Beauty & Bloodshed

by Stephanie Damore

  “Let’s get off the elevator and hide in the stairwell. As soon as we hear the elevator come back up again, we’ll get out and follow them. Hopefully we can overhear them say something, or at the very least know what room they’re in. And if that’s the case, we'll search the other room first, or come up with a plan to kick them out.”

  “I thought about that. Let’s just pull the fire alarm,” Finn said with a smirk on his face.

  “That’s why that neighbor lady asked if you were a troublemaker,” I teased.

  Finn shrugged. “Hey, I am what I am,” he said, owning the label.

  “Well, I was thinking about calling them, pretending to be the front desk, but your plan would be easier.” If not also illegal. “Let’s just play it by ear,” I ended up saying.

  The first part of my plan worked. We could hear them talking as they walked down the hallway. But if we had hoped they would talk about Mrs. Hayden, we were disappointed. “Where do you plan on staying for the storm?” Piper asked.

  “Wherever you are. I’m surprised you even have to ask.” Mr. Hayden replied.

  Finn and I peered around the corner in time to see a full-on make out session in the hallway. Ew! was my internal response even though Finn and I had put on a similar spectacle that got me hot just thinking about. As their make out session continued, my disgust was quickly replaced by a burst of anger. This man had no respect for his wife regardless if he murdered her or not, and at that point, I was willing to bet that her body was shoved in a suitcase in his hotel room.

  “Excuse me,” I said loudly, passing my shopping bag off to Finn and marching down the hallway. “Mr. Hayden? Hi, I just have a couple of questions for your wife, if you don’t mind,” I said, pointing to Piper. “You are Mrs. Hayden, correct?”

  The blonde didn’t know what to say. From the sound of the choking noise behind me, neither did Finn.

  “This is the woman I was telling you about,” Mr. Hayden said to Piper. “Why don’t you come in and the three of us can discuss this together.” It wasn’t a question.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Finn said as he joined the group. I had to admit, I was relieved not to be in the situation alone. Even if I did just put myself in it.

  “No, I insist,” Mr. Hayden said while swiping his card through the door’s reader. He swung the door handle open and flicked on the light.

  “SURPRISE!” A group of people jumped up and shouted from inside the room.

  “My surprise birthday party, that’s right. I almost forgot,” Mr. Hayden said with a glint in his eye. A redhead I knew for fact to be Mrs. Hayden walked over and greeted her husband with a kiss. Piper looked down at the floor, her body language conveying her feelings.

  “Mrs. Hudson, I’d like you to meet my wife,” Mr. Hayden said, clearly amused. “Dear, this is Ziva Hudson. She’s the one who thought I killed you yesterday,” Mr. Hayden said, loud enough for everyone to hear.

  “Well, isn’t that just the funniest thing I have ever heard.” Mrs. Hayden twirled her fingers around a strand of pearls and laughed. In fact, everyone was laughing.

  I don’t remember apologizing. Maybe I didn’t. At that moment, I wanted to disappear.

  “Come on, let’s go,” Finn said. I allowed him to escort me back to the elevator. I was sure my face was a nice crimson shade that no amount of BB Cream could conceal.

  “Here.” Finn pulled a Hershey’s Kiss out of his pocket.

  “It’s going to take more than that,” I said.

  “Start with this and you can raid the mini bar when we get back to our room.” I took the thumb-sized candy from Finn, unwrapped it, and popped it into my mouth. The chocolate instantly started to melt and made me feel a fraction better.

  “I just don’t get it. I know what I saw,” I said as Finn unlocked our hotel room door. “You believe me, right babe?”

  “Absolutely, but I do think you need some downtime from all of your sleuthing.”

  “This was supposed to be downtime,” I hissed before I could stop myself. “Sorry. Not mad at you. I’m mad at everyone else for questioning my sanity.”

  “Who cares what everyone else thinks,” Finn plopped down on the bed and patted the comforter for me to join him. I did, snuggling up under his arm. He kissed the top of my head and I closed my eyes. But as soon as my eyelids shut, my brain started replaying the scene from the beach. If it wasn’t Mrs. Hayden, then who was it? Could it have been a ghost? Is that even possible?

