by P J Mann
“Please, Mr. Jones, have a seat,” he replied kindly, trying to ease the obvious restlessness in Mark’s soul.
Mr. Atkins took a deep breath, “I received your resignation letter, and I have to be honest, it surprised me. I thought you liked your job here.”
“I did, and I still do, but…” he tried to find the right words to say, but nothing came up to his mind. “The point is that I received an offer for a gardener job at a private residence. It is not about the salary, for it is almost the same. The difference is that they are offering me a place to live in the annex, and I won’t need to rent an apartment anymore.”
He took a small pause to reorganize his thoughts, “There is also another reason for my decision. My girlfriend is also working as a cook in the same house, and this way we could also start planning our life together. I mean we can think about getting married…”
Mr. Atkins smiled, “Please, Mr. Jones, there is no reason to be nervous. I am certainly not upset with your decision, I asked you to come here only because I wanted to understand the reason why you wanted to leave. I understand we cannot offer you the same perks, so I really wish you all the best for your future career and many congratulations on the wedding, whenever it will take place.”
He was glad that the reason for Mark’s resignation didn’t have anything to do with the salary he was offering, the working conditions, or the relationships with the other members of the staff.
He was sorry to lose one of the best gardeners in his team, but he also realized that workers come and go, according to the changes in their life.
Mark smiled back and felt reassured by the fact that Mr. Atkins wasn’t upset with his decision. To be honest, he never recalled having seen him upset, but he was sure that resigning with such short notice would have given every employer a reason to be angry.
I am just sorry that he will have to find someone else to replace me so quickly. The season is not yet over, and end of Summer and Fall is generally the busiest season for this hotel. Mark thought
Mark raised his glance to look into Mr. Atkins’ eyes, “well, if you don’t have anything else, I will go back to my duties…”
“Of course,” replied Mr. Atkins. “Just one more question. I have received a resignation letter also from Mrs. Dougal; she is leaving on the same day as you; did she talk to you about her decision?”
“Really? Why would she leave?” Mark replied surprised. “I didn’t know she was planning to leave, that is an interesting coincidence.”
“So, you didn’t know anything about her decision?”
“No, this comes as a surprise for me too. I hope it is not connected to any unfortunate event,” Mark replied.
“Yes, I hope so too. Well, there is nothing else to add, except that I wish you all the best for the future.”
“Thanks, Sir, it has been a pleasure to work for you in this hotel.”
They shook hands, and Mark left the room willing to return to his duties for what was supposed to be the last ten days of his employment at the hotel.
Mr. Atkins remained looking at the door for some long moments after Mark left. “Well, the most important t thing is that he didn’t leave because he felt unwelcome or underpaid. Now I just have to hope that the same situation happened with Mrs. Dougal and that we can find their replacement within a couple of weeks.”
He stood up and decided that he didn’t have the time to wait for Mrs. Dougal to have the time to come and talk to him, he needed to talk to her right away.
“Of course, I can wait, the question is not whether I could, because I can wait, the question is whether I would, and I won’t,” he mumbled to himself as he walked the long corridor to reach the service’s room. With the hotel practically empty, the cleaning personnel was certainly still there preparing the cart to go and clean the few bedrooms occupied.
As soon as he entered the room, Mrs. Dougal was the first person he met. “You are just the person I was hoping to see,” Mr. Atkins said smiling.
“Mr. Atkins, I know I should have come to your office. I got your message from the reception, but as I saw that Mark was coming to your office, I decided to come a bit later and start organizing the work for today,” she said trying to justify herself.
“Yes, I have just spoken to Mark, and I would appreciate if you could come to my office now. You don’t seem to be very busy, and the other girls can carry out the job while you’re away.”
She sighed and nodded without adding anything.
Mr. Atkins opened the door of his office and allowed her to enter first.
“Please, take a seat and make yourself comfortable,” he said as he walked to his desk, sitting on his chair.
“I received this resignation letter this morning as soon as I reached the office, and I would appreciate it if you could tell me the reason for your decision to leave us.”
Mrs. Dougal remained silent and turned serious, “Do I really have to tell you the reason why I need to leave?”
“No, you do not have to, if you don’t want to. However, if you received another job proposal, I would be interested in understanding whether we can make a counteroffer to make you stay.”
“It has nothing to do with the salary I receive in this hotel. I have nothing to complain about, but my reasons are very personal, and I prefer not to talk about it. Please, don’t get me wrong, but there are things that I prefer to keep inside my family,” she said without taking her gaze from Mr. Atkins’.
“I understand, and I respect your need for privacy. I am not going to ask you any further if this is what you wish for. My concern was whether you decided to leave the hotel because you weren’t satisfied with something in your actual position. I would also like to have feedback in case you think there is anything that needs improvement,” Mr. Atkins said.
She smiled, “I have no complaints. I have spent the best 15 years of my career in this hotel, but personal issues force me to leave this place, at least for some time. Who knows, perhaps one day I will return asking whether there is still a place for me.”
