The waiter nodded. “Yes, yes.”
“Ohh,” said Sam. “I get it now.” The rest of them were wearing lighter-colored pants, so they got white napkins. He felt stupid again.
“Don’t you ever eat out in this country?” asked Nathan.
“Yeah, jeez, Sam,” joked Derek. “You need to be more cultured.”
Sam shot his brother a nasty look.
The waiter handed out large rectangular menus to each of them. There were no pages to turn. Everything was printed on one side in fancy lettering.
“Lee Mary?” said Derek, trying to pronounce the name of the restaurant at the top. “Who’s Lee Mary?”
Caitlin giggled. “Lemaire, silly,” she said, pronouncing the second part so that it rhymed with hair. “It’s French.”
Sam smirked at his brother. “Who’s not very cultured now, Derek?”
“Right,” answered Derek. “I was just testing you. I wonder what it means?”
Their waiter appeared at the table from the side of the room. It was like they had their own personal butler.
“Lemaire,” said the waiter, “is named after Etienne Lemaire.”
“Who was he?” asked Derek.
“Etienne Lemaire was the maître d’hôtel to Thomas Jefferson while he was president.”
“The what?” asked Derek.
Nathan shook his head again. “You know, the maître d’,” he said, pronouncing it almost like ‘Major Dee’.
“Uh, huh...” replied Derek. “What does that mean?”
“A maître d’ is the person at a restaurant who is in charge of the waiters and reservations and stuff like that,” explained Caitlin. “I guess naming the restaurant after Lemaire makes sense since the hotel was named after Jefferson.”
“That’s pretty cool,” said Sam, scanning the menu. He tried to find words that he understood so no one had to explain anything else to him. The menu seemed to be in English, but just barely.
As Sam studied the menu, a team of waiters appeared, placing plates of leafy green salads around the table. He realized the menu was the same for everyone. It said the salad was the first course.
While Sam tried to decide which fork to use for his salad, one of the grownups he didn’t know started tapping on their glass with a spoon. Everyone stopped talking and stared up at the first table.
“What are they doing?” asked Nathan.
Caitlin smiled. “I think that means they should kiss.”
“Who should kiss?” said Nathan, looking around.
“The bridal couple,” replied Caitlin. “Although they usually don’t do that until after the wedding, at the reception. I was at my cousin Tracy’s wedding last summer, and people were doing that all the time. It was funny.”
Sam grimaced. He didn’t see how a lot of kissing could be funny. More like gross.
Robert and Anita looked up from their conversations and laughed. Robert dramatically leaned in toward Anita and kissed her softly on the cheek. “More to come tomorrow. Not to worry!” he said.
The grownups all laughed, but Nathan’s face turned red. “That’s a stupid thing to do.”
Caitlin frowned at Nathan and looked at the rest of them. “I hope they are able to relax, even with the wedding rings missing.”
“What are they going to do if they can’t find the rings? Does that mean that they can’t get married?” said Sam. He didn’t know much about weddings, but it seemed like you must need wedding rings.
Caitlin shook her head. “Rings are just a symbol. They can still get married without them. Or they could just use something else.” She nodded back toward the first table. Mr. Wonderful was standing and about to say something.
“First of all,” Robert began, “I’d like to thank you all for coming. It is a privilege to see so many old friends and family.” He gestured to Mom and Dad and the other grownups.
“You know, I’m very proud of all that I’ve accomplished in my life. I’ve never let an opportunity get away from me, never rested when there was something still to be gained. It’s an honor to be here at The Jefferson, which they tell me has served as host to thirteen American presidents, Frank Sinatra, Charles Lindbergh, and many more.”
“Like Elvis!” shouted Derek from their table.
Everyone turned around and stared at him. Derek gave a weak wave and showed his teeth in a silly smile. “It’s true...” he said more quietly.
Sam could see Dad close his eyes while Mom just shook her head.
Mr. Wonderful chuckled. “Thank you, Derek.”
Derek nodded back at him.