  “What do you know about ghosts?” I asked Finn, my fingers mindlessly playing with the buttons on his shirt.

  “Ghosts? Like Casper?”

  “For starters.” I had yet to tell Finn about Mariah the Maid, because it sounded totally hokey. And, well, I wasn’t sure what I believed.

  “Are you thinking that’s what you saw?” Finn asked. He sat more upright.

  “I don’t know.” I got up and started pacing the floor. “The hotel apparently has its own resident ghost, but I don’t know anything about her other than her name’s Mariah and she used to be a maid. I don’t even know if it’s possible, but I wonder if I somehow witnessed a reenactment of her murder?”

  Finn made a face.

  I stopped short. “You think I’m crazy, don’t you?” Heck, at that moment I felt crazy.

  Finn laughed. “No, I’m just wishing I would’ve known you could see ghosts before I married you,” he teased.

  “Ha ha. Honestly, I’m not sure how else to account for what I saw. I didn’t make it up.” I looked up at Finn so he could see how serious I was.

  “I never thought you did.” Finn’s look was just as intense. “So, what do you want to do?” he asked me.

  “I’m not sure. I don’t know anything about ghosts or where to even begin, or if I want to.”

  “What about Izzy?”

  How could I have forgotten about my psychic store manager? I knew she worked only with the land of the living, but maybe Finn was right and she could point me in the right direction.

  “Good thinking, babe.” I looked at the clock. It was just after eight. “I’m going to give her a call.”

  “Not that I don’t want to hear from you, but my intuition tells me this isn’t a catch-up call,” Izzy said when she picked up the phone. I swear, my friend could never just say hi. Occupational hazard.

  “Your intuition would be right. But then again, is it ever wrong?” I replied.

  “It’s tough being this good,” Izzy joked. “So, let me think…,” the line was silent for a minute. And then another. And then another.

  “You still there?” I asked after a few more minutes ticked by.

  “I’m so confused right now. How many dead people are you dealing with?” Izzy asked.

  “Good question. One, for sure. I think. Possibly two. And there better not be anymore,” I replied.

  “Um, you’re going to have to explain that to me.”

  “I will, but first, do I win any special prize for stumping the psychic?” I joked.

  “Hardy har. Now spill it.”

  I took a minute to fill Izzy in on what I had seen and about the rumored ghost.

  “Ghosts can’t reenact like that, can they?” I asked her when I was finished.

  “I don’t think so, but I’m no expert. Are you usually sensitive to paranormal energy?” Izzy asked.

  “Uh, I don’t think so.” Please tell me my knack for finding dead bodies hadn’t made me a target for spooks. “I talk to my Nana, but she doesn’t talk back. Not usually.” I could feel her presence from time to time, and her voice in my head, but that was the extent of it. It’s not like she materialized in front of me and we discussed the family over a bowl of ice cream, although that did sound wonderful.

  “Hmm. Well, did you ever think that maybe the ghost is asking for help?” Izzy asked.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe she knows you solve murders, so she thought she’d show you hers.”

  “That’
s totally creepy.” And I was thinking no other ghosts better get that idea.

  “Has she tried reaching out to you?”

  “I don’t think so.” I looked around the hotel room for some sort of paranormal clue. Nothing popped out at me. Thankfully. “I don’t see anything.”

  “Well, keep an eye out. Maybe she’ll pay you a visit.”

  “I don’t want her to pay me a visit!” In fact, at that moment I was thinking we could spend the last two nights of our honeymoon someplace else.

  “Give her a break. Someone murdered her. The least you could do is hear her out.”

  I was silent while I mulled that over. “I guess, but the whole thing still freaks me out.”

  Izzy laughed at my squeamishness. I suppose when you’re psychic it takes more than a ghostly encounter to set off your freak-out meter.

  “Listen, I know this medium of sorts. I met her at a conference once. Her name’s Claire. Let me give her a call and see if she can help you out.”

  “A medium? Um, yeah, okay. Give her my number. Have her call me as soon as she can,” because I was way outside of my element.

