“Exactly. The extras are almost entirely within the housekeeping and grounds-maintenance departments. Numbers were also slightly high for the kitchen and wait staff, but those numbers are debatable depending on who you talk to.” He leaned forward, propping his elbows on his knees. He seemed so earnest, so genuine. “Now, things aren’t quite as bad right now as they were before Thornton’s death because several employees left the inn when everything shut down. But the payroll is still too big, and it’s cutting into the profit margins.”

“I remember thinking it was odd that even after so many employees left, we still didn’t need to hire anyone new. Though Gaspard did say he was a little understaffed in the kitchen.”

“And that may be true,” Simon said. “But I’m guessing housekeeping and grounds haven’t had any trouble keeping up with their responsibilities.”

“Why would Thornton have hired more people than he needed?”

“I had that same question. But then I ran into Darcy in the parking lot the last time I was here.”

“Housekeeping Darcy?”

He nodded. “I asked her how long she’s been an employee at Winding Way, and she immediately teared up. She said Thornton gave her a job two years ago when no one else would, letting her work around her son’s school schedule. Her sister, Lisa, has been here for almost ten years. She asked Thornton to give Darcy a job.”

“Which he did,” I said.

“Right. And it seems like the same scenario played out more than once. There are four separate sets of siblings who work in housekeeping or in maintenance and three husband/wife pairs.”

“So he was giving people jobs because they needed them, not necessarily because the inn needed someone.”

“I don’t think we can be entirely sure about what his motives were unless we pull in all of those employees and ask them about their experiences getting hired, but that’s what it seems like to me. On top of that, he’s paying people way too much—far more than what they would receive at a comparable job somewhere else.”

“Which makes his employees loyal but doesn’t do anything to make his business successful.” I took a deep breath. “Okay. Too many people on the payroll. What else?”

“Honestly, that’s the biggest factor. The largest part of any hotel’s revenue goes to staffing, but Thornton took things to a new level. There are a few smaller things, slow bleeds that have made a difference over time but aren’t quite as significant on paper. The restaurant, for example, is losing money. Breakfast and lunch don’t bring in enough, and dinner, though it’s profitable on its own, isn’t quite profitable enough to compensate for the breakfast/lunch losses. The linen service contract is another. When compared to what other area hotels of similar size pay, it’s way too high.”