Chapter 5
Faye sighed slightly. That man got more cryptic with each encounter. Pushing Rose to her room, she opened the door. As the door closed behind them, Rose opened her eyes. Faye figured she had been awake since the porch, but it was easier to avoid questions if her unconscious facade was maintained. Rose took a deep breath and stood up shakily. Faye rushed over and helped her to the bed.
“What the hell happened down there?” Faye asked.
“I saw one of the plague victims, one of the bodies they placed out on the porch. She was frozen and deformed by boils. It was horrible. And she spoke to me. She warned me to get out.” Rose finished, running her hand through her hair.
“What did she look like if you can remember?” Faye asked.
“She wore a long, flannel nightgown, had long, brown hair, and one side of her face was completely covered with a hideous boil.” Rose answered.
“I think that is the same girl I saw in the doctor’s office.” Faye said as she started to chew her lip.
“This place is starting to get to me. I’m not sure if we should stay or pry any further. Everything we have come across or we have seen has been urging us to leave.” Rose said.
Faye nodded and walked to the bar to pour Rose a straight shot of Amaretto. She handed it to her. Rose sipped it quickly, closing her eyes as the alcohol quieted her frayed nerves.
“I see your point. I really do.” Faye said reluctantly.
“But you want to go. You still want to find this old lady’s secrets.” Rose said
“I know that’s selfish and I am really concerned about your health. If this endangers you, we will most certainly leave.” Faye said, her tone rushed and a bit embarrassed.
Rose finished off her drink.
“Let me tell you a little bit about me. Our friendship has been rather whirlwind and fueled by our common interests. We still have quite a bit to learn about each other and now would be a good time to explain a bit about me.” Rose said, sitting up on the bed and gesturing Faye to have a seat.
Faye settled on the settee. She was interested in what Rose had to say because she was sure it had something to do with why she was seeing the apparitions.
“When I was eight years old, my father was helping to build the Egyptian heritage museum in our town. It was my job to open the crates and check off the packing lists making sure everything was present. We had been doing this for several weeks and we were on the final shipment. My father and mother were arranging some hieroglyphics’ tablets in the main room. I opened a crate that contained historical urns. I was checking through the shipment and as I lifted up the first layer to check the ones underneath, it felt like I pricked the palm of my hand. I withdrew my hand in pain only to see a small black desert scorpion hiding in the top of one of the urns. I barely had time to cry out before the shakes and darkness overcame me. I died and was standing on the banks of Nile, waiting for my spirit barge to take me to the afterlife. A beautiful golden barge pulled up, and a hooded figure stood on the bow. Lowering his hood, I saw it was the great god Anubis who had come himself to ferry me across. I stared into his eyes and was overcome with the power and the death they held. I placed my foot on the gangplank to board the barge. Anubis held his hand out to me, I reached for it, and I felt nothing but complete peace. Then, suddenly, the golden barge was gone I was ripped through a dark tunnel and thrown back into my body. . I was wracked with pain. My parents had saved me. It took me months to overcome the effects of the poison. My heart’s walls were weakened by the poison and I have never been the same. I looked into the eyes of death itself and returned to world of the living. I saw shades, apparitions, and impressions of those gone before. I’ve considered myself sensitive since then. But this place is abusing my gift. The pain here is so intense that those who suffered it are still suffering. They aren’t simple shades or those who still walk because they worry over their family. They are tortured spirits who need release. So, yes, they are taking a toll on me because in a way I think they are feeding off of the living people here and using them like batteries to show themselves to me. I’ve never encountered spirits like this, but if I can help some of these poor souls in any way, then it’s worth it.” Rose said, looking at Faye to gauge her reaction.
Faye closed her eyes as she mulled the story over in her mind. Logic told her that the vision Rose had had was a hallucination brought on by the scorpion’s poison. Yet she had to consider all the things that had happened in the last two days. She knew it was possible that Rose’s near death experience made her sensitive to the spirit world.
“That is certainly an interesting story. I believe you and I believe that your gift can help us understand this place, if you can handle what you’re seeing.” Faye said after a moment.
“Well, at least you didn’t tell me I’m crazy and what I see is the effect of the poison on my brain.” Rose said with a smile.
“As for whether or not I can handle it, oddly enough I think I can. If it gets to be too much, I reserve the right to pack my things and get the hell out.” She finished.
