Deadly Reservation Read online

  “Timothy Phillips,” he answered.

  “Hi, sir. It’s Ms. Swenson. We—uh—we had a little incident.”

  “Incident?”

  “The police are here, sir.”

  His breathing escalated to the level of a charging rhino. I winced and held the phone from my ear, waiting for his outburst.

  Instead of yelling, he slowly spit out, “What happened?”

  “We’re not sure. One of the guests was found unconscious.”

  “Oh,” I could hear the tension leave him in that one word. “That stuff happens.”

  “Yes, sir. But it seems to be linked to another case that happened in another location.”

  “Oh?” The tension began building again. It was like hearing a balloon inflate after deflating.

  “It’s going to be okay, sir. I’ve got this.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “Because we have another convention coming in two weeks.”

  “This will all be taken care of. Most likely by tonight.”

  “I’m depending on it.” With that, the phone clicked off.

  I looked at the screen of the phone. Well, that wasn’t as bad as I thought.

  The rest of the day sped along. I took care of scheduling guest requests while waiting for the forensic team to return from the room, interrupted only by a zing of anxiety when I caught sight of the time. Someone’s going to pay if they make me miss Momma’s German chocolate cake.

  Eventually, Detective Boyle appeared around the corner at a few minutes before five.

  “Ms. Swenson!” he called.

  “Detective.”

  “We’re done with the room, but we’d like it to stay sealed for another twenty-four hours, in case we need to revisit the scene.”

  “And his belongings?”

  “We searched his stuff and didn’t find anything of interest. I’ll have one of my men deliver the suitcase to the front desk for safe keeping.”

  I nodded. We could return it ourselves to William Clarke at the hospital. Specifically, I would. They were practically handing me a chance to stay involved in the case. My inner detective let out a feverish giggle, and I couldn’t wait to leave for the hospital.

  And maybe while I was down there, I could poke around and get some information on Jane Doe, too.

  After Momma’s cake, of course.

  Detective Boyle left, and I marked the room unavailable in the computer system. It was officially five o’clock now, so I said goodnight to Sierra, who ignored me, and headed back to my suite.

  “Momma!” I called, shucking off my sandals. The house smelled like sweet chocolate, and I closed my eyes and stood there just breathing it in.

  “You headed to the hospital?” Momma called from the kitchen.

  I walked in to find Momma sitting at the table with scraps of every colored paper imaginable scattered about. As I watched, she clipped triangles off a piece of red, making confetti that rained to the floor.

  Covering the floor was a garbage bag. I had to hand it to her. Most of the tiny pieces actually landed on the plastic.

  “What are you doing?” I asked, spotting white school glue, empty jelly jars, and a paint brush.

  “Making lanterns,” she answered, her scissors flashing and causing another flurry of paper to flutter down.

  “Lanterns?”

  She looked at me over the tops of her glasses like I was dense.

  “Ahh.” I understood now. “A new Pinterest project?”

  She nodded satisfied. “Now don’t change the subject. You heading to the hospital?”

  “How did you know?” I asked, surprised.

  Momma looked at me over the tops of her glasses. “You used to bring home the neighbor’s kittens, convinced they were lost. I took care of more hurt birds and bunnies than Doctor Doolittle—once even a baby mole—all poor little things that you always seemed to find. You find a sick woman? You’re going to go down to the hospital and snoop your way around until you can offer some help.”

  I bit my lip. “Momma, there was a young man that was just found in the same condition. Right here in this hotel.”

  Her mouth dropped open. “Really?” She turned to the basset hound. “Bingo? Did you hear that?”

  The dog tipped his head at his name.

  “Yeah. He was found by one of the housekeepers. And he left his stuff.” I smiled proudly. “So, I have a legitimate reason for heading to the hospital.”

  “What did the emergency crew say?”

  “Same as the girl. Alive but comatose. And get this …” my voice rose in excitement. “He had the same type of cigarettes in his room that I found at the church.”