Robert paused and looked over at Nathan. “When my son and I lost Charlotte five years ago, I was devastated. I let my work take over my life. I didn’t think I would love again. But then I met the most amazing woman at a fundraiser in Boston. Seventeen trips across the pond later, here we are today.”
He took Anita’s hand in his and smiled. “Sweetheart, I know that I may be a bit eccentric, talk too loud, and let my emotions get the best of me. I know that everything might not be perfect. We may not have rings tomorrow to adorn our fingers. But what I hold for you in my heart sparkles more than any diamond. It shines brighter than any band of gold. I love you, Anita.”
Everyone around the room ah-ed and clapped as Robert bent down and gave Anita another light kiss. This time on the lips.
Sam looked around his table as he took a long sip of his sweet tea. Nathan seemed miserable. Sam hadn’t known that Nathan’s mom had died. It probably made things even harder for him, although Anita seemed like a nice lady.
“Wasn’t that romantic?” gushed Caitlin. She seemed to be staring at Sam with big puppy dog eyes. Yikes.
Derek kicked Sam’s leg underneath the table. A big grin filled his face.
“Uh,” said Sam, blushing. “Yeah. That was really nice.” And it was, he just didn’t know what Caitlin was all smiley about.
“See,” said Caitlin. “I told you weddings weren’t just about rings.”
Sam was getting tired of talking about weddings. And he needed to get away from Caitlin. She was acting weird. “Excuse me,” he said. “I have to go to the bathroom.”
“You mean the loo?” joked Derek, nudging Nathan in the chair next to him.
Nathan frowned and stared back toward the head table. It was like he was shooting darts at Anita through his eyes.
“Right,” said Sam. “Whatever. I’ll be back.”
He made his way out through the Palm Court to the bathroom.
When he returned to his seat, the main course had arrived. Caitlin smiled at him. “Derek wanted to eat your dinner, but I didn’t let him.”
“That’s nice of you,” answered Sam, cutting his juicy steak with his knife. His stomach growled. This looked delicious. He hadn’t realized how hungry he was.
“Look, there’s Mo,” said Derek.
Sam turned and saw Mo walking over to Robert and Anita’s table. “I wonder what he’s up to?”
“Maybe he found the rings,” said Caitlin.
Sam raised his eyebrow suspiciously. “Oh, I think he might know where to find them…”
“I thought they didn’t need rings?” asked Derek, smiling.
“They don’t... but it would still be nice,” said Caitlin.
Mo bent down and whispered something into Mr. Wonderful’s ear. Robert’s mouth opened wide, and he dropped his fork onto his plate with a clatter. He slowly rose from his chair, his face as white as a ghost.
“Everyone...can I have everyone’s attention please.” The room quieted and the guests all stared back up at him.
“Another toast?” whispered Derek. “Geez, enough is enough, Mr. Romance.”
Sam chuckled in between bites.
“There’s no need to panic,” Mr. Wonderful said, looking a bit panicked, “but I’m afraid that we have a bit of a situation.”
Sam stopped chewing and listened intently. What was going on?
“The, uh...” he stammered. “My...um...
”
“The alligator is missing!” interrupted Mo.
ELEVEN
A few things happened at once after Mo announced that the alligator was missing. First, Anita fainted, her head falling smack into her mashed potatoes. For a change, Robert looked bewildered, like he didn’t know what to do. Sam bet that Mr. Wonderful didn’t have a lot of wild animals roaming about in his business. Mom was helping Anita get back into her chair while wiping the potatoes from her hair. Dad was talking to Anita’s parents, trying to explain what was happening. Everyone seemed to be talking at the same time.
The hotel manager ran into the room and began talking excitedly to Mo. His arms were waving and he was sweating. Sam wasn’t sure whose idea it was to allow Mr. Wonderful to bring the alligator into the hotel, but he bet they were regretting it right about now. The hotel manager grabbed Mo’s radio out of his hand, speaking quickly into it as he ran out of the room again.
Derek sat there with a wild grin on his face, watching everything unfold around him. Caitlin reached over and held Sam’s hand. He wasn’t sure if she did it because she was scared or because he looked scared.