“I think that’s more than reasonable. I do expect that on this tour you may see many unpleasant things. Not to sound callous, but we are going to have to work on your reactions. Not that I don’t think you’re completely justified in being terrified. It’s going to be hard if,” Faye stopped, realizing how absolutely insensitive she sounded.
Rose laughed softly. In a fake southern accent, she replied. “It just won’t do if I go catching the vapors every time a rotting corpse speaks to me or I see a severed head.”
They both laughed.
“I do agree with you. I think the reason it shakes me so hard, other than the sheer horror of being greeted by a drawer full of blood with a head floating in it, is because they hit me when I’m not expecting it. On both of these tours, I will expect things to come popping out at me. So, I promise not to faint when I see things. However, if things get too graphic we will need some kind of signal and some way for me to let you know before I hit the floor.” Rose said.
Faye nodded, thinking. She stood and began to pace the room. “Perhaps some kind of code phrases. Now remember, we will have our men with us so we have shields from the other people on the tour, but it’s going to have to be a plausible enough reason to ditch them.”
“You know, I’m starting to feel bad about not letting them in on this. I think they would believe us and if so, they might feel that it was too dangerous to let us continue.” Rose said as she started to braid a small piece of her hair.
Faye frowned.
“I think you’re right. How about this? We go on this tour tonight and tomorrow night. We gather information and present it to them in an organized documented fashion.” Faye said.
“Then there is less chance of getting the eye roll and the ‘are you sure you are not over reacting’ commentary.” Rose said.
“Yours does that too, huh?” Faye said with a laugh.
“Yeah, Eric is pretty sensitive to my gift, but it makes him uncomfortable at times so I try to keep his exposure to a minimum.” Rose agreed
“How are you feeling now?” Faye asked.
“Much better, I feel stronger and more prepared for the next encounter. I think our code phrase should be about the crumb cake this morning. Something about how it was the best we have ever had.” Rose suggested.
“I like that. It seems like just casual conversation.” Faye agreed.
“What time is it?” Rose asked.
Faye walked over to look at the bedside clock and was struck with a dizzy spell. She reached out and grabbed the bedspread to keep from falling. Rose jumped up and rushed to help her. Gently, she guided her onto the bed.
“You ok?” Rose asked, placing her wrist against Faye’s forehead to see if she was running a temperature.
“Your skin is a bit clammy. Did you see something?” Rose asked, settling on the bed next to her.
Faye shook her head no and replied “All of the sudden I wa
s just dizzy. It was rather odd.”
“I am really beginning to think I am coming down with something. Between the nausea, the vomiting, and now the dizziness I may have picked up some kind of virus or something.”
“We both know going to the doctor here is not an option.” Rose said, peering around Faye to look at the clock, “It’s one and we don’t have anything to do until four. Why don’t we take a nap? It might help us both feel stronger for this afternoon’s adventure.”
“That sounds like an excellent idea. I will set the alarm for 3:45 which gives us a few minutes to wake up and get ready. You’re welcome to stay here with me. Being separated at the moment may not be good for either of us.” Faye said.
“Thank you. I agree.” Rose said, slipping off her shoes. She climbed into bed, yawning.
Within minutes, they were both asleep. For once, their sleep was peaceful. Had their eyes been open, however, they would not have been peaceful at all. Standing at the end of the bed were two mummified creatures. They didn’t speak, but kept a silent vigil like two soldiers on sentry duty.
Next door, a nervous Matt stood at the end of the bed as his wife winced in pain. She had awoken with a horrible headache. She used to get them all the time, so he was somewhat seasoned with dealing with them. He had gotten her a narcotic pain reliever from the doctor and placed a cool cloth on her forehead. He hoped that the pain medicine would kick in and give her some relief. She sat up and glared at him.
“Stop hovering. You’re only making it worse. I swear you’re the most incompetent man I know.” With a wince, she made her way to the bathroom and slammed the door. After a moment, he heard the water running and he knew she was going to soak in the tub. He sighed and sat on the end of the bed. He tried to over look her spitefulness and blame it on the pain, but he knew better. Even when she wasn’t in pain, she was nasty. He couldn’t remember the last time she had said something nice or that they laughed together. He closed his eyes and realized that no matter what he told himself, he no longer loved his wife. He bordered on despising her. His anger was becoming harder and harder to control, especially when she threw her little jibes at him. He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. Opening his eyes, he glanced into the mirror. He saw himself sitting on the bed, but in his hands was the same gleaming ice pick from before. The bed behind him was soaked in blood. It even appeared that he had a spray of it on his face. Hanging off the side of the bed was an arm wearing a very familiar looking wedding ring. Instead of fear, he felt a righteousness rising in him. Wouldn’t that show the bitch who was incompetent, he thought. The door swung open and Stephanie stomped out. He heard her demanding something or other in her whiny, annoying tone but he didn’t take his eyes off his smiling reflection, still holding the bloody pick.
