotel Camino and parked next to one of the squad cars, ending the call with Lorna after telling her to stay inside. The lights in the office were blazing, and despite several broken streetlamps, the parking area was well-lit, making it easy to see there was no one there. ‘Damn it.’ She climbed out of the car at the same time as one of the officers, and together they approached a second officer.