  “Well, my stars.” She studied me. “You be careful, girl.”

  “Of course,” I said and winked. “Am I in time for cake?”

  “Before dinner?” She pretended to be shocked as she stood to get me a plate.

  “Eggs, butter, milk. Seems pretty healthy to me.”

  “That’s how I can tell you’re a writer. You can always spin a story until it suits you.”

  Chapter 5

  After scarfing down a slice of German Chocolate cake—well I scarfed the second slice anyway—I got my shoes on as Momma headed out to the doggy park with Bingo.

  Comfortable shoes this time, since I was visiting the hospital. I plucked my cardigan from the hook by the door and hurried to the lobby.

  William Clarke’s luggage was behind the counter as promised. I waved goodbye to a bored Sierra, who managed to limply lift her hand in response.

  It was just after six when I arrived at the hospital. I frowned, not sure about the visiting hours or how they were enforced.

  The hospital always held a quiet hush that made me feel uneasy. It smelled of antiseptic solution, bleach, and something else I couldn’t quite put my finger on. Straightening my shoulders, I dragged the suitcase past the gift shop and endless seating divided into small areas by fish tanks.

  The receptionist at the front desk directed me to the fourth floor.

  Inside the elevator, the quiet music seemed straight out of the sixties. The doors opened to an almost blinding white hallway—floors, ceiling, and walls all the same uniform color. I headed for another reception desk where a young dark-haired receptionist looked up.

  “William Clarke’s room, please.”

  “Maisie?” A familiar voice made me turn my head.

  It was my good friend, Ruby. She smiled at me, but I could see she was stressed.

  “Ruby! What’re you doing here?” I left the suitcase at the desk and walked over.

  Her eyes fluttered closed, and pain creased the corners. “It’s my cousin. Natalie Fairchild. She came in today.”

  “Oh, my heavens! I’m so sorry! Is everything okay?”

  “It’s not looking good,” her voice dropped to a whisper, and I leaned closer to hear. “She’s completely out of it, and no one knows why.”

  “Out of it?” A suspicion started to grow inside me.

  Ruby looked up, her eyes magnified by unshed tears. “She’s in a coma, Maisie. She was just found that way. The doctors have no idea what’s wrong with her.”

  Every hair on my body stood up. “Ruby, was she found by Holy King Church?”

  Ruby nodded, her eyes wide.

  I took a deep breath. “I’m the one who found her.”

  The seconds of silence between us grew as she tried to absorb that information.

  She grabbed my arm. “What?”

  I told her about my morning and how it ended with me finding Natalie. Her mouth dropped in shock, even after I had finished.

  “I can’t even believe it! What would have happened if you hadn't been there? You saved her life.”

  I nodded, certainly hoping so. But it didn’t seem like a good sign that she hadn’t woken up yet.

  “Do you know a William Clarke?” I asked.

  “No, why?”

  “He was just found at our hotel i
n the same condition.”

  “You’re kidding me?” Immediately she had her phone out and was texting.

  “Who are you talking to?” I asked, feeling a bit alarmed.

  “Kristi.”

  Kristi Bentley was Ruby’s sister. She was also a police detective on the Starke Springs police force.

  “Tell her that I’ve been working with Detective Boyle,” I said.

  Ruby nodded, her fingers flying over her keypad.

  “How do you think those two knew each other?” I asked.

  She shook her head, staring at her screen. With a sigh, she tucked the cell away. “Kristi hasn’t read the text yet.”

  “Did your cousin smoke?”

  “No, why?”

  “I found a cigarette butt at the church. And, actually, the same brand was on William’s nightstand at the hotel.”

  “This is getting weirder and weirder. She’s such a good girl, she’d never smoke. You want to come with me to see Natalie?”

  Nodding, I grabbed the suitcase. Ruby motioned me to follow her to one of the pale green doors with the rectangular windows.