The buzzing of the alarm brought the two women out of sleep. Faye sat up first and blinked several times to clear her eyes. She swore she saw two, dark shadows at the end of the bed. As she blinked, they wavered out. Faye shook her head and passed it off as the remnants of sleep. Rose sat up and yawned.
“I do feel better. First sleep here without some kind of disturbing dream.” Rose said as she stood up and walked to the bathroom.
Faye stood up and stretched carefully to make sure she was steady on her feet and that her stomach was stable. Feeling no ill effects, she stretched fully and walked over to the mirror. She looked a bit tired with dark circles under her eyes. Picking up her makeup, she attempted to cover up the imperfections. When she was satisfied with the result, she stepped back. She noticed Rose standing behind her and she smiled.
“Vanity is thy name woman.” Faye said with a laugh.
Rose nodded in agreement.
“Wanna head down?” Faye asked.
Rose took a deep breath “I’m ready.”
Faye echoed her breathe and they headed out of the room toward the elevator. Neither of them spoke on the way down as both of them were thinking about the things that could possibly occur as they explored the Eden. Walking down the hall into the lobby, they were surprised to see a fairly large group of people gathered for the tour. It was an assortment of couples of different ages. Rose noted the lack of children. Aside from the little girl that her husband played croquet with, she hadn’t seen any other children in the hotel. Rose filed that away as she saw Eric. With a large smile, she embraced him and kissed him softly.
“Hello there, handsome.” She said after kissing him.
“Hello yourself beautiful.” Eric replied, pulling her in for another kiss.
“Hey you two, get a room.” Adam teased as he kissed Faye.
“Pot, Kettle, Black.” Eric said with a smile.
“How was your day in the dusty basement?” Eric asked.
The two girls glanced at each other.
“We didn’t go. We took tea on the porch and I developed a bit of a headache so we went back upstairs to take a nap so we would be ready for this adventure.” Rose explained.
This explanation got scrutinizing stares from both husbands. Before they could question them further, Natalie called out to the group.
“If I could have everyone’s attention, we are going to get started. This tour takes you though the main hotel floors, some of our suites, the kitchens, and administrative wing. There is a fair bit of walking involved so I hope you wore comfortable shoes.” She finished.
. “I’m so ready for this” Faye said with an excited grin.
“Seems you’ve taken quite an interest in our vacation spot” Adam replied.
“She has quite an amazing story to tell. The historical figures alone that have passed through these walls are enough for, say, a book.” Faye said with a big smile.
“I should have known.” Adam said with a small laugh.
“Faye’s been looking for something to write a book about for years.” he finished.
The group started to move forward.
“I would like to be up front if possible.” Rose said quietly.
“Of course, darling, if that would make you happy.” Eric said as he began to move toward the front of the group. When Faye didn’t immediately follow her friend, Adam leaned down and whispered.
“Everything ok?”
“Yes, its fine. I have been having dizzy spells. Will you stay close to me in case I fall?” Faye asked.
“Of course darling, are you sure you want to go on this? There is sure to be a fair amount of climbing and walking. We can go sit on some chairs in the lawn and relax. I’m sure Rose and Eric can fill us in.” Adam said, slipping a protective arm around his wife’s waist.
“No need for all that. Just tonight, after the tour, maybe we can have dinner in our room and spend some time together.” Faye asked.
“Absolutely, sounds wonderful.” Adam replied.
Faye smiled brightly up at him and they walked quickly to rejoin the rest of the group, working their way up to Rose and Eric. Rose lifted an eyebrow but Faye just smiled as they all turned to listen to what Natalie was saying. She walked backward, facing the group as they headed towards the main restaurant.
