“Until then, we can hang out in this spectacularly white laundry room.” Jake looked a little put off as he walked around the border of the room to ensure he wasn’t missing anything.
“Actually, now that we’re in here, I realize that I haven’t seen any laundry shoots in this building, but they clearly exist as they all exit into this room.”
“They’re camouflaged.” Jake was casually picking at his fingernails as he had given up looking through what had turned out to be piles upon piles of clean bedding and towels, “They’re all on the west walls and look exactly like the rest of the wall until you get right up on them and see the little hinges. I think it had something to do with the etiquette and prowess of a five-star hotel back in the day.”
“Those weren’t on the blueprints.” Roland turned to face Jake once again.
“Why would they be?” Jake started walking to the door, “They’re basically ventilation systems and I recall seeing nothing of the sort on the blueprints you have, even though we both know that this place has air vents.”
Roland froze in the middle of the hallway, “You’re right! I wonder if the entrance to the hidden section of the third floor is through something like a laundry shoot!” Roland’s cell phone was already out of his pocket as he prepared to send a message to Devon, “You are brilliant.”
“I’m just lucky in my scattered observations.” Jake’s tone was offhanded but his expression showed exactly how flattered he was by Roland’s compliment.
“I owe you… I don’t know how many. I’ve lost count.”
“We can settle the tab after this is over.” Jake gestured to the first door on the left, “After you, Boss.”
Roland jiggled the handle of the locked door for a few seconds before grabbing the same card out of his pocket that he had used to unlock the door in the storage room, “I can’t imagine why there would only be one locked door down here.” A click sounded as Roland pushed the door open, “Oh, that explains it.”
Leaping forward, Jake chuckled as he realized exactly why the door had been locked, “I would lock up my wine cellar too. You never know what kind of deviants are creeping around the unguarded basement.”
“It is an exceptionally good idea as there are no security cameras on this level.”
“That’s right!” Jake’s voice sounded much like it had when he’d come to his other epiphanies, “Which means that I think we’re getting a bonus for tonight’s work.”
“You are, anyhow.” Roland was reading over a positive reply from Devon, “I still can’t drink.”
“In that case,” Jake grabbed a nice bottle of red wine, “we’ll save it to celebrate with one another after this is all over.”
“Sounds good to me.” Roland led the way back out into the hall and over to the middle door on the left wall, “This one is locked too.”
“Maybe it’s the hard liquor!” Jake was bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet.
“As if you would ever be so lucky twice in a row.”
“You have a valid point there.”
Jake was craning his neck around Roland’s shoulder as he was determined to see what was in the room beyond the moment the medium got it open. Once inside, Roland flipped a switch to reveal an office space with paperwork scattered over the single desk that rested against the far wall. The walls had a few old and slightly damaged pieces of art hanging on them and one of the two lights above the desk was burnt out.
“It appears that Vanhousen takes care of his office about as well as he does his regulars.” Jake was casually rifling through papers, “Thought there doesn’t seem to be anything suspicious here.”
Roland was flipping through a brown leather-bound logbook, “Except that he’s paying his maids under the legal minimum wage.”
“Is he a suspect in all of this?” Jake casually took a few photos of the pages within the book.
“Nah.” Roland gestured casually, “He’s a prick for sure, but I don’t think he would have called in a psychic on his own devious plan; especially not this one as he called me specifically because I work with people who hold great power in this field of work. The only suspicious thing he has ever said was that we couldn’t talk to the owner of the hotel. He’s apparently some recluse that bought it and never visits. Vanhousen said the man is a religious nutcase that wouldn’t like it if he knew a medium was in unless it would make him more money. This is not remotely uncommon, however, as a lot of people don’t believe in psychics or mediums, so it’s on the back burner.”
“Touché.” Jake put the book down and turned back to the door, “Then let’s get out of here before I get evicted, yes?”
“Yeah.”
Roland turned to follow Jake to the last door which was, not surprisingly, unlocked as the room beyond was simply another machine room that held wall to wall furnaces.
“That was anticlimactic.” Jake shoved both of his hands into his pockets as the two men made their way back out of the basement.
“Would you have preferred to tango with a Satan soldier before our demonologist got here?”
“Well no, but I presumed something creepy would happen down here. As an author and avid fiction readier, I am disappointed.”
“My apologi…” Roland stopped speaking as his phone started to vibrate in his pocket. Shoving his hand in after it, he read the number on the screen before answering the call on speaker.
“Have you landed already, Janette?”
“I have and I am on my way to the hotel in a rental car. Have you eaten dinner yet?”
“No. Jake and I were about to order something in.”
“Jake, do you like Mexican food?”
Jake jumped as he didn’t think Janette knew she was on speaker phone, “Um, yeah.”
“I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”
Jake was left stunned as the call cut out, “Is she psychic?”
“No, she’s just incredibly perceptive,” Roland was leading Jake through the maintenance closet and toward the stairs, “and to the point. Don’t mistake her blunt nature for dislike. If she didn’t like you, she wouldn’t have made sure you liked the food she was bringing.”
