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Godiva: International Woman of Intrigue (Chapter Thirteen)
14 July, 2010 by chris
Godiva, International Woman of Intrigue
Godiva, International Woman of Intrigue
By Mathew D. Rhys and Chris Lawton
Chapter 13
I had the taxi cab drop me off a block down from Etienne's hotel. I wasn't sure what I would say to him, but I wanted to give myself time to think of it. I didn't know that he killed Hugh, but I had my suspicions. There were too many coincidences for me to ignore them. Hugh suspected Etienne of stealing the documents, and after I told Etienne, Hugh wound up dead.
I stopped for a second. Hugh was dead. If Etienne did kill him, it was my fault. I shook my head. There would be plenty of time for guilt and mourning later. Now, I needed to talk to Etienne. And I knew he wouldn't stay around town much longer—especially if he had a murder on his hands.
I walked up the stairs to Etienne's hotel room, still unsure of what I would say. I knocked on the door and took a deep breath. I heard no movement on the inside of the room and knocked again. Again, there was no answer. I turned to go, but caught myself. If Etienne wasn't here, it would be the perfect opportunity to find some answers. At the very least, I would find nothing and I could rest assured that Etienne was innocent and I was mistaken—about everything.
I pulled a bobby pin out of my hair and inserted it into the lock. I felt the tumblers fall and click, as the lock disengaged and door opened. I entered the room, cautiously calling out to Etienne. After all, if he was just in the shower, I could at least play dumb.
No one returned my call, so I walked through the suite, checking each room just to make sure. Convinced I was alone, I turned my attention to the room around me. My eyes fell on the bed, and I paused. I remembered the night Etienne and I spent together. Had I been a fool? I caught my breath, and continued to scan the room.
My gaze came to rest on a set of suitcases in the corner. My heart nearly stopped. Etienne had packed his things. He was leaving town.
I walked over and grabbed one of the suitcases. I threw it on the bed and opened it. Rifling through the clothes, I found nothing. I grabbed another one and did the same thing, again finding nothing.
I looked at the remaining suitcase. I wondered if I was going crazy. I decided there was only one way to find out. I grabbed the last suitcase and opened it. At first, I found only clothes. I pulled them out, throwing the garments everywhere. When I reached the bottom of the suitcase, it felt odd. It seemed too shallow. Not by much, but a little. I felt around the edge of the empty suitcase, until I found a space between the bottom and the side. Inserting a lock of my hair, I pulled a false bottom up, revealing another compartment.
My eyes went wide, as I reached into the suitcase and pulled out a manila envelope. I didn't need to open it to know what it was. It was the missing formula from Perkins Astrotech.
"What are you doing?" The voice came from behind me, and I turned to find Etienne standing behind me. His nostrils were flaring, and his voice sounded strained, as if he was doing everything he could to control his temper. "I said, what are you doing?"