“The restaurant was built around 1920 when the Eden became a luxury resort for rich and influential guests.” Natalie explained as she walked backward though the double, black swinging doors that lead into the kitchen area. The kitchen was massive. A large, stainless steel table sat in the middle of the room. The kitchen was empty, but they knew it would soon be bustling with dinner preparations. Natalie walked past several large, walk-in refrigerators, freezers, and dry storage closets. She was explaining about the amount of food needed to run a place like this, how many staff members, and so on. But neither Faye nor Rose was really listening. Both of them were looking closely into corners and cabinets, waiting for some kind of sign. Maybe the apparitions would make themselves known and perhaps show themselves in the place they used to work or the place they died. Nothing happened through the kitchen, the dining area, the ball room, or the main hall. As the group awaited the elevator to take them all up
to the penthouse floor, Rose and Faye slipped off to the side.
“That was a hell of a bust.” Faye said disappointment clear in her voice.
“No kidding. I was all psyched up to encounter something and all I got was a Charlie horse in my leg from all the walking.” Rose said, leaning down to massage her calf.
“Should we give up on this or see if upstairs fares any better?” Faye asked.
“If we quit, we’ll wonder what we missed.” Rose said
Faye sighed
“You’re right, of course. Oddly, I am disappointed by our lack of gruesome sightings when I should be glad for that fact.” Faye said as she walked toward the elevator. Adam pulled the gate aside, letting Faye, Eric and Rose enter. They were followed by two more people, filling the elevator to capacity. The elevator carried them up to the top floor. Everyone was silent, lost in their own thoughts. The elevator dinged, signaling that it had reached its destination. They all filed out to rejoin the group that was filling the narrow hallway. This floor was different than their guest floor. The carpet here was a thick, royal purple and the wallpaper was a shiny pearl color. The crown molding was painted to match the carpet. There were only six doors in the hall and at the end of the hallway was a floor to ceiling window with sheer purple drapes. As the elevator dinged, announcing the arrival of the last of the group, Natalie started walking until her back was against the large window. She closed her eyes for a moment and a brief expression of pain crossed her features and was gone. She spoke.
“This floor houses our executive and presidential suites. Each room consists of a large sitting area, a spacious bedroom, a full bath with a two person spa bath tub, and fireplace. We will be touring the Castelli suite. Named for our late owner, it was his home when he was here.” Natalie explained, gesturing to the room at the end of the hall. Rose listened intently to her explanation, but as she watched the hostess, her face it began to change. As Natalie was speaking, large gashes appeared around her face. Blood began to drip down her cheeks and fall to the floor. Rose closed her eyes and slowly opened them again to see if it stayed the same, and even more cuts appeared on her face, arms, and hands. Some of them glinted as though they had something shiny in them. Rose steadied herself against Eric, remembering her promise not to hit the decks. As she watched the blood hit the floor and disappear, she noticed that there were also small shards of glass littering the carpet. Rose looked up, examining the window. There were no broken panes therefore giving her no explanation for the glass shards. Natalie walked into the group toward the suite door and Rose lost sight of her. Faye, noticing Rose’s expression, raised an eyebrow. Rose nodded, but raised her hand slightly to show that she was ok. Pushing forward, she tried to get another view of Natalie. When she finally made it into the room, Natalie was standing next to a large fireplace with no gashes and no blood. She appeared completely normal. Rose was baffled. This was just like the hotel manager. Were these people channeling the incidents that happened in another time? Were the ghosts using these people to communicate with her to show their fate? Rose shook her head and tried to concentrate on Natalie’s speech.
“Mr. Castelli took over the hotel in 1878 at the ripe age of nineteen. His family was well- to-do and he was a budding businessman himself. He owned the Eden until 1924 when he tragically died of a heart attack during the midsummer’s Ball. He was 65 year old. The property was then sold to a management company who owned it until 1935 when it was sold to the great, great grandson of Andrew Bowers-- one of the original architects.” Natalie said.
“He is the brother who died during the construction.” Rose whispered to Faye who nodded.
“As you can see, the decoration of the Eden brought her glory in the 20’s and 30’s and was preserved in that trend. This suite is no longer available for rent. However, the others on this floor are available for a fee.” Natalie said as she made her way back out into the hall.
They all followed her out she walked backward again, heading toward the elevator.
“Did you notice Matt and Stephanie aren’t here?” Rose said quietly to Faye.
“I saw Matt earlier today. He said Stephanie had a headache. She may not have recovered from it yet.” Faye said as she shrugged.