  8

  “Sweet sugar! What was that?” I said, lifting my head up from my pillow. I heard the thump again and jolted upright. Was that a voice? What was she saying? I craned my neck to listen, but heard a shuffling noise instead. Eep! I scrambled back down under the covers. Silence followed. And then another thump.

  “Finn, wake up!” I hissed at him. Finn mumbled something incoherent but didn’t come too. “Wake up!” I said, jostling him a bit. “It’s Mariah!” I said, pulling my knees to my chest and pulling the down comforter tight to my neck.

  Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. The noises followed in rapid succession. My heart was in my throat. I knew Mariah would make an appearance any second.

  “Finn!” I kicked him under the covers. “Mariah’s coming!”

  “Huh? What?” Finn was barely awake. He rolled over to face me, propping himself up with his elbow. “Babe, what’s up?” he asked a bit softer, seeing I was about to have a panic attack.

  “Shhhhh!” Did you hear that?” I froze in anticipation.

  “Hear what?” Finn cocked his head, but was met with only silence.

  “Those thumps! I swear it was coming from inside the walls.”

  Finn sat all the way up and moved like he was about to get out of bed.

  “No, don’t move. I don’t want her to know we’re on to her,” I said, reaching for my husband’s arm.

  “Ziva, are you sure you’re not dreaming?” Finn waved his hand in front of my crazy eyes. I swatted it away.

  “Shh, be quiet,” I said. Finn obeyed, but I swear he kept looking at me like I was nuts.

  We sat still for a minute. The seconds ticked by but the silence remained.

  “Can I turn on the light now?” Finn asked once I relaxed my knees.

  “I guess,” I replied. Not sure if I should feel relieved or embarrassed at my mini freak-out. At that moment Finn did click on the bedside lamp. He then stood up and got a bottle of water for me from the mini fridge. I had refused to consume the four-dollar-a-bottle spring water all week, but right then and there I was happy to take it from him. I placed the cold bottle to my forehead and closed my eyes.

  “What was that about? Bad dream?” Finn asked.

  “No, I don’t think so. I swear it was something paranormal. Super freaky. You didn’t hear anything?”

  “Only you,” Finn replied.

  I sighed and opened the water, taking a drink.

  “Are you sure it wasn’t just people out in the hallway?” Finn asked. “You know how loud they can be.”

  “No,” I shook my head adamantly. “I heard a voice, a woman’s voice. It was coming from above our heads.” I looked up at the ceiling. “But then it moved, to like, behind the bed.” I shivered and put the water bottle down on the bedside table. Finn looked at me, concerned.

  “I’ll be fine,” I said, reading his expression. “Seriously, it’s okay.” Even as I said those words I couldn’t help looking around the room nervously. “I think I’m going to take a shower,” I decided on the spot. “Maybe my lavender body wash will work its magic.”

  “Okay, I’ll keep an ear out,” Finn replied with a yawn. No matter how sincere Finn’s words were, I had a feeling he’d drift back off before the water even turned warm. On my way to the bathroom I walked over and gave him a kiss on the top of his head.

  “Go back to sleep,” I whispered. “Love you.”

  I spent the next thirty minutes in the shower waiting for my aromatherapy to kick in and do its thing. On any other night, the scent would do the trick. But tonight, the hot water and essential oils had minimal effect. I hated that. I wasn’t a jumpy person. I was a take charge, confident woman. A girl boss. A lady who knew her way around a mystery. It was going to take more than a bump in the night to send me packing.

  “Yeah, so take that, Mariah,” I said to the tiled shower wall.

  The light flickered in response.

  I froze.

  “Just kidding,” I said with a strained smile on my face. Yeah, I was not getting any more sleep for the rest of the night.

  The next morning, I looked rough. No amount of chai tea or under-eye concealer could hide the fact that I’d had slept horrible. I swear, the one or two times I did managed to drift off, I could hear a woman’s voice calling for help. It was awful. Sooner or later I was going to need to get some decent shut eye. I had a feeling it would be hard to come by at Casa de Luz.