  “Where's the rest of her family?”

  “They were here earlier. They went home to eat and get cleaned up. I said that I’d stay, just in case there was any news.”

  She opened the door and I followed her in.

  The room was dark with the blinds drawn. My ears clued in to the steady beeping from the heart monitor. The graph rose up and down with each of her breaths and spit out oxygen numbers.

  Having seen a dead body before, I noticed the differences in the girl now. Her skin still had a faint flush, her chest slowly rising and falling. She looked peaceful, deep in sleep.

  “Did they say anything about what happened, or how long they expected she would be like this?” I asked.

  “They're still waiting on the test results.” Ruby's head cocked to the side, her eyes heavy with sorrow. “Tell me more about William. Do you think she knew that boy?”

  I shrugged. “Maybe they were meeting there secretly?”

  “I don't know. It's possible. As far as I knew, she was single.”

  Ruby grabbed me by the elbow and led me to the bed. She sat down next to Natalie, the sheet rustling softly underneath her.

  “It’s eerie that Natalie was at that church. That place has some awful stories.” Ruby said, gently touching her cousin’s finger.

  “I know. I’m slowly learning about them.”

  “Yeah. It’s haunted.” Ruby stated it like it was a fact.

  My fingers were going crazy for something to do. I saw a pen on a table and grabbed it. Slowly, I popped the lid off and on, feeling better. “My receptionist mentioned a pirate and a wealthy lady, or something like that?”

  “Something like that …” Ruby trailed off.

  My curiosity piqued, but it seemed like a terrible time to push the subject. Still …

  “Do you think a hundred-year-old story pertains to this?” I couldn't keep the curiosity out of my voice. Ghost stories were one thing, but claiming they could cause harm to people was a pushing it.

  Ruby sighed. “It was forbidden love. The pirate, Tom Bones, and his beautiful lady, Luciana Livingstone, and a necklace he gave her at their betrothal. My family is actually descended from one of the townspeople that caught them together.” She gave me a wide-eyed look, “After she had died, Tom Bones swore vengeance on all future lovers trying to marry in that church. He swore they would be cursed and never be together, just as he and Luciana couldn’t be.”

  “How did she die?” I asked.

  “An ex-lover in a fit of jealous rage.” Ruby sighed.

  The story was odd and sinister.

  “Who supposedly haunts the place?”

  Ruby was staring off into the distance.

  “Ruby?” I prompted.

  “They say that she does. Luciana tries to make people leave before they fall into the same trap. Love or greed or jealousy, whatever really happened to her. She warns them, tells them to run as far as they can. Then there are the stories that Tom Bones is there, too. Only, he’s angry at those who find love and flaunt it in front them.”

  “That's terrible.” I still had a hard time believing it. The place did have a certain magic to it, and Natalie and William could very well have been lovers, but the connection seemed a little feeble to me.

  The curtain rattled, and both Ruby and I looked up. Kristi poked her dark head around.

  “How is she?” she asked in a soft voice.

  “No change,” Ruby said sadly, still patting her cousin’s hand.

  Kristi walked over to stand at the end of the bed. She squeezed Natalie’s foot and shook her head. Her eyes caught mine.

  “I heard you were the one who found her?” Kristi asked. As a detective, she may have heard it straight from Boyle himself.

  I nodded. “And did you hear about the young man found just a few hours ago?”

  “William. He’s down the hall.”

  I pointed to the suitcase sitting by the door. “That’s his. I just came to deliver it.”

  “And snoop a bit?” Kristi raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t that right, Nancy Drew?”

  I smiled at the nickname, but it seemed odd to even joke in such a somber setting. Kristi must have thought so too because her expression fell and she gave a deep exhale.

  “Come on,” she said, walking to the door and grabbing the suitcase handle. “I’ll take you down there.” Her gaze flicked to Ruby. “Will you be okay here alone?”