Faye thought back to her encounter in the hall with Matt. Something about his behavior was nagging at her, but she just couldn’t put her finger on anything specific. Mentally shrugging it off, she returned to listening to Natalie.
“All of you have ridden in our elevator, but like everything in the Eden, she also has a story. This elevator was one of the first electrical elevators to be placed in a hotel after their invention in 1880. Ours was built in 1885. Mr. Bowers had it commissioned to resemble an ornate bird cage he had as a child. Many of our patrons were afraid to ride it at first, but in her long service record there has never been an accident.” She explained as she hit the down arrow.
They reconvened in the lobby and walked past the desk. Natalie threw a warm smile at Phillip.
“I hope all of you have enjoyed this tour and it has been informative. I will be available in the lobby to answer any questions or further interests you may have.” As she said the last part of her statement, she looked directly at Rose and Faye as if she was letting them know that her earlier offer still stood. Both of them found themselves nodding back to her. People began to file onto the elevator.
“That was very interesting.” Adam said, stifling a short yawn.
Faye laughed.
“Uh huh, I just have a couple more things I’d like to talk to her about if you don’t mind. We’ll just be in the lobby for a few more minutes. While I’m doing that, you can go into the restaurant and order our room service.” Faye said.
“We were thinking about doing a room night ourselves.” Eric said.
Rose nodded, climbing into the elevator. “While we talk to Natalie, you fellas can order dinner and then we can head up and call it a night.”
As they descended, Rose mulled over what she had seen and the best way to explain it to Faye. The doors opened and they all walked down the long hallway together. The group split-- the guys heading for the restaurant and Faye and Rose heading for the small group that stood around Natalie. They paused a few feet away from her and moved in front of the fireplace, hoping its crackling and popping would cover their conversation. Faye paused to remember how upon her arrival she had been unable to hear the fire sounds.
“You saw something. I could tell from the look on your face.” Faye said excitement in her voice.
“I did, but it was very odd. It was like the night with the hotel manager, but this time it was Natalie. She got all of these gashes and cuts all over her face, hands, and arms. There was broken glass at her feet and blood just running down her face, dripping onto the carpet. Once again no one saw it but me.” Rose said, crossing her arms over herself.
“However, as promised, I did not hit the deck when presented with yet another gruesome and odd site.” Rose added, sounding very proud of her self.
“Very true, and honestly other than by someone who knew you, it wasn’t even obvious that you had an issue.” Faye added with a smile.
“Any theories on why it occurred?” Faye asked, glancing over at Natalie who was speaking with an older couple.
“The only thing I can think of, is the ghosts are trying to speak through her to show me what happened or something happened in that place that holds a strong enough shadow to cast it on to someone else.” Rose said absently, starting to braid a piece of her hair.
Faye thought for a moment.
“You said there was broken glass on the carpet and she had gashes all over her. Were the gashes consistent with someone going through that large window behind her?” Faye asked.
“Yes, actually, and some of the wounds were glittering. I bet it was glass shards that were making it glitter!” Rose said excitedly.
“So, someone went out that window and left a strong impression behind or some ghost was there and was not strong
enough to make it seen, so it imposed itself on her for you to see it.” Faye said pleased, with her deductions.
Rose nodded, Faye’s thoughts mirroring her own. The older couple moved away from Natalie, so they took their opportunity to approach her. Natalie smiled widely. Rose searched her for any indication of the phenomenon. Finding none, she smiled back.
“Did you ladies enjoy the tour?” Natalie asked
“We definitely did. Though, I can say that it left us more than curious about the unofficial tour.” Faye said, keeping her voice low.
“I thought you two would want to go on that. Since you’re the only two I’ve told about it, this will be a more private, personal tour in which I can answer more questions and perhaps give you a bit more of the dirt. Just promise you won’t tell on me.” Natalie said with a conspiratorial wink.
“Cross our hearts.” Faye said as both women made the appropriate sign.
They all laughed.
“It seems like we are missing out on all the fun.” Eric said from behind them.
The girls whirled around with wide smiles.
“Not at all fellas, just giggling about some of the other tour occupants.” Faye lied.
“I can see that.” Adam said
“Hey Faye, honey, I know you wanted a night in, but Eric and I have arranged a bit of a surprise for you two for this evening’s meal.” Adam said his expression one of pride and apprehension.
“Oh?” Faye asked, keeping the disappointment from her voice.
“We arranged for the four of us to have dinner in the Castelli suite.” Eric said proudly.
