“Sounds super fun,” Ryan said drily. “What’s it called, The Cove?”
“Actually, yes,” Hugo told him with a surprised look on his face. He recovered quickly and pointed out a large grassy area, part of which was filled with chaise lounge chairs and several all-weather loveseats. “That lawn is where we do our catered picnics. And just beyond it, in the furniture-free area, is the yoga pavilion where we do our seaside classes.”
“Aren’t the catered picnics a distraction for the folks doing yoga?” Jessie asked, amused and slightly appalled by the options.
“They’re very careful about the timing,” Hugo replied, either not getting the snark or choosing to ignore it. “Just over the next hill is where we have our falconry experience and beyond that, at the next trailhead, is the starting point for both our meditation hikes and our whale watching outings.”
“Wow,” Ryan said. “You guys really seem to have everything.”
“Just about,” Hugo said as he veered off the cliff side path and took one that led into a secluded section of the campus with large, stand-alone bungalows. “We even have a personal lovemaking coach for couples.”
“I’m sorry, what?” Jessie asked before she could stop herself.
“She’s very popular,” Hugo explained as he brought the cart to a sudden stop. “Her name is Honey Potter.”
“You can’t be serious,” Jessie countered, trying not to laugh and failing.
“I am,” Hugo promised. “She used to be an adult film actress before she got her master’s degree in human development. She’s incredibly popular. There’s a four month wait time for an appointment with her.”
“You know, Hugo,” Jessie said as she got out of the passenger seat. “In this job, I’m very rarely shocked by what I learn. But you should be proud. You somehow managed to do it.”
“I’m flattered,” he replied as he led them up a half-hidden, stone path that curled around to the front of a bungalow that looked modeled on a Spanish mission.
“That bungalow’s nice,” Jessie said.
“We call them casitas,” Hugo told her proudly.
Another security guard stood in front of the casita. He was short with a thick trunk and a shaved head. He reminded Jessie of a bowling ball with feet.
“Detective Hernandez, Ms. Hunt,” Hugo said, “This is Geordy. He’s been assigned to make sure no one disturbed Mrs. Newhouse until you got a chance to speak with her.”
“Was that a concern?” Ryan wondered.
“You just never know if information is going to leak out and to whom,” Hugo said. “We decided it was better to err on the side of caution and make sure she had some support. Also, in case the enormity of the situation affected her badly, we thought it would be nice for her to have a human resource if needed.”
“A security guard was assigned for emotional support?” Jessie asked, noting that Hugo had seemingly mastered a level of diplomacy rare for a security guard.
Hugo shrugged.
“We do have an on-site grief therapist but he’s currently conducting a tide pool retreat. This was a stop-gap measure.”
“Hugo,” Jessie said. “When we first met you, you said you were merely part of the security team, but you’ve kept witnesses from being improperly contacted. You’ve ensured that the dead man’s wife has personal security in case she’s in harm’s way. It’s clear that you actually run the team—why the ruse?”
He shrugged again.
“Modesty, I suppose.”
Jessie wasn’t having any of it.
“Are you sure it’s not because you wanted us to underestimate you and potentially reveal something about the case in your presence, allowing you to better keep tabs on things for your bosses?”
“I think you give me too much credit, Ms. Hunt,” Hugo replied with a smile.
Jessie doubted it. And from the expression on Ryan’s face, so did he. She let it lie for now.
“Hi Geordy,” Jessie said, turning her attention to the guard, who had yet to speak. “Has she said anything?”
“No ma’am,” Geordy answered. “I escorted her back from the spa at about 10:30. We’ve been here ever since. I’ve heard some crying but she hasn’t spoken a word since she went inside.”
“Wait,” Ryan checked. “You said she was at the spa?”
“That’s correct, sir.”
“Was she called there after she got the news about her husband’s death or was she already there?”
“I believe she was already at the spa,” Geordy answered. “My understanding was that she was there for a massage at the time.”
Ryan gave Jessie his best “that’s intriguing” expression, though he said nothing. She was on the same page with him. If this turned out to be foul play and Bridget Newhouse was in the same building as her husband when he died, she’d have a lot of explaining to do.
“We’re going to go in and have a chat with her,” Jessie said. “Are you gentlemen able to stick around in case we need some assistance?”
“Of course,” Hugo assured her, leading them to the front door. He was about to ring the bell when Ryan stopped him.
“I meant to mention this earlier but got distracted by the lovemaking coach stuff,” he said, “but the men’s lounge attendant, Tony Dante, said there are cameras that show the entrance to the spa but nothing inside. Is that right?”
“It is,” Hugo said. “We don’t have interior cameras for the sake of our guests’ confidentiality. In fact, you’ll find that we only keep cameras at the most essential locations throughout the resort. One of the perks of coming here is that our VIP guests don’t generally have to worry that they’re going to end up splashed all over the internet.”
“Nice for them,” Jessie noted, “but it’s going to make our job a hell of a lot harder.”
“I’d like you to send whatever camera footage there is for the spa entrance from 8 a.m. until 11 a.m. to Jamil Winslow at this e-mail address as soon as possible,” Ryan told Hugo, handing over a card. “Can you do that for me?”
“Absolutely,” he replied. “I’ll have our people get it to your man ASAP.”
With that resolved, he rang the bell. There was no answer. After a good twenty seconds he knocked on the door loudly.
“Mrs. Newhouse,” he called out. “This is Hugo from the security team. I have some law enforcement investigators here who need to speak with you.”
After another twenty seconds of silence, he knocked again, even louder this time.
“Mrs. Newhouse, can you please come to the door?”
After another half minute with any sound from inside, he looked over at Ryan and Jessie questioningly.
“Tell her you’re going to unlock the door,” Ryan instructed. “If she doesn’t respond after that, open it.”
Hugo gave one last knock.
“Mrs. Newhouse, considering the circumstances, I’m going to need to unlock the door if you don’t respond in the next few seconds.”
After ten more seconds, Ryan had enough and indicated for Hugo to do just that. He did, and then moved aside. Ryan took a step inside, his right hand resting casually on his gun holster. Jessie followed, though she kept her hands at her sides.