  Her sister nodded.

  We went down the hall and around the corner. William’s room was on the other side of the floor. Detective Boyle was already in the room as we entered.

  “Fancy seeing you here,” he said to me. “Bentley,” he nodded to Kristi.

  “She came with his stuff,” Kristi said as an explanation of my presence. Kristi rolled the case over to the wall while I glanced at William.

  He was still as pale as he’d been in the hotel, with the same type of heart and oxygen monitors that were attached to Natalie. His eyelashes were dark against his white cheek.

  Ruby’s story had reminded me of the necklace. Turning to Detective Boyle, I said, “Do you know where his clothes are that he came in with?”

  Kristi pointed to a plastic bag under the bed. “I bet that’s them.”

  “There was a necklace that he was found with. It’s with his clothes.”

  Detective Boyle said rather brusquely. “This would fall under, if you hear or find anything, let me know immediately.”

  “I’m sorry, I forgot.” The way they both looked at me made me think I wanted to make my escape quickly.

  At that moment, a siren shattered the air. William’s heart monitor was no longer making steady jumps but instead fell into a straight line.

  Both detectives leaped to their feet. Immediately, they began CPR. Nurses rushed in as I scrambled to get out of the way.

  I watched them work, filled with numbness. Please. Please. Please be okay.

  Chapter 6

  As I watched, one of the nurses ripped open the front of William’s gown while another pushed in a cart. She flipped a switch, and a high-pitched whine began from the machine.

  “Clear!” She applied the two paddles to his chest, and immediately his body arched.

  His body fell back to the bed, and a steady ‘beep, beep, beep’ came again from the heart monitor. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

  The nurses continued to fiddle with his IV and other various tubes protruding from his body. Detective Boyle and Kristi walked over to me.

  “Probably time to go,” Kristi murmured, touching my elbow.

  I nodded agreement as she gently herded me out. I lifted my hand in goodbye to her and headed back down the hallway.

  My hands were shaking when I tried to push the button for the elevator. I couldn’t believe how that scene had affected me. I took a deep breath to steady myself.

  On the drive home, I cra
nked my music in an attempt to wash out the events of the day, but my mind was still wound up as I entered the hotel. I stopped at the front desk to see if there were any requests or messages from guests. Mr. Phillips, my boss, had left me a message to call him in the morning. I saw that one coming.

  I knew I should stay out of William’s room since it was a part of a police investigation, but to quiet the questions spinning in my head, I thought I’d have one more look.

  Within a few minutes, I found myself getting off the elevator and heading toward room 360. Before I got halfway down the hallway, the room’s door opened. A fully dressed William Clarke walked out and, without a glance in my direction, disappeared through the emergency exit next to his room.

  I stood there in shock. How in the world could he be here?

  The exit door eased shut. Move, Maisie! My inner voice spurred me forward toward the stairs.

  I wrenched the door opened and listened, expecting to hear the heavy footfalls of someone pounding on the stairs.

  Nothing.

  As the door shut behind me, I leaned over the railing and searched up and down the shaft.

  Not a sound.

  It’s like he really did disappear. Do I go run up or go to the lobby?

  After another few seconds of listening, I headed down to the first floor. My own shoes made the stairs ring.

  At the bottom, I shoved the door open and raced out into the lobby. Except for a few curious looks from a handful of guests, the phantom boy was long gone. Was it possible William had that much of a head start? And how was it even possible for him to be there?

  “Hey, did you see anyone running through the lobby?” I asked Sierra.

  “Run?” Sierra responded, as energized as a sloth.

  “Through the front door over there? Anyone just leave?”

  She slowly turned her head toward the door. “No, I didn’t see anyone leave. But it’s a hotel. People do it all the time.”

  Frustrated, I dug my phone from my pocket and dialed.

  “Hey.” Ruby's voice was low.

  “You still at the hospital?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I was wondering if you could do me a favor?”