“Wow! How did you pull that off?” Rose asked in amazement.
“There is very little money can’t buy, and I know how you ladies enjoy scandal and celebrity status.” Eric explained.
“So you’re ok with changing our plans for tonight? We can do an in-room night tomorrow. I promise.” Adam asked.
“Absolutely, that sounds like an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I should go change.” Faye said, looking down at her outfit.
Adam couldn’t help but chuckle. Eric looked at his watch.
“It’s six-thirty now. We have the dinner set up for seven. So, can we all be presentable in half an hour?” Eric asked.
Both girls nodded.
“Thank you, Natalie. What time should we meet you for tea tomorrow?” Rose asked.
“Around one would be good for me.” Natalie said with an innocent smile.
“It’s a date then.” Faye said, linking her arm through Adam’s and heading for the elevator.
“Have a good night and enjoy your dinner.” Natalie said, as she headed back toward the restaurant.
Adam looked at Faye quizzically as they headed into the elevator.
“We are interviewing her tomorrow afternoon.” Faye explained.
“Still on the book kick huh?” Adam asked.
Faye nodded as Eric slid the gate closed and the elevator ascended to their floor. Walking out, Faye suddenly felt exorbitantly hungry. Frowning, she tried to remember what she had eaten that day. Obviously not enough, she thought. She would be glad when dinner time arrived. Twenty minutes later, they were all dressed and standing at the elevator doors. Faye wore a simple black skirt with a crimson colored, sleeveless top and her good black pearls. Adam wore black dress pants and a shirt to match Faye’s top. They made a striking couple. Rose wore a white, silk shell top and an ankle length black skirt. The skirt was slit up the sides to about mid-calf. Eric matched his wife with a pair of black slacks and a white, silk dress shirt. Faye surveyed the other two.
“You look very nice together.” she said, honest admiration in her voice.
“Thank you! You two are very striking as a couple. I wasn’t going to dress up since it was just the four of us, but I figured dining in the owners’ suite we should dress appropriately.” Rose replied.
The elevator arrived to ferry them to the top floor. Stepping off into the dark purple hallway, they were awed by the true elegance of the décor. Walking reverently, they made their way to the end suite. The door was open. Set up in the sitting room, in front of a roaring fire, was a beautiful table service for four. The lights were dimmed and four, stark white candles in ornate silver candlesticks adorned the table. Their flickering light glinted off the white china plates and crystal goblets. Deep purple napkins were folded into triangles and set on the plates. They paused in the doorway, in awe of the beauty before them. Walking in slowly, they took their seats. As they sat down, a waiter appeared at the doorway with a large cart, pushing it silently. He poured the wine, starting with the ladies, and then served the soup from under gleaming bell covers. He bowed and exited without speaking. They tasted their soup. It was exquisite lobster bisque. As she finished her soup, Rose spoke.
“That was simply amazing. I was so impressed about our dining accommodations that I forgot completely to ask about the menu.” She said.
Eric and Adam smiled.
“To be honest, I wish we could be complimented for the choices that are to follow especially if they are anywhere as good as that bisque. The clerk who we set it up with said because we were eating in here, we should have Mr. Castelli’s favorite meal. All of this is as much as a surprise to you as it is to us.” Eric explained.
“What a wonderful idea!” Rose exclaimed.
“Indeed.” Faye added.
“Was it the front desk clerk?” Faye asked
Adam shook his head no.
“I asked for him as he seems to be in charge of just about everything here, but this gentleman said he wasn’t feeling well. The new guy’s name was Walter. He said he would take care of anything we needed. He seemed very nice and is obviously very creative.” Adam said as he used a roll to get the very last drops of the bisque from his bowl.
Rose and Faye exchanged glances but kept them discreet, both of them silently hoping that Phillip’s confessional to them about the hotel’s past hadn’t gotten him in too much trouble.
Just as the last soup bowl was being pushed away, the soundless cart once again appeared at the door. The waiter silently removed the bowls and placed four covered plates in front of each of the diners. Lifting the lids, they were greeted with a beautiful prime rib; a rock salt rolled baked potato, and steamed carrots. He poured them a dark red wine to replace the white. As before, he retreated without a word. They sat a moment and admired the sheer beauty of meal before them.
“Mr. Castelli sure knew how to live.” Eric commented quietly
“That he did.” Adam agreed.