Derek tugged on Sam’s arm and motioned him and Caitlin into the hallway. Sam finished off his remaining piece of steak with two big bites. Nathan just sat in his seat, staring at the commotion all around them like he was in a trance.
They walked through the Palm Court to the staircase and the entrance to the Grand Ballroom. Sam scanned the floor for any sign of the escaped reptile. This seemed like a bad idea. “I’m not going down there.”
Derek scoffed. “Chicken.”
Caitlin shook her head. “No, I’m with Sam. There’s no telling where it could have gone. Real alligators are dangerous.”
Sam’s attention drifted toward the middle of the room. The sheet was off of the alligator cage. The door was open. The alligator was really gone.
“Be careful, kids,” warned the hotel manager, brushing past them with three more uniformed staff. They poked around the edges of the room, looking behind couches and curtains.
“I’ll bet it’s long gone,” said Derek. “It got a taste of freedom and made a run for it.”
“Where do you think it would go?” asked Caitlin.
“Who knows?” Derek pointed toward the back entrance. “It could have gone outside, down into the sewers. It could be in the James River by now, halfway to the Chesapeake Bay.”
“Sure,” said Sam. Derek had an “active imagination,” as his teachers would say. But even without one, it was easy to be nervous. Sam thought back to when Mr. Haskins first showed them the picture of the alligator in the hotel. He remembered thinking that he would never go to a place where live alligators ran free. He glanced around him and gulped. Too late.
Mom and Dad, and the others from the rehearsal dinner, filed out of the restaurant and walked toward them.
Nathan pointed at Sam. “There he is!”
Sam touched his chest. “Me?”
“You went to the loo right before they noticed the alligator missing,” exclaimed Nathan. “I know you let him out, just like you stole my game.”
Sam felt his heart beating faster. The only thing that got him more stressed than dangerous situations was having someone accuse him of something he hadn’t done. “I didn’t even go near the cage,” he protested. “I just went to the bathroom.”
“Nathan,” said Anita, “let’s not go accusing people for no reason. I’m sure Sam didn’t let the alligator out of the cage.”
“Yeah, why would he even do that?” said Caitlin.
Sam shook his head. “I wouldn’t. Honest. I swear.” He looked up at his mom and dad with pleading eyes.
“If Sam says he didn’t touch the cage, then he didn’t touch the cage,” said Dad. “He had no reason to let it out.”
“Yeah, he’s scared to death of alligators,” added Derek. “He won’t even go near the cage.”
Mr. Wonderful nodded. “Yes, that’s a good point.” He looked down at Nathan. “I’m sure there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation, son.”
Caitlin looked at Nathan. “You were the one touching the latch before dinner. We saw you. Maybe you let it out.”
“It wasn’t me,” said Nathan. He glared at Sam and stormed off to the elevator.
Sam let out a deep breath.
“I think everyone should go to their rooms,” announced the hotel manager. “That’s the safest place for you all. Rest assured, we’ll do a diligent search. I’m sure all will be accounted for by morning.”
Mom looked at her watch. “It’s already late, you kids should get to bed soon.”
“But what if it’s in our room?” asked Sam. “We’d be trapped.”
“Then you’re dead,” said Derek, making a cutting motion across his neck with his finger. “Nice knowing you. Can I have your baseball cards?”
TWELVE
“Derek,” scolded their dad. “That’s enough. We’ll check the room first. Don’t worry, Sam. I’ll walk you up.”
Mom nodded. “I’m going to help Anita get squared away first. She’s had a rough day.” She pointed over to the restaurant. “Here comes your father, Caitlin. Looks like we all left him without a rehearsal dinner to photograph.”
Sam followed his dad and Derek up to their hotel room. It was a deluxe room, which meant it had a balcony with a great view of the city. Right now, Sam would have been happy with a smaller room since it would give a lurking alligator fewer places to hide.
Thankfully, it was an adjoining room, which meant Mom and Dad’s room was connected to theirs. A door in-between could be opened or locked from both sides. When they’d arrived, Sam and Derek had fun knocking on both sides of the door and pretending that they were barging into someone else’s hotel room by surprise. The door was closed now, but Sam knew that it was unlocked if he needed to make a quick getaway.
