The Haunting at Sebring Hotel (A Riveting Haunted House Mystery Series Book 13)

by J. S. Donovan

  She sped-walked to the elevator. She pushed the button a few times, anxious for it to open. When it did, she quickly ascended to the second floor. Her mind spun in circles. She refused to believe any accusation until she talked to her son.

  She hammered her fist on Justin’s door. “Hey, it's me. Open up.”

  She waited.

  Frustrated, she pulled out her key ring, found the right key, and put it into the lock.

  The door suddenly opened.

  Wearing boxers and t-shirt, Justin loomed over her. His tangled brown hair looked like a rat’s nest. Dark circles brushed under his bloodshot gaze. “What?”

  A nearby door opened.

  Dressed for a morning run, one of the guests stepped out.

  Anna pushed past Justin, knocking into his shoulder. “Shut that.”

  Justin closed the door and turned back. He crossed his arms and waited for Anna to speak.

  She noticed the purple hickey on his neck, seeing that her fears were well-realized. “You had a girl here last night?”

  “No,” Justin said.

  “Don’t you lie to me,” Anna barked.

  “I’m not.”

  “Justin, I swear—” Anna stopped herself before going off on him. “That girl’s parents are downstairs right now. They say you and their girl…” The thought nauseated Anna.

  “What?” Justin asked.

  “Did you?” Anna asked, letting him fill in the blanks.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Don’t play dumb,” Anna snapped. “You have a hickey on your neck.”

  Justin touched it and cursed.

  Anna rubbed her forehead. “Listen, we’re going to go downstairs, and you’re going to tell them the truth--”

  “We banged. So what?” Justin interrupted.

  “Politely. Apologetically,” Anna coached. “Don’t say anything you wouldn’t say to a police officer.”

  “McKenzie just started flipping out for no reason,” Justin said.

  Anna didn’t know what to say next. Looking at her baby boy caught up in this made her want to tear her hair out. Knowing that he was sexually active made her light-headed. Knowing that he might’ve forced himself on a woman made Anna almost faint. “Get some clothes on. Something nice. First impressions mean a lot.”

  She walked to the bathroom while her son got changed. Closing the door partway, Anna blinked the tears out of her watery eyes. She composed herself in the mirror. Professional. Hospitable. Kind, she thought to herself. She felt her chest tighten as if her heart were being crushed. She controlled her breathing. She promised herself not to vomit again.

  “Hey,” Justin said on the other side of the door. “I’m ready.”

  Anna stepped out.

  The seventeen-year-old wore skinny jeans, nice skate shoes, a white V-neck tee, his sports jacket, and a scarf to hide the hickey. His unruly hair was brushed over to the side. He still looked like a skater punk.

  “Is that the best you got?” Anna asked.

  Justin frowned. “It is.”

  “It's fine,” Anna said half-heartedly. “Come on.”

  They headed down the elevator. Despite Justin’s flat expression, his eyes couldn’t conceal his distress. They arrived in the lobby.

  The middle-aged couple stood by the front desk.

  The father stormed toward Justin. “You little bastard!”

  “Daniel!” His wife shouted.

  The father stopped inches from Justin’s face. “I ought to wring your neck.”

  “Daniel, please,” his wife pleaded.

  “Not now, Sherry!” he shouted, spittle flying from his teeth hitting Justin’s face. He jabbed his finger into Justin’s chest, knocking him back a half-step “You hurt my little girl.”

  Anna cautiously approached. “Everyone, take a breath.”

  Daniel said to Justin. “I’ll make sure you rot in a cell for the rest of your life.”

  Justin tried to act like the words didn’t affect him, but his silence was proof of his terror.

  “Please, there’s been a misunderstanding,” Anna said. “Let’s talk in my office.”

  Daniel shouted, “We’ll talk right here!”

  “Okay, okay, just—let Justin share his side of the story. There’s no need to do anything stupid,” Anna said.

  Daniel looked ready to punch Justin’s face in. Sherry calmed him down. “Please, Daniel. Not now.”

  “Alright, boy. Spit it out,” Daniel said.