“How does she even know about me?”
“I’ve checked in with her at least once a day while I’ve been here.” Roland shrugged as he led Jake to the bar to wait for the woman to arrive, “She’s impressed by your mortal fortitude.”
Jake started laughing, “Now I know you’re shitting me!” He pointedly set the stolen bottle of wine on the counter.
“Moral fortitude in the face of eternal damnation is worth much more than slacking off a bit hurts.”
“You are just full of wisdom, aren’t you.” It was not a question.
Roland shrugged, “I just hate to see you so down on yourself about things that are either natural or nothing in comparison to your good aspects.”
“If you say so.” Jake shrugged while pulling his cell phone out of his pocket and trying his best to look like he was doing something important as he didn’t really know how to deal with someone who was so kind to him this frequently.
Realizing that Jake was feeling uncomfortable under his continued flattery, Roland fell silent as he waited for Janette to arrive.
~~~
“Are you certain this is okay?” Janette was standing stationary just inside the doorway to the dining room.
“Even if it wasn’t, Vanhousen only works from nine to five so there isn’t anyone here to catch us.” Jake noticed that Janette was looking up at the massive crystal chandelier in the same way he had seen Roland do it on multiple occasions, “How about we sit in the back corner?”
The group of three moved to sit around the table that was covered in what appeared to be an expensive white tablecloth. Digging into the party-sized box of tacos, the three began eating without starting a conversation.
Jake spent a few moments taking in Janette’s appearance. He wasn’t sure exactly what he had been expecting the demonologist to look li
ke, but the woman before him was one of the most average looking humans he had ever met. Tidy, bobbed, mousy colored hair sat above the woman’s pleasantly round face. Rectangular glasses resided over a small nose and half covered reserved, makeup-free, dark brown eyes. The woman’s thick build was accented with a solid black blouse and a pair of khaki jeans. To be blunt, Jake was surprised at how unimpressive the short and stocky woman before him appeared to be.
As he began to unwrap his second taco, Jake realized that Janette was somehow even more introverted than Roland. Feeling uncomfortable in the silence, Jake decided to speak up.
“I think we should start talking about this whole unholy Satan spawn problem.”
The corners of Janette’s lips turned up at this, “You’re blunt.”
“It’s just a little bit preoccupying.” Jake took another bite, “What should we do?”
“That all depends on what all you’ve discovered to this point.” The woman sent Roland a pointed look.
“To sum it up,” Roland spoke unabashedly around a mouthful of food, “we’re three murders short of an unknown, elderly civilian attaining the vast powers of a demon without risking their own soul. We know the method, the motive, and a theory on where the summoning room is, but we haven’t figured out how to get in yet.”
“Then why were you just sitting around when I walked in?” Janette’s tone was scolding, though her expression remained neutral.
“We have another guy working with us. He’s a maintenance man named Devon, who is completely aware of the risks, so don’t even start with me. He’s spent the evening trying to find a way in while we concluded our search of the basement a mere twenty minutes ago.”
“I would like to meet this man.”
“I’ve been messaging him since you got here but he must be on a real job or something because he’s not responding.”
“Alright.” Janette stated, “After dinner, I w…”
The woman stopped talking as her gaze shifted to the center of the room. Feeling the hair on the back of his neck stand on end, Jake immediately regretted sitting with his back to the rest of the room.
“What’s wrong?!” He looked over his shoulder.
“I’m not sure just yet.” Janette turned to Roland who was staring at something in the opposite corner of the dining hall, “Roland?”
“It’s…” He tilted his head to the side as if listening to something, “Listening to us.”
“W-what is it?” Jake’s breath had caught in his throat.
“You don’t wanna know, kid.” Janette’s voice remained calm.
Jake turned and pressed his back against the wall as he watched Roland take a step forward, only to be stopped by Janette’s arm.
“Jan…”
“Not now.” Janette muttered, “It is not our time.” The woman spoke to the corner of the room,” In the name of Jesus Christ, I command you leave this room immediately!”
The chandelier in the center of the room started swaying back and forth; the motion made more visible by the bits of dust that fell to the floor like snow.
“Stop that immediately!” Roland snapped, “This is your last chance to leave!” He pulled a small bible out of his pocket that Jake had somehow never noticed he kept there.
Jake watched the chandelier start swinging in wide circles as a low, gravely sounding growl arose from the corner, “While it’s here,” Jake hissed through his teeth, “ask what human it works for.”
Both Janette and Roland’s eyes widened as they turned back to face the corner where a black shadow was now attempting to solidify.
“In the name of Jesus Christ, I command you to give me the name of your master on Earth!” Janette’s voice had taken on an edge that made the hair on the back of Jake’s neck stand on end.
Overhead, the chandelier was starting to creak along with the tinkling of the shards of crystal knocking together as the swaying became more violent. Looking back to Roland, Jake saw that he was writing something on his hand in pen. Janette, on the other hand, was now stepping forward as she spoke in Latin.
