“We’re going now,” she said.
“I’m glad to hear it,” the guard replied.
“We’re leaving, but we’ll be back. And when we come back, we’ll have a warrant.”
The guard smiled triumphantly, as if he’d won.
He turned back to his post, and May followed Owen out of the hotel and back down the steps. Just before they got to the car, Owen turned to her.
“Do you think we’ll be able to get a warrant?” he muttered. “The longer I stood there, the more convinced I became that there’s something underhanded going on. But what proof do we have when they’re making it so difficult for us to do our research?”
“I know,” May said.
“So what are we going to do?” Owen sounded downcast. “How are we going to find out? Shall we ask Sheriff Jack if there’s any possibility of obtaining a warrant? Or do you think we should consider an alternative idea?” he asked, sounding more hopeful.
“I think the alternative idea will be quicker,” May said.
Owen’s face lit up. May could see he was longing to stick it to the hotel after the rude treatment they’d received inside.
“What’s the plan?” he asked. “While we were standing there, I thought we should sneak around the back and see if we can speak to anyone else.”
“That’s exactly what I thought too. Let’s sneak around the back. We need to lurk around the service entrance until we can see how to get in without alerting security. There’s bound to be a way. And then we have to find the maid ourselves and ask her the questions we need to,” May said.
The look on Owen’s face was a mix of delight and fear.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked.
“No,” May replied.
“Do you think it’s too dangerous?”
“Yes,” May said bluntly.
“So why do you want to do it?”
“Because I’m not going to give up on this until I have the answers I need,” she told him. “Because I’m not going to be stopped by some goons with guns. We need to know what’s going on in that hotel. We’ll only be able to find something out if we’re able to get in without anyone knowing.”