  Aunt Lupe was at her post at the front desk looking pretty ragged herself.

  “What time did you end up leaving last night?” I asked her.

  “I didn’t. I worked until 3 AM and then Mr. Roberto was nice enough to let me sleep in an available room for a few hours, provided I clean it afterwards,” she said, glaring over her shoulder at the back office.

  I loathed that man, and I was just a guest at his hotel.

  “What about you?” my aunt said. “Finn keep you up?” Aunt Lupe smiled.

  “Ha, ha. No,” I leaned in a little bit closer as to not be overheard. “I think I heard Mariah last night.”

  “Really?” My aunt said. The way she said the word told me she didn’t believe it.

  “No listen. Something woke me up, like a thud. I heard it again after I was awake. And whispering. I think it was a woman’s voice. It’s like she was walking right between the walls.”

  “I’m sure it was just someone talking while walking down the hallway, hun.”

  “No, it wasn’t.” I shook my head, adamant in my statement. “It was super creepy. I’m telling you. It freaked me right out.”

  “But you didn’t see anything?”

  “No, thank heavens.” Lord only knows how much chocolate I’d need to revive myself after a paranormal encounter in the flesh. I shivered.

  “I think you’re letting all this ghost story nonsense go to your head. I should have never said anything.”

  “Oh, trust me, it wasn’t just you.” I thought of the light flickering last night. “Speaking of which, have you ever actually looked into it?” I asked.

  “What? The story?”

  “Yeah, the Mariah girl. Who was she? When did she work here?” I asked.

  “Oh, I don’t know. Ages ago,” she replied.

  “Is there anyone here who might know?” I eyed Mr. Roberto’s office and could just make out the top of his bald head through the window. “Besides him,” I added.

  My aunt motioned to the ancient-looking doorman. “Mr. Alvarez might know more. He’s been here since the seventies when Old Mr. Roberto was the GM.”

  I watched Mr. Alvarez for a moment. I could see why he had held the same position for several decades. He seemed to anticipate people’s movements, opening the door at the right moment, giving a head nod or smile at exactly the right second. He was the epitome of efficiency. I’d imagine Mr. Alvarez would be tired tonight with the way the door seemed to be
revolving. No one was taking chances with this storm. Well, except us. Finn pushed our flights back as far as we could. If we didn’t wrap this case up by tomorrow morning, we were stranded until the storm road through, a prospect that left me more nervous than tracking down a ghost. Well, maybe not.

  “What can I do for you, sweetheart?” Mr. Alvarez asked.

  “This is probably going to sound completely crazy, but I was wondering if you knew anything about a young woman that used to work here a very long time ago? Her name was Mariah.”

  “Oh, so you’ve heard of our legendary ghost,” Mr. Alvarez said while holding the door open for an exiting guest.

  I tried not to blush, but it was hard not to. I was a business woman, strong and sassy. Inquiring after a ghost seemed entirely ridiculous. That is until I remembered last night’s bump.

  “I know,” I said, closing my eyes and shaking my head, unable to believe that I had asked the question myself. “It’s just, I may have heard her last night, and I was just curious what the rest of the story was, and not just the rumors,” I clarified. I was pretty sure I could ask any of the hotel staff about Mariah and get a truly spectacular story, but it was the truth I was after. That is, if it existed.

  “Mariah. Well, from what I understand, she was a sweet girl. A young woman, really.”

  “Any idea when she worked here?” I asked.

  “Oh, over a hundred years ago, I imagine.”

  “Anyone ever try and solve the mystery?” I asked.

  “We’ve had our fair share of interested parties. Maybe none more than a young Mr. Roberto, if you can believe that.” I gave a stink face despite my best effort. That got a chuckle out of Mr. Alvarez. “Young Mr. Roberto may be crotchety now, but in his youth? Ha, he gave his parent’s a run for their money.”

  “No way.”

  “That he did. In fact, he spent most of his childhood away at prep school letting the school master deal with him.”

  “Now that part I could believe.” Mr. Roberto acted like an uptight school master. “I think he missed his calling,” I joked with Mr. Alvarez.