she was holding out to him. "The costumes are in the closet over there." He nodded to a wardrobe across the room. 'They're provided by the Order for all new guests. Regulars bring their own and some are pretty spiffy. Cocktail party starts at six. Banquet at seven-thirty and then we batten down the hatches."
Letty blinked. "I beg your pardon?"
The bellman grinned. "This your first Revelers' meeting?"
"Yes, it is."
"Well, have fun. That's the main goal, as far as I can tell. I've worked half a dozen of these conventions and they
’ re wild. I'll be running up and down these halls all night. You'd never think a bunch of folks who claim to be interested in ancient history would get so crazy. Some of them can be a real pain. But the tips are great. Enjoy yourself, Miss Conroy. And thanks." He closed the door behind himself.
Letty gazed around at the room with a sense of surprise and relief. She had not known quite what to expect but she was delighted with the old-fashioned
canopied bed, the huge, carved wooden wardrobe and the lovely view of the windswept sea. When she walked to the window and looked down she could see the breakers crashing on the rocks of the cove below. Very picturesque. The perfect honeymoon spot, in fact. That thought made her sigh. She would not be going on any honeymoons now.
The inn was just as Sheldon had described it
— a majestic old mansion built of stone and stout timber. It occupied a high bluff situated on a particularly isolated section of the coast. Two newer wings of rooms had been added on to the old section to provide additional space, but Letty was glad to discover she had been put into the original portion of the structure. Her room was on the third floor above the large rustic lobby.
Letty noticed there was a door in one wall, which meant there was a room adjoining hers. She made a note to be certain the door was locked from her side before she went to sleep later. Then she picked up the phone.
"You have a message from a Miss Molly Sweet," the desk clerk said cheerfully. "She wants you to call at once."
Frowning over the apparent urgency of the message, Letty hung up and dialed Molly's home number in Tipton Cove.
"Molly? It's Letty. Is everything okay?"
"Boy, am 1 glad you called." Molly's voice was laced with excitement. "Are you alone?"
"Of course."
"I mean, Augustine isn't there with you?"
"I told him he wasn't welcome, remember?" Letty said, irritated by Molly's assumption that Xavier could simply show up when and where he wished. She had seen no sign of him thus far and she was praying his statement that he would be attending the Revelers' meeting was an empty threat. "What's going on, Molly?"
"I started the search," Molly said quickly. "Just as we agreed. I've got to tell you, Letty, this is fun. I could really get into this investigation business."
"Molly, will you please just tell me what you found out?"
"Okay, okay. I plugged Augustine's social security number into every data base I could find. The first thing I can tell you is that he's healthy. Donates blood regularly."
"For heaven's sake, Molly, I already knew that." Letty was disgusted. "He was behind me in line at the last Tipton Cove Community Blood Drive, remember?"
"He's got a great credit rating," Molly offered helpfully.
"That's not exactly news. I didn't figure him to be on welfare."
"Well, if that doesn't impress you," Molly said with slow relish, "try this on for size. There is no record of Xavier Augustine existing until ten years ago."
"What?"
"You heard me. It looks like he invented the name and a whole new identity for himself thirteen years ago."
Letty felt as if she'd been pole-axed. "But people don't do things like that."
'They do if they've got a good reason for burying their old identity."
"Oh, my God."
At that moment, the door that connected Letty's room to the adjoining one opened and the man who called himself Xavier Augustine walked in.
4
Panic SEIZED Letty. For one long,
Letty blinked. "I beg your pardon?"
The bellman grinned. "This your first Revelers' meeting?"
"Yes, it is."
"Well, have fun. That's the main goal, as far as I can tell. I've worked half a dozen of these conventions and they
’ re wild. I'll be running up and down these halls all night. You'd never think a bunch of folks who claim to be interested in ancient history would get so crazy. Some of them can be a real pain. But the tips are great. Enjoy yourself, Miss Conroy. And thanks." He closed the door behind himself.
Letty gazed around at the room with a sense of surprise and relief. She had not known quite what to expect but she was delighted with the old-fashioned
canopied bed, the huge, carved wooden wardrobe and the lovely view of the windswept sea. When she walked to the window and looked down she could see the breakers crashing on the rocks of the cove below. Very picturesque. The perfect honeymoon spot, in fact. That thought made her sigh. She would not be going on any honeymoons now.
The inn was just as Sheldon had described it
— a majestic old mansion built of stone and stout timber. It occupied a high bluff situated on a particularly isolated section of the coast. Two newer wings of rooms had been added on to the old section to provide additional space, but Letty was glad to discover she had been put into the original portion of the structure. Her room was on the third floor above the large rustic lobby.
Letty noticed there was a door in one wall, which meant there was a room adjoining hers. She made a note to be certain the door was locked from her side before she went to sleep later. Then she picked up the phone.
"You have a message from a Miss Molly Sweet," the desk clerk said cheerfully. "She wants you to call at once."
Frowning over the apparent urgency of the message, Letty hung up and dialed Molly's home number in Tipton Cove.
"Molly? It's Letty. Is everything okay?"
"Boy, am 1 glad you called." Molly's voice was laced with excitement. "Are you alone?"
"Of course."
"I mean, Augustine isn't there with you?"
"I told him he wasn't welcome, remember?" Letty said, irritated by Molly's assumption that Xavier could simply show up when and where he wished. She had seen no sign of him thus far and she was praying his statement that he would be attending the Revelers' meeting was an empty threat. "What's going on, Molly?"
"I started the search," Molly said quickly. "Just as we agreed. I've got to tell you, Letty, this is fun. I could really get into this investigation business."
"Molly, will you please just tell me what you found out?"
"Okay, okay. I plugged Augustine's social security number into every data base I could find. The first thing I can tell you is that he's healthy. Donates blood regularly."
"For heaven's sake, Molly, I already knew that." Letty was disgusted. "He was behind me in line at the last Tipton Cove Community Blood Drive, remember?"
"He's got a great credit rating," Molly offered helpfully.
"That's not exactly news. I didn't figure him to be on welfare."
"Well, if that doesn't impress you," Molly said with slow relish, "try this on for size. There is no record of Xavier Augustine existing until ten years ago."
"What?"
"You heard me. It looks like he invented the name and a whole new identity for himself thirteen years ago."
Letty felt as if she'd been pole-axed. "But people don't do things like that."
'They do if they've got a good reason for burying their old identity."
"Oh, my God."
At that moment, the door that connected Letty's room to the adjoining one opened and the man who called himself Xavier Augustine walked in.
4
Panic SEIZED Letty. For one long,
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