The tension in the room that had built to an unbearable level as Janette’s chanting continued, suddenly dissipated, leaving Jake feeling like his ears had finally popped in an airplane.
“What the fuck just happened?!”
Janette and Roland gestured for the blonde to sit back down with them.
“Shouldn’t we leave?!” Jake’s hands were trembling as he reluctantly sank into his chair.
“Nah, the demon left.” Janette casually bit into another taco, “It probably ran off to tell its master about the whole ordeal, so you’d better get a full meal in before the shit hits the fan.”
“O-okay.” Jake looked to Roland, “What did you write on your hand?”
“Thanks to you,” Roland swallowed his bite of food, “we now know the name of the person we are trying to stop.
“And that name would be…?” Janette gestured pointedly as Roland paused to take another bite.
“Walter Riley. The name sounds vaguely familiar but I can’t put my finger on where I’ve heard it before. Once we finish eating, we can go upstairs and net-search him or something.”
“How are you so calm right now?” Jake had still not convinced himself to take another bite of food.
“He’s not.” Janette interjected, “He’s a little bit in shock, so don’t let him fool you into thinking he’s suave. He’s grounding out a panic attack through the floor.”
“Says the woman who is still side-eyeing the chandelier.”
Rolling her eyes, Janette grabbed another taco and pointedly started to eat in silence.
~~~
“Alright, so the internet doesn’t have anything on this Walter Riley.”
“Did the demon lie to you about the name?”
“Unlikely.” Janette was sitting at the small table in the corner of Roland’s room, “If it didn’t want to tell us, it wouldn’t have.”
“Wouldn’t it be counterproductive to tell us who we’re trying to stop?”
“Demons don’t work within the human boundaries of logic. They exist as a chaotic force and are looking to stir things up, no matter whose life they ruin.”
“Fantastic.” Jake nodded curtly, “What now?”
“Now it is time for Roland to come clean.” Janette held up the small slip of paper with five points on it that Jake had seen the morning prior.
Sucking air in through his teeth, Roland rubbed the back of his neck and looked up at the ceiling, “I hadn’t exactly told Jake about that yet.”
“Obviously. You told me and knew yourself so Jake was the only person you would scratch it out to hide it from. Go on and tell him. He’s earned the right to know.”
Roland huffed before looking up to meet Jake’s eyes, “Do you remember that Quincunx we destroyed?”
“The five circles I scratched off the wall?”
“Yes.” Roland sat up a little straighter, “Janette has pointed out to me, based on the reaction that was recorded on the CCTV, that the intended purpose of the mark was most likely to bind the demon into the basement and it was just a side effect that my abilities were being stifled.”
“Oh, for fucks sake, Roland!” Jake put his face in his hands and shook his head, “Can we put it back up?”
“Even if we did practice that kind of magic, which we don’t, it wouldn’t be worth the effort at this point.” Janette sighed.
“What is worth our time and effort then?”
“If we can destroy the sacrifice room and make it impossible for the last deaths to occur during a proper ceremony, the contract will break by default.”
“So, we need Devon.”
“We do, but he still isn’t responding. I wonder if his pager battery died.” Roland looked down to his watch, “I guess we could go to his room and see if he’s in.”
“Where does he stay?” Jake was already standing up, “I was actually unaware that any of the maintenance people lived here until just
now.”
“In a room at the far end of the first floor hallway.” Roland stood as well, “Let’s get to it then.”
~~~
Roland was standing stationary outside of the door he had previously been told was the entrance to Devon’s living quarters. The small plaque next to the locked door that read ‘maintenance closet’ had made a strange, sinking feeling settle in the man’s gut.
“Maybe you have the wrong door.” Janette stated casually.
“I’m absolutely certain he said it was this one.” Roland pulled out his master key-card to unlock it, “Maybe it’s behind this room like the break-room behind the supply closet on the fourth floor.”
“You make a valid point.”
Jake followed Roland into the maintenance closet that was clearly used on a much more regular basis than the one in the antechamber to the basement. Freshly dirtied rags were piled up in one corner of the room, filling the air with a strong chemical odor. A small radio sat on a work bench against the side wall and was quietly recapping the previous day’s news.
“I don’t see another door.” Janette stated after walking a circuit of the moderately sized room.
“Yeah…” Roland’s shoulders fell as he tried to figure out where he had made a mistake, “I guess maybe…”
The radio clicked and turned to static for a few moments before settling on a static station. A faint, warped tune was playing under the white noise that was strangely familiar to all three of the people in the room. Words were also coming out amidst the noise.
….lovely…. face… pipes…
The hair on the back of Jake’s neck stood on end as he took half a step back towards the door, “Roland… what did that?!”
“I’m not sure.” He was looking around the room, “I can’t actually see whoever changed the station.”
A half empty can of pain slid off of one of the tall metal shelves at the back of the room; spraying a cascade of white paint across the trio as it hit the floor.
The Moorsfield Hotel Page 9