Her voice was tired, as the voice of a person who has been struggling for a too long time fighting against the tides of life without any success. She still got the strength to flash a smile although it was obvious it cost her more than she dared to admit.
Mr. Atkins noticed it but didn’t ask any further; it was obvious to him that she didn’t have any intention to open her heart with a perfect stranger.
Although I am not really a perfect stranger, I understand that she might not be the kind of person who is ready to open her heart to the first person who gives her that chance. Perhaps she finds it more appropriate to keep the relationship as professional as possible, he thought.
“Thanks, Mrs. Dougal, and in the future, if there is anything you might need, I would like you to consider the chance to ask for help. I understand that for you I represent just your employer, but from the day you walk out of these premises to take care of your life, I wish to be considered a friend,” he added, trying to find a way to make her feel better and, perhaps also less lonely.
“That is very kind of you, Mr. Atkins, and I promise that in that case, I will accept your offer. Not many people are ready to give a hand to someone outside the circle of loved ones.”
She stood up and walked out of the room.
There isn’t a crueler beast than loneliness, he thought, watching her leaving his office.
Chapter 12.
For the following days the normal routine seemed to be re-established, and with that, any sort of doubts about the suspicious behavior of Dr. Wright and the disappearance of Carolina seemed to have found a solution that also satisfied the wariest of the patients; Laura Jefferson.
“So, it seems like this would be the last day we are going to enjoy in this lovely hotel,” said Sabina, with a little sarcasm in her voice.
“So, it seems, and this means that from now on we are supposed to sleep like babies every night,” Laura replied. “Although, I don’t kn
ow about you, concerning my sleeping pattern, there has been an incredible improvement. When before having a full night sleep was something unreachable, now I can easily fall asleep and sleep for more than six hours a night. I consider it a miracle.”
“That is the same for me too, even if last night I had a hard time falling asleep. However, I found out that going through the meditation routine helped me in that sense. Generally, when I felt that there was no way to fall asleep, I started to get nervous. I started to think about all the things that needed to be taken care of at work, and all of them needed me to be focused and sharp. With that attitude, I could never fall asleep again for the rest of the night,” explained Sabina.
Gabriel remained silent staring at the ground, like he was somewhere else with his thoughts, “What about you, Gabriel?” asked Laura.
“Huh?” he replied like he was waking up from a dream
“It seems like with him the therapy worked too good; he is sleeping standing up,” Sabina giggled.
“Sorry girls, I was lost in my own thoughts, and I couldn’t hear you anymore,” he replied apologizing. He looked tired, like someone who hasn’t slept in days, or like someone who is worried about something serious.
Laura looked at him and glanced at Sabina with a questioning gaze, “Is there anything wrong?”
“No, I start just to feel tired and homesick. I can’t wait until tomorrow comes so we can go back to our lives,” he replied absentmindedly. “Don’t you girls feel the same? Aren’t you feeling any sort of homesickness?”
Laura shook her head, “of course I do, and I bet Sabina does too, but that doesn’t mean that I cannot enjoy this little break in this wonderful hotel. Let’s face it, I will never earn enough to afford even a week in a place like this. I don’t know about you, but at least for me, there is from one side the desire to return back home, go back to my work, see my friends, but on the other hand, I would like to enjoy this luxury for as long as possible trying to get the most out of the experience. Certainly, the main reason to be here is to follow the therapy Dr. Wright has developed, to finally be able to sleep like all the other people.”
Sabina nodded, smiling. “We need to keep in touch even after this therapy is over,” she said taking out of her purse a small notebook. “Let’s write down our email addresses, so we do not lose touch with each other. We know where to find Laura, and you know where to find me, but having another mode of communication will make it easier.”
That said, she gave each of them a small piece of paper, where they wrote on each piece of paper their email addresses.
“At least we don’t risk disappearing suddenly like Carolina, Max, and Jonathan,” Sabina said glancing over at Laura with her allusive gaze.
Laura shook her head and smiled, “now we won’t lose each other.”
The last dinner was a real banquet, and even if it was a sort of farewell party, there was a cloud of melancholy that spoiled the joy of the moment.
Dr. Wright glanced at Prof Doyle, and with a slight nod of his head he stood up, gathering the attention of the small group in the dining room.
“I would like to propose a final toast, before we retire for the last night in this gorgeous location,” Dr. Wright said taking one by one the glasses with the wine and offering one to each of the people present, making sure he would have given the right glass to the right people.
“I really would have liked that all the people who started this therapy could have participated until the end. However, we all know that sometimes the issues of life can bring us to unthinkable places. That said, I hope that after this session your brain could learn once again how to fall asleep, a capability that should come naturally for each of us, but which can fade away with the fast pace we are forced to live our lives. I hope the results you achieved so far will be permanent and that you have learned how to take your time to relax before going to sleep.”
Everybody clapped their hands and said “hear, hear” as the melancholic curtain seemed to slowly drop on their time in therapy.