Sam sat down and glanced around his bed. How would he be able to defend himself if he fell asleep? He pictured the alligator slithering up the side of his bed like a python and chomping him to bits.
He jumped as a knock sounded at the door.
“Boys, I asked you to stop knocking,” said Dad from his room.
Derek looked at Sam.
“It wasn’t me...” said Sam.
The knock sounded again. It was coming from the door to the hallway.
“Maybe it’s the alligator,” laughed Derek.
“Room service,” a familiar voice called through the door.
“We didn’t order anything,” shouted Derek from the bed.
“I have a large selection of candy bars,” the voice answered back.
Sam walked over to the door and stood on his tiptoes to see through the peephole. Caitlin’s face was on the other side, distorted into a weird shape from the glass in the peephole, like in a house of mirrors at an amusement park.
Sam opened the door. “Well, maybe just this once.”
Caitlin smiled and walked into the room. “Thank you very much, sir.”
“Hey, where’s our candy bars?” asked Derek.
“Oh, silly me!” said Caitlin, patting her pockets. “I must have left them downstairs. Sorry about that!”
Sam’s dad walked into the room through the center doorway. “Oh, hi Caitlin. Where did you come from?”
“Hi, Mr. Jackson. Your wife asked me to tell you that Robert would like you to join them across the street for drinks.”
“She did, did she?” said Dad, fighting back a yawn.
“I thought everyone was going to bed?” said Derek.
“Apparently, Anita’s too worked up to sleep,” explained Caitlin.
Derek patted Dad on the back, stepping forward to the doorway with a grin. “Why don’t you stay here and rest, Dad. I’ll go have drinks with Mr. Wonder—I mean, Robert.”
Dad shook his head. “Nice try. I think I’ll be okay.”
“You’re not staying over at the hotel tonight, are you?” Sam asked Caitlin.
Caitl
in shook her head. “No, we’re leaving in a few minutes. Daddy’s double checking the lights for the wedding tomorrow. He wants everything to be perfect. He says that Robert is a very demanding client with high expectations.”
Derek laughed. “That sounds about right.”
“I just wanted to say goodbye.” Caitlin reached out and gave Sam a hug. “Be careful tonight.” He did his best not to pull away. For some reason, Caitlin liked to give him hugs. Maybe she’d stop if she realized the grief that Derek gave him about it.
“Okay,” said Sam, finally breaking free. “We will. Don’t worry. See you.”
“Bye, Derek,” Caitlin called as she turned and walked to the door.
“What, no hug for me?” Derek scoffed.
Caitlin rolled her eyes and gave a faint wave.
Dad walked back into the room with his phone and wallet in his hands. “I’ll walk you down to the lobby, Caitlin.” He stopped short of the door. “Can I count on you two to behave and go to bed soon?”
“Okay,” said Sam.
“Absolutely,” said Derek, faking a yawn. “I’m so tired.”
Dad lowered his eyes and gave Derek a serious look.
“What?” said Derek. “Yes, we’ll go to bed.” Dad shook his head and pulled the door shut behind him.
Derek sat down on one of the double beds in their room. He fooled with the TV remote until he found a West Coast NBA game on ESPN. Sam changed into his pajamas and then went into the bathroom and brushed his teeth. He was pretty sleepy. It had been a busy day. He thought about the alligator and shivered. He could still feel those beady eyes staring at him.
He used the toilet and walked back out into the bedroom. The basketball game was playing on the TV, but Derek wasn’t there.
“Derek?”
Derek was probably hiding somewhere to scare him. Sam walked around to the other side of the bed, but it was empty. He opened the adjoining door and looked into Mom and Dad’s room. Everything was dark.
“I know you’re in here, Derek.”
He fumbled along the wall, bracing himself at each step for Derek to jump out. His knee banged against something hard. “Ouch!” His finger finally found the light switch and flicked it on. This room was empty too. What the heck?
Secret of the Staircase (The Virginia Mysteries Book 4) Page 5