  “Give him a little room,” Sherry said.

  Daniel took two steps back.

  Justin glanced at his mom for guidance.

  She nodded.

  Justin said to Daniel, “McKenzie and I… we, we came here after drinking.”

  All eyes were on him. The chandelier reflected on his sweaty brow. “We made out and… after we finished, I went to the bathroom and McKenzie started screaming. She saw something and it must’ve scared her. That or, she’s, uh, she’s crazy. Does she take any medication?”

  Daniel glared. “My little girl was perfectly fine before you came along. Man up and tell the truth, son.”

  “I am,” Justin said.

  “Liar,” Daniel barked. “I’m going to make sure the police burn you.”

  Seeing this was going sideways, Anna asked, “What did McKenzie say?”

  Daniel got quiet.

  Sherry said, “She hasn’t said anything.”

  “How did you find my car?” Anna asked.

  “Daniel’s best friend works in the police department. He ran the plates,” Sherry explained. “We have a lot of friends in high places.”

  The threat wasn’t lost on Anna. She asked, “Have you told the cops?”

  Sherry replied, “Not yet.”

  Daniel kept his eyes on Justin. “We wanted to hear it from your boy first.”

  “I’m innocent, man,” Justin exclaimed. “She’s the crazy one.”

  “You lie one more time and I’ll put you on the floor,” Daniel threatened.

  Justin opened his mouth to protest, but Anna cut him off. “Look, it's clear we don’t have all the facts. These claims against my son, if they're false, will ruin his life. It will ruin my life. It will ruin his little brother’s life. We shouldn’t make any hasty decisions.”

  Sherry asked, “And if he raped her? My little girl. What about her life?”

  Anna glanced at her son and then back to the woman. “If that’s the case, he deserves to be tried through the proper legal channels.”

  Sherry said, “So what do you propose we do?”

  Anna walked behind the front counter. She punched a code into the lockbox mounted under the desk and pulled out her checkbook. “We discuss our options. If McKenzie talks, we proceed to the next logical step. Until then—” Anna put a number on the check. “Let’s handle this civilly.”

  Sherry read the number. She gestured for Daniel.

  He walked over. “You think you can bribe me?”

  “No, sir,” Anna said. “But I want to compensate you for the grief my son caused you.” She handed him a business card too. “Here’s my number. Call me when McKenzie talks.”

  The couple exchanged glances. Silently agreeing that the money will hold them over, they took the check.

  Daniel said, “If I see that little monster around my daughter—”

  “That won’t happen,” Anna assured him.

  “And if you try to leave town—”

  “We’re not going anywhere,” Anna said.

  Sherry sighed. “Let’s go, Daniel. My migraine is coming back.”

  Shooting Justin a nasty glance, Daniel followed his wife out of the building.

  Anna walked to the glass doors and watched them enter their sedan. Justin lingered behind her.

  “How much?” Justin asked.

  “I don’t want to talk right now.” Anna was so pissed she couldn’t even look at him.

  In a huff, she retreated into her office. She shut and locked the doo
r behind her, now five thousand dollars poorer. It was more money she’d have to repay the bank. She rested her back against the door. She wondered if Justin really hurt that girl.

  There was a knock.

  “What?” Anna asked.

  “I’m sorry.” Justin’s muffled voice carried through the door. “I didn’t hurt that girl. I swear on my life.”

  Anna balled her fists. Anger and frustration raged through her.

  “Hello?” Justin asked.

  Anna unlocked and yanked open the door, startling her son. “Justin. I will say this once. No more parties. No more girls. No more stupid stuff. You will go to school, you will make As, and you’ll come here and work. That’s it.”

  Justin protested. “But she’s the one who caused this! It’s all a setup!”

  “I don’t care. If you don’t clean up your act this year, I’ll take you out of school and you’ll be cleaning toilets for the rest of your life. Do I make myself clear?”

  Justin set his jaw to the side. He boiled.

  “Do I?” Anna repeated herself.

  “Yeah,” Justin said venomously and stormed off.

