She gasped and put a hand to her mouth. “You didn’t see him on America’s Most Wanted, did you?
Maybe I should call the police. Do you think it would help or hurt business if word got around that a famous serial killer stayed here? I mean, as long as he didn’t kill anyone while he stayed here. That would probably freak out potential customers. But if he got arrested here, that might get some attention, right? We’d at least have a few reporters staying here, and the motel name would get in the paper.”
That was a little more excitement than I’d been aiming for. I’d forgotten how active Nita’s imagination could be. “No, nothing like that,” I corrected her before she could get carried away and call the police. “He just looks familiar. Maybe it’s someone I know from New York.”
She put a hand on one hip. “Why would someone from New York be here?”
Thinking fast, I came up with something I was sure would get her attention. “You know, he may be someone from this band I once saw in a club.” Not that I frequently went to see bands in clubs, but that was certainly her image of my Sex and the City life in New York, so I went with it. “He could be on his way to Austin from Dallas for a concert or music festival, or something, and he might be taking the back roads to really get into the roots of the country.”
Her eyes grew huge. “Oh, wow! A rock star in my motel! Just think, if he ever does hit the big time, that could make this place famous! We could make room twenty-five the—” she had to check the registration form “—the Phelan Idris room, and we could decorate it with concert pictures. We could make this the Rock and Roll Motel!” She flipped up the counter and ran to the lobby, where she could look out the side windows toward Idris’s room, and I knew I had her hook, line, and sinker. She’d track every move he made. After watching for a few minutes, she turned to me. “Do you think you could watch the desk for a few minutes? I ought to get my camera. I’ll need proof he stayed here if he gets famous. We have plenty of rooms, so if someone needs a reservation, get their info and give it to them. There’s no way we’ll have another person checking in this afternoon. I’ll be back in a sec.” She was gone before I had a chance to object.
When she was gone, I went back into the office and grabbed one of the extra keys for Idris’s room off the key rack and pocketed it, glad that Nita’s dad hadn’t yet upgraded to card keys. Then I picked up the phone. I realized I hadn’t asked for Owen’s cell phone number, and he certainly hadn’t volunteered it, but I knew Teddy’s number, and they were probably still together, so I dialed that one.
“Hey, Sis,” Teddy said when he answered. “Have you settled down any?”
“I’m fine. Is Owen there with you? I need to talk to him.”
A second later, Owen came on the line. “Katie?”
“Idris just checked into the motel,” I said without bothering with a greeting.
“He what? Are you sure?”
“I was right here when it happened, though he didn’t see me, and it’s his name on the register. There can’t be more than one of him.”
“But why is he here?” He sounded almost frantic, which was strange for him.
“Funny, that question didn’t come up when he was asking for a smoking room with an open-ended stay.”
“I’ll get Sam on surveillance.”
“He’s in room twenty-five, and I think he’ll already be under surveillance.” The front door chimed, and I said, “I’ve got to go. We can discuss it later.”
Nita was back, breathless and with flushed cheeks from her dash to the family home behind the motel.
“Any calls or new guests?”
“Not a one.”
“I already took a picture of his car, but it’s a rental, so it doesn’t really say anything important or meaningful about him. I guess we’ll have to wait for him to come out.” She dragged a couple of the lobby chairs over to the window, and I joined her. “Oh, I should have gotten snacks for our stakeout,”
she added as she settled into a chair, her camera at the ready. “So, were you ever going to tell me what you were so upset about when you got here?”
“Oh, just something with my brothers,” I said dismissively, not really wanting to get into any issues with Owen at the moment. Then I had a brainstorm. My brothers. Of course. I knew exactly why Idris had come here. “And speaking of my brothers, I’ve left Owen alone with them for too long. I’d better get back home. You’ll let me know if anything interesting happens?”