They enjoyed their last dinner at that fancy table, already looking forward to coming back to their lives with a renewed hope for a regular sleeping pattern starting from the following day, blissfully unaware of what would happen during that night.
Each of them had some expectations, and each of them was looking forward to the night to come. Some of them were, anyway, more nervous than the others as for those people, there was more at stake than the excitement of returning home after a long holiday.
For those two it was a question of getting out of that test safe or risking everything and going to jail quite soon.
Dr. Wright tried to look calm, but inside he was feeling like burning. He constantly looked at the clock and at Prof. Doyle as to find some sort of encouragement.
I can’t see the time everything is over. Like last time this was the time when I felt nervous. The only difference is that in Georgia I was alone and had all the time to calm down. This time I am not alone, and my behavior can compromise everything if something goes wrong, he started to consider.
He glanced once again at the clock why in the world does it seem like time has stopped?
Prof. Doyle, instead looked as calm as nothing was going to happen, Yes, of course, it is not him who has to be the one who has to take care of the murder if the patients fail in the task. I hope that the hypnotic order of checking for any sign of life from their victims will work.
“Dr. Wright, you look a bit tense,” observed Sabina, handing him a glass of wine. “Here, have a drink; it will help to loosen your nerves.”
He tried to smile, “thank you Ms. LaMotte, but I think I have been drinking too much already, and I am afraid that more alcohol will just keep me from relaxing and falling asleep later.”
She giggled, “that was the reason why we were here, and definitely we don’t want you to start suffering from insomnia.”
He laughed and felt immediately relieved by the previous upsetting feelings; that laughter felt almost liberating, and perhaps he started to think more positively.
Maybe I am worrying too much about what is going to happen within a few hours. I should be more confident in the new hypnotic routine we developed. Dr. Wright thought that after all there was no reason to be worried, and he should have enjoyed that last evening too.
It was about half past eleven when Laura stood up from her chair and turned serious.
“I think I am going to sleep, I’m suddenly beginning to feel quite tired,” she said.
“Yes Ms. Jefferson, you need to go to sleep. You need to rest, or tomorrow you will be too tired to go home,” replied Dr. Wright as he realized that the time was right, and she started to respond to the post-hypnotic order.
“I think that I will also follow her example and I will head up to my room as well,” added Sabina.
They both walked together outside the restaurant, and without exchanging a word, they reached their bedrooms.
At that time everyone else left the room, and meanwhile, also Gabriel reached his room, Dr. Wright, and Prof. Doyle remained in the main hall.
The receptionist had long since fallen asleep with the strong sedative she had been given, and in the whole hotel, there wasn’t anyone else but the patients, Dr. Wright and Prof. Doyle, and also Mark and Jennifer, the two predestined victims for that final test.
For the occasion, they were lodged in two rooms at the first floor, and within a couple of hours, in a semi-darkness, Sabina and Laura, in a deep hypnotic trance walked together down the stairs.
They opened as silently as possible the doors of their victim’s room and walked towards their beds. Without any emotions or knowledge about what it was going to happen, they grabbed one of the pillows and pushed them over the faces of Mark and Jennifer.
Like they were instructed, they kept the pillows held down long enough to be sure that there was no more life in their victim’s body.
They removed the pillows and checked whether there was a pulse.
As their death was certain, they finally left, walking back to their rooms, where the doors locked for one last time until the next morning.
The main job was done, but yet it wasn’t the time for Dr. Wright and Prof. Doyle to go and rest for the night.
“We need to take care of the bodies,” Dr. Wright said aloud. “Come with me, soon the guys hired by our client will come to help us.
“What about the surveillance cameras?” Prof. Doyle asked.
“You would be surprised to know that the only cameras are outside the main gate, in the patio, at the main entrance, and at the reception. For what concern the upper floors, only at the emergency exit are there cameras. Practically they are installed only at the access points but not inside the premises,” Dr. Wright replied.
A short ring from Dr. Wright’s telephone was the signal. “Now! All the cameras should be out of service for at least one hour. This means that our guys are already at the main gate,” he said. Come, we need to open it for them.”
Prof. Doyle followed Dr. Wright surprised about the perfect timing with which everything was working.
It didn’t take much time, and soon the two corpses were traveling towards their final destination, and the last thing to be taken care of was restoring the order in the two bedrooms occupied by Mark and Jennifer. Every single trace of their presence had to be eliminated, and that took them another hour.
When they were finally satisfied and sure that nothing could have aroused suspicion that currently in that hotel a terrible crime was perpetrated, they decided to finally go to sleep.
“I think I will need that whiskey we have in our minibar,” said Prof. Doyle.
“Why don’t we get something better directly from the bar?” proposed Dr. Wright.
It was about five o’clock in the morning when Laura woke up screaming and drenched in sweat. She could not recall what she was dreaming about; whatever it was it was still able to scare her to death.
Her hands were shaking, and her head was hurting like she’d never experienced before. Her heart was beating like a crazy drum, and she didn’t know what she was supposed to do.