  Anna returned to her office. She needed a breather. How could he have hurt that girl? Her little boy used to be so sweet. Nevertheless, she’d seen violent bursts in his father. He could be a very dangerous man. Was Justin becoming him?

  7

  Cosmic

  Asher stepped out of the elevator and into the lobby. The glossy floors captured the chandelier lighting. Cool air lingered. The bar was closed. No music today. The front counter was unoccupied.

  “Mom? Justin?” His voice carried through the large, empty room. “Hello?”

  He adjusted his crooked glasses.

  The late evening sky cast its golden glow through the glass front doors. Asher walked behind the counter, through the short hallway, and opened the door to his mother’s office. She wasn’t there.

  He returned to the counter. He watched his feet as he walked. His mind was on his homework. Math was easy. It was English that worried him. Standing behind the counter, he glanced up and noticed the tall man and teenage girl standing in front of him.

  Their sudden appearance startled him. He composed himself.

  The man stood over six feet and wore a sports jacket that had patches on the elbows. He had horn-rimmed glasses, gaunt cheeks, silvery grey eyes, and a long face. Likes veins of iron, streaks of grey ran through his dark wavy hair. The teenager was five foot eight. Straight, raven-black hair poured down her slender shoulders. Dressed in black, her cute collared day dress hugged her slim body. She wore black leggings and Converse shoes. Sleepless circles brushed under her coal-colored eyes. She didn’t wear make-up, but her ivory skin was blemish-free. She eyed Asher but had a natural expression. Her father had a distant gaze.

  Asher forced himself to smile. He looked about as awkward as he felt. “My, uh, mom is around here somewhere.”

  He glanced around the lobby, feeling alone. His social anxiety built up. He wanted to use his inhaler just to have something to do but stopped himself. He said, “I can check you in, though. How long do you plan to stay?”

  “Three weeks. More probably,” the man said. “I have to finish my book.”

  He scratched the back of his head aggressively.

  “Oh, okay. Three weeks,” Asher mumbled. He shook the mouse, waking up the computer. He tried to remember what his mom showed him about the registration software. It took longer to load than he expected. He nervously shifted his weight from one foot to another.

  He asked for the man’s ID.

  The man opened his wallet and put it on the counter. “David Hunt,” Asher mumbled as he typed in the name. He was from Minnesota. Asher opened the glass key case behind him and pulled out one for Suite 212, which he placed on the counter. “Cash or credit?”

  The man pulled out a fat money roll and counted out a few hundred.

  The teenage girl kept staring at Asher. He smiled awkwardly and nervously looked away. Asher put the money in the register. “You’re all set. Enjoy your stay.”

  David Hunt and the teenage girl walked to the elevator. The girl glanced over her shoulder at Asher, giving him one final look before ascending.

  Asher’s breathing quickened. He felt an attack coming on. He quickly pulled out his inhaler and pushed the top, blowing the dry jet air into his mouth. Relaxed, he stayed at the counter until Anna returned twenty minutes later.

  “Where were you?” Asher asked.

  “Getting groceries. Help your brother.” Anna walked behind the counter.

  “I checked in some guests into Suite 212,” Asher said. “They paid in cash.”

  “Awesome. Thanks,” Anna replied, her mind obviously somewhere else.

  Asher and Justin brought the groceries to Anna’s suite. Hers was the biggest and had an oven and a large kitchen space. They packed the fridge full. Justin seemed to be in a bad mood. He didn’t say anything to Asher the whole time.

  After that was finished, Anna had Asher and Justin clean the hotel. The brothers washed windows, mopped the marble ballroom floor, and made beds. Offering to clean the bowling alley all by himself, Asher separated from his work partner and entered the bowling alley. He shut and locked the door behind him. He parked his cleaning supply cart and stretched. He pulled out his phone, sat in one of the plastic seats, and booted up a platformer video game. He’d had a craving to play the classics like Castlevania and Metroid Prime.

  Slouching, he started fighting the game’s boss. A sudden explosion of noise and color filled the bowling alley. Asher nearly fell out of his seat. Flashing lights suddenly blasted on and distorted Techno tunes played through the speakers. The neon lights on the walls glowed.

