Read Christy Barritt - Squeaky Clean 04 - Dirty Deeds for Free Online

is it?”
    Clint raised his head. “She didn’t take her inhaler with her. She has asthma, and it can be triggered by stress.” New lines of worry appeared.
    My throat got drier. “Are you sure?”
    He pulled a small canister out of his pocket. “I’m sure. She asked me to hold it for her. Said it bulked up her pockets, and she wasn’t taking her purse.” He looked at each of us. “Guys, if she has an asthma attack, it’s all over. She’ll never survive.”
     
    ***
     
    After everyone else had called it a night, I sat in my bed in a suite that I was supposed to share with a woman who was missing. I leaned against the headboard and let the quiet absorb me for a moment.
    Riley had been hesitant to leave me here, in the place where Jackie had stayed and where her abductors had been while leaving the note. His friends had mumbled something about catching up to the twenty-first century, which pretty much meant they thought I should just stay with Riley.
    No, that would have been the old me. The new me had standards. As part of those standards, I was going to stay in my room tonight by myself. I’d locked my door and put on the security chain and deadbolt and anything else I could find, just to be safe. I saw no reason for the kidnappers to come back, though.
    When Riley had told me good night, he’d echoed his words from earlier. Remember, you promised not to get involved. I’d forced a smile and nodded.
    Why had I ever made that promise?
    I pushed that thought aside, closed my eyes, and reflected on what Clint was probably going through right now. I couldn’t imagine. He had to be beside himself. What had started as his girlfriend going on a walk had turned into a nightmare.
    I began developing a timeline in my head—not because I was getting involved. Just because I was curious.
    Of course.
    According to Clint, Jackie had gone on a walk at 3:30. Riley and I had arrived here at 6:30, which meant she’d been gone three hours. We’d searched for her an hour and gotten back to the hotel by 8:30.
    Somewhere in the middle of all of that, someone had gotten into this room and left the note. That left a five-hour window for them to get in, but assuming that Jackie hadn’t been snatched right away, it was more likely a three or four-hour window.
    How had someone gotten into the room? Risky move considering someone else could have been here or seen them coming and going.
    My gut told me there had to be more than one person involved, just based solely on the note. Someone would have to snatch Jackie and take her somewhere, while someone else wrote the note and left it.
    The front desk should have a keycard entry record. If they did, I wondered if they’d give it to me. It was my room, after all. Didn’t I have the right to know?
    Who came and went from this room could be an important clue.
    I knew that Clint wanted to handle things his way. The last thing I wanted to do was interfere and somehow mess things up. But the more information a person was armed with, the better. That was my theory at least. It had worked for me so far. I hadn’t gotten anyone killed … yet.
    I sat upright, not even a hint of exhaustion taunting me. I couldn’t sleep. Of course I couldn’t sleep. There was a mystery at hand. I was here. I couldn’t simply sit idly by. I was Gabby St. Claire, after all. I could just poke around without really investigating. There was a difference. At least, I convinced myself that was true.
    I climbed out of bed, just for a moment relishing the lush feel of the white coverlet underneath my fingers. The bedspread had probably cost more than my entire bed at home did. That did not deter me from wanting to jump up and down on it, however.
    I crept out of my room, into the living area, and stood in front of Jackie’s door. The woman was missing. I had no business looking at her things.
    But I was going to anyway.
    I turned the doorknob. Slowly, the door swung outward, and her room came into view. The place