Darkwater Secrets (Darkwater Inn Book 1)

A murder investigation uncovers sordid secrets and haunting mistakesThe Darkwater Inn stands tall and proud in the French Quarter, the hub of New Orleans. Bourbon Street is bustling, and general manager Adelaide Fountaine has her hands full with a hotel at capacity. But she is shocked when a body is found: a hotel guest stabbed with a kitchen knife.Detective Beau Savoie, Adelaide's childhood friend, is on the case. As Beau digs into the victim's past, he unearths a shocking connection between Adelaide and the murdered guest. Beau is hurt that his friend--the woman he's quietly loved for years--kept the truth from him. To make matters worse, the stress of the investigation has sent Adelaide right into the comforting arms of her coworker Dimitri. But Beau can't press Adelaide too hard . . . because he's keeping secrets of his own.Can Adelaide and Beau afford to hide from the truth with a killer on the loose? About the Author The best-selling author of dozens of novels, Robin Caroll writes Southern stories of mystery and suspense with a hint of romance. Her books have been widely recognized, including honors from the Carol Awards, HOLT Medallion, Daphne du Maurier Award, and RT Reviewers' Choice Awards. To find out more about Robin, visit www.robincaroll.com. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Darkwater SecretsDarkwater Inn series Book OneBy Robin CarollGilead PublishingCopyright © 2018 Robin MillerAll rights reserved.ISBN: 978-1-68370-068-5CHAPTER 1AdelaideSurely that wasn't ... it couldn't be ...Adelaide froze, squinting into the crowd. Her heart sputtered, then pounded. Her eyes had to be playing tricks on her. Here? No way could -But it was.Her lungs held her breath captive. At the same time, hot and cold washed through her chest. Nausea slammed over her. Her knees weakened, her legs locked, but the muscles yearned to run. To get as far away as possible before -"Ms. Fountaine? Ms. Fountaine?"She jerked her attention to the fire chief's face and demanded her legs support her."Are you okay, Ms. Fountaine?" Concern laced his words."What? Oh, sorry, I'm fine." No, she wasn't. Her heart lodged in the back of her throat. Thumping. Pounding. She couldn't fall apart here. Not now.The chief continued to stare at her with widened eyes. "There's no evidence of any threat. Someone must have pulled the alarm as a prank." He frowned, the deep lines digging further into his face. "I'll need to check any security footage near where the activated alarm is located.""Yes. Yes, of course. Let me find our head of security." She glanced around the crowd, looking for Geoff but also for -"It's clear for everyone to go back inside. I usually just stand in support when hotel management makes an announcement." He glanced at her. "In case there are questions or something.""Of course." She cleared her throat. Her mouth felt as if she'd eaten a wad of cotton, but she had a job to do."Since we'll work to find out who's responsible for pulling the alarm, I'd appreciate you not giving too many details. If you can avoid it.""I understand." Probably one of the sales reps in for the convention - goodness knew they'd been a handful - but she would let the fire department do their investigation for the truth."Adelaide."She turned at the sound of Dimitri's voice, letting out the breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding. He wore jeans and a button-down shirt. The warmth in his look pulled her shoulders back and straightened her posture."The chief says everything's all right." Adelaide smiled. "We're about to make an announcement and allow everyone back inside." She looked around to include the chief, her training and experience kicking in. "This is one of the hotel owners, Dimitri Pampalon. Perhaps you'd like to say something to our guests, Dimitri?""My father's the owner." Dimitri shifted his weight from one foot to the other but shook the fire chief's outstretched hand. "Nice to meet you