  Asher glanced around. There was no one else around to trigger the lights.

  The belt in the ball retriever rotated. A ball rolled out. He pocketed his phone and grabbed it. Asher aligned the shot and rolled it down the lane. The ball curved into the gutter. He waited for it to return and tried again.

  “Dang, I suck,” he mumbled.

  Crash!

  A loud noise sounded behind the pins.

  “H-hello?” Asher asked.

  Someone replied, but his or her voice was muffled.

  “What?” Asher asked. “I can’t hear you.”

  The person shouted, but Asher couldn’t make out the words.

  He contemplated getting help from someone else, but he didn’t want to leave the stranger alone. What if they were hurt? He could always call his mom.

  “I’m coming over!” Asher shouted. He walked down the strip between two lanes and reached the pins. There was a dark corridor behind them.

  “Hello? Can you hear me?”

  “In here,” a female said.

  Asher got on his hands and knees. He crawled past the pins, knocking one down. The pin retriever started to lower. He reached the other side before it could touch him. He stood to his feet and brushed himself off. He stood on a wooden floor and was surrounded by machinery. The teenage girl from earlier stood a few feet away.

  “What are you doing here?” Asher asked.

  “I was exploring,” the girl replied.

  “What made that noise?” Asher asked.

  “What noise?”

  Asher mimicked the crash.

  “I didn’t hear anything,” the teenage girl said.

  “You shouldn’t be back here, you know,” Asher said.

  The girl smirked. “Are you going to throw me out?”

  Asher didn’t know what to say. If he said yes, she’d think he was lame. If he said no, she could run amok in his mother’s hotel. “Just don’t do it again, okay?”

  The girl didn’t seem phased by his remark. “What’s your name?”

  “A-Asher.”

  “I’m Raven. My dad is the A-hole who named me after a bird. You think I got a big nose?” She leaned closer to Asher.

  He took a step back, keeping a comfortable distance. “No. It�
�s fine.”

  “Fine?” Raven asked.

  “Very—” Asher was going to say cute, and it was, too. Like a little button. He felt himself about to stutter and settled with, “Fine.”

  “You’re nervous,” Raven said.

  “What are you talking about?” Asher rubbed the back of his neck.

  “Nice save,” Raven said, easily calling his bluff. Suddenly, she turned around and started for the thin door at the end of the stubby corridor.

  “Where are you going?” Asher asked.

  “To explore,” Raven said. “Are you going to come or be a wimp?”

  “I’m fourteen,” Asher declared as if that was a reason for why he couldn’t be a coward.

  “And I’m fifteen. You don’t see me crying about the rules,” Raven replied. “Hurry up, I already found a lot of cool places around here.”

  Conflicted, Asher followed after her.

  He heard a low rumble from the bowling alley.

  Both of them twisted back, seeing a ball hit the pins and landing a strike.

  Raven asked, “Are you with someone?”

  “No. I even locked the door behind me.”

  Raven looked alarmed.

  Wanting to seem brave, Asher got on his knees and looked through the pins. There was no one in the room. The door on the way in fell shut as if someone just ran out. “What the—”

  “Who is it?”

  “I don’t know,” Asher said.

  “Let’s keep moving,” Raven said.

  Asher followed close behind her. The only other person it could’ve been was Justin, but why? It didn’t make any sense.

  They pushed open the thin door and were inside a wide workman’s closet. This was where the handyman stored his tools and repaired things on the workbench. Raven huddled over a bucket of tools.

  Asher slowly approached. “You probably shouldn’t be messing with that stuff.”

  Raven quickly twisted, holding a saw to her throat. Her chin was up and her head tilted to the side. Her eyes were wide and crazed. A wicked smile grew on her lips.

  Asher screamed in a high-pitched voice.

  Raven giggled and lowered the saw. “Scared ya, huh?”

  Asher put a hand on his racing heart.

  Raven said, “My dad uses me as the inspiration for a lot of his novels. One was about a fifteen-year-old serial killer just like me.”