There were very few words exchanged during the meal as everyone was enjoying their food. The gentlemen finished first, sitting back to sip their wine.
“Can you imagine what it would be like to live that kind of life? To have this entire hotel at your disposal, hundreds of staff members at your command, and a huge kitchen with trained chefs ready to make anything you desired at any time.” Adam asked no one in particular.
“And at such a young age, 19, I was just graduating high school and looking forward to starting college not buying major resorts. All that pleasure comes with a boat load of responsibility.” Eric said as he finished off his wine.
The others nodded in agreement.
“And for the time in which he was living, 65 isn’t too bad of a stretch given the kind of people he was around and the lifestyle he led.” Adam said.
Rose gazed off into the fire, thinking about the meetings and conversations that must have gone on where they were sitting. The further she stared into the fire, the farther away the conversation around her got. She began to feel slightly sleepy. Blinking her eyes to bring herself back to reality, she turned back to her tablemates to rejoin the conversation. She was shocked to see a young, Italian man sitting across from her looking over figures. His forehead was broad and he had crystal blue eyes. His full lips were pursed in concentration. One black curl fell to his forehead. He wore an expensive dress shirt. The top button was undone and his sleeves were rol
led up. Two other men stood behind him. They were in full pinstripe suits, down to the carnation in their button hole. Rose was afraid to speak as they didn’t seem to notice her, and she was sure she would be considered an unwelcome visitor. She looked down at her body noting that it was transparent. She realized she was the shade here, the ghost in their world. A soft knock at the door caused her and Mr. Castelli to look up. He waved his hand and one of the two men moved to open it. A mousy man entered with a large stack of files. He wore a brown tweed suit and was obviously not of the monetary caliber shown of the rest of the men in the room.
“Here are the files you requested, Mr. Castelli. Also, I got the weather report before I came up here. It seems that a large blizzard is headed this way. They expect it to hit us in a day or two. Would you like me to begin evacuation?” The mousy man asked timidly. He was obviously terrified of the man who sat at the table, who was at least 10 years, his junior.
Mr. Castelli sighed audibly.
“This place is in the red. We are close to pulling her back into the green. Losing a week or more of room nights would hurt us greatly. Let’s wait it out one more night to see if it dissipates or changes direction and if it doesn’t, we will start the evacuation tomorrow afternoon.” He explained, running his hand through his hair.
“As you wish Mr. Castelli, sir.” The mousy man said and exited quickly.
Rose studied the man as he sat back with the large stack of files. Vincent Castelli was very attractive, though he had premature worry lines on his forehead. He turned away from her and looked at the man to the right.
“Anthony, do you have any idea how many people have died in this hotel since she was built? Most of them have been homicides or weird accidents and most have been covered up by the hotel staff. Before I bought her two years ago, 31 lives have been lost within these walls.” He said, slapping the files down on the table with sad tone in his voice.
“If my father didn’t need this place to hide out his buddies, then I would take a match and burn this bitch to the ground. This is uneasy ground and being on it gives me the willies at times.” He finished and picked up his glass of wine.
The two men behind him glanced at each other but did not respond. Another knock at the door caused both men in suits to reach into their jackets. This was obviously not someone they were expecting. The larger of the two men, whom Rose now identified as Anthony, went to the door. Looking through the peep hole, he turned back to the other.
“It’s the hotel manager, Ms. Phelps.” He said, sliding his gun back into his jacket.
“Let her in.” Mr. Castelli said, grimacing. His dislike for this woman was obvious.
A matronly woman stepped through the door. She had grey hair that was pulled up into a tight bun on top of her head. She wore a grey suit skirt with a high-collared white shirt.
“Excuse me, Mr. Castelli, but I am informed that you wish to push the evacuation off until tomorrow afternoon?” She said, not hiding the contempt in her voice.
“Yes, Ms. Phelps. I wish to see if the storm dissipates or changes course before we cost ourselves thousands of dollars in room nights.” He said with finality.
“I see. Well, you are new to severe winters in the mountains. The last two have been rather mild. These storms, once they are set, will bury the Eden and all of us with her. You cannot allow there to be people here that are helpless to escape.” She said, her voice trembling slightly.
Mr. Castelli raised an eyebrow.
“Why is that? Even if we got buried, we have more than enough food and we can run the generators for a month with the gasoline we have. We have a doctor on staff and the finest accommodations in the region. How awful could that really be?” He countered.
She stepped forth and lowered her voice. Her expression was clearly frightened.
“There are things here, things that will prey on us. To give them a captive audience is like asking for a disaster.” She said her voice a hoarse whisper.
Mr. Castelli closed his eyes and laid his pencil down. He opened them after a moment and stared hard at the women in front of him.
“So, what are you saying to me is that if this storm blows through here and buries us in snow, we are going to be stuck here for a few days and the boogie men are going to eat us?” There was humor in his voice, but it was tempered with annoyance.
She shook her head.
“When tragedy strikes, don’t say I didn’t try to warn you, the innocent blood is on your hands Vincent.” She turned and walked out.
Rose wanted to reach out to him and to tell him that the old woman was right, that over a hundred people would die. She wanted to somehow avert the tragedy that was to come. But she knew she was just watching the shades of the past, like being a patron at an old movie where you know the ending. Rose closed her eyes in sadness. When she opened them, she was surprised to see herself looking into the eyes of his husband.
“Hey, Rose, honey?” He said softly.
“Forgive me. It must have been the wine. I totally zoned out.” She answered with a forced cheerfulness.
“Then I suggest you skip the wine with desert. The conversation is much better with you.” Eric said with a laugh.
Rose was stunned. The scene had taken at least twenty minutes, but it seemed that she had been zoned out no more than a minute here. She caught Faye looking at her intently, and she shook her head slightly to let her know that she couldn’t explain it now. The silent cart entered the room. Rose gripped the edge of the table. The man pushing it was a dead ringer for Anthony, Mr. Castelli’s goon. He glanced at her, but showed no recognition. He removed the dinner plates and set before them chilled dessert plates with a chocolate French silk pie adorned with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. The plate looked divine, but Rose’s appetite was non-existent. She picked at her food as the others exclaimed over the deliciousness of their pastry. The waiter left after pouring a sparkling ice wine into their glasses. Rose, ignoring her husband’s advice, quickly drank her wine down. She hoped to sooth her nerves. Faye looked over at her with concern.
“If you’re not going to eat that, then pass it this way.” Faye said with a laugh.
Rose smiled, and passed it along. Faye finished hers off as well as Roses’. They all sat back in a post-excellent meal coma. Three of them were mulling over the amazing food, but Rose kept replaying the sequence in her mind, especially the old woman’s warning. It was an illness that had caused all the death at the Eden, but she knew about it before it happened. Was there credence to her warning about evil, restless spirits within the walls or did she have a hand in spreading whatever it was? Vincent mentioned all the death in the Eden’s history. Was it possible that the sprits never left and were able to wreak havoc upon the living? But even the strongest sprits would not be able to infect people on such a broad scale like that, unless they had someone they were working with. Rose thought further. It would be someone who could see them: a live person who was just as evil as the spirits were. She thought back over all the ghostly encounters they had. Then it struck her. She sat forward so quickly she nearly tipped over the table. The Doctor! The ghost Faye had seen said she believed that the Doctor had made her sick. He was part of the conspiracy of the plague. The spirits chose who to infect for their own reasons and he did their bidding. His write up had stated misconduct during the plague, perhaps it had been more than misconduct, and perhaps he had been the cause. Her mind was racing.
Her abrupt movement caused the others concern.
“Rose?” Eric asked.
She smiled sheepishly.
“The wine started to make me sleepy and I felt myself drowsing off, so I guess I kinda startled awake.” She explained.
“I am getting a bit sleepy myself.” Faye said
“Indeed! A meal like that in your stomach certainly induces food coma.” Adam agreed.
Standing, Adam took a fifty dollar bill out of his pocket and laid it on the table. Eric did the same. The four of them started out of the r
oom. They were at the door when the sound of shattering glass caused Rose to stop abruptly. Immediately turning to look to the large window, the window was intact, but similar to earlier that day; there were glittering glass shards and dark spots on the carpet, which Rose had no doubt were blood. She shook her head and turned back, walking toward the elevator. The apparitions were coming more and more often now. Sadly it was becoming less and less frightening to her. She was pretty sure that was a bad thing. Thankfully, no one noticed her side glance down the hall and everyone kept moving. The elevator dinged carrying them down to their floor. Faye felt a brief flash of nausea and it was gone. She passed it off as eating too much. They exited the elevator. Tired goodbyes were exchanged as they entered their rooms.
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