girl with a terrific body wrapped up in a form fitting white dress that looked as though it belonged on some Hollywood red carpet–her face pockmarked and oozing a yellowy puss from several pulsating cysts. The parade of bizarre characters had him on the edge of sanity. And now, that incessant ringing–almost as if it were the fog itself calling to him.
Jeff Braun opened his eyes, the fog-dream of idiosyncrasies collapsing and fading from his half-awake mind; the phone next to his head was ringing. He reached out for it, remembering he had stayed at the hotel. “Hello?”
“Jeff? Sorry to wake you, but we have an issue down here.” It took him a few seconds to recognize the voice of his co-worker, Rhiannon. Jeff looked at the alarm clock beside the phone.
7:02
“Yeah, what is it,” he yawned. “I’m not in until Midnight. What’s going on?” He got up from the bed, stretching out of his sleep.
“Kurt had to be taken to the hospital.”
“ What?”
“Kurt’s on his way to the hospital. Get down here–there’s more and I don’t wanna talk about it on the phone.”
Within a few minutes, Jeff was dressed, and at the front desk.
“So what the hell happened?” He followed Rhiannon into the back office and closed the door behind them.
She looked shaken as she paced back and forth. “I was coming to see Kurt, and you know, apologize for our strange date last night. And as I came in through the front doors, I see him down the hall, sitting on the floor with this person in his arms. There’s this old lady standing next to him, and she goes flying back into the wall, like she’s been shoved or something. I started running toward them, and that’s when I see Kurt just crumble to the floor.” She brought a sleeve-covered hand up to her eyes. “Kurt wouldn’t answer when I called out his name, and when I got down there, he-he didn’t look good. I was getting up to call 911, when the EMT’s came rushing in past me.”
“Holy shit, is he okay?” Jeff plopped down in the chair in front of her.
“They said they didn’t know. They couldn’t tell what was wrong with him.”
Rhiannon stood and took her red pea coat from the swivel chair beside him as she wiped more tears away from her eyes.
“I’m going to drive over to the hospital and see how he’s doing. Sorry I had to wake you up,” she said.
“No, no, don’t worry about that.”
Rhiannon swung her coat on, passing him on her way to the office door. She opened it, and without so much as a glance back in his direction, started for the lobby exit.
“Rhiannon,” he said. He watched her turn back looking like she was on the verge of devastation. Stepping around the front desk, peering down the hallway, Jeff said, “Where are the two guests Kurt was helping. Are they okay?”
“The paramedics said they were both dead.”
A chill ran down Jeff’s spine. His thoughts drifted back to June when they had found the body of one of their guests floating in the pool. Management had said the guy drowned–plain and simple.
“I-I gotta go,” Rhiannon said.
“Of course, yeah, call me when you get there. Let me know how he’s doing.”
She disappeared out the doors. Jeff glanced down the hall wondering what the hell had happened.
Chapter Two
Christmas week, 1983
The disposal of Sarah’s sugar daddy had gone just as she said it would. Christina had helped her load the bloody body of Gordon Kilpatrick onto a mobile luggage cart before heading downstairs and successfully distracting the old guy at the hotel’s front desk. Sarah never told her what she did with the body; Christina never cared to ask. In the days and weeks that followed, she was amazed, and somewhat frightened at how quickly things seemed to return to normal. She had been certain her sleep would be forever haunted by the killing, but the dreams never came. In fact, she thought of that violent day less and less; the passing days had a neat way of making
Jeff Braun opened his eyes, the fog-dream of idiosyncrasies collapsing and fading from his half-awake mind; the phone next to his head was ringing. He reached out for it, remembering he had stayed at the hotel. “Hello?”
“Jeff? Sorry to wake you, but we have an issue down here.” It took him a few seconds to recognize the voice of his co-worker, Rhiannon. Jeff looked at the alarm clock beside the phone.
7:02
“Yeah, what is it,” he yawned. “I’m not in until Midnight. What’s going on?” He got up from the bed, stretching out of his sleep.
“Kurt had to be taken to the hospital.”
“ What?”
“Kurt’s on his way to the hospital. Get down here–there’s more and I don’t wanna talk about it on the phone.”
Within a few minutes, Jeff was dressed, and at the front desk.
“So what the hell happened?” He followed Rhiannon into the back office and closed the door behind them.
She looked shaken as she paced back and forth. “I was coming to see Kurt, and you know, apologize for our strange date last night. And as I came in through the front doors, I see him down the hall, sitting on the floor with this person in his arms. There’s this old lady standing next to him, and she goes flying back into the wall, like she’s been shoved or something. I started running toward them, and that’s when I see Kurt just crumble to the floor.” She brought a sleeve-covered hand up to her eyes. “Kurt wouldn’t answer when I called out his name, and when I got down there, he-he didn’t look good. I was getting up to call 911, when the EMT’s came rushing in past me.”
“Holy shit, is he okay?” Jeff plopped down in the chair in front of her.
“They said they didn’t know. They couldn’t tell what was wrong with him.”
Rhiannon stood and took her red pea coat from the swivel chair beside him as she wiped more tears away from her eyes.
“I’m going to drive over to the hospital and see how he’s doing. Sorry I had to wake you up,” she said.
“No, no, don’t worry about that.”
Rhiannon swung her coat on, passing him on her way to the office door. She opened it, and without so much as a glance back in his direction, started for the lobby exit.
“Rhiannon,” he said. He watched her turn back looking like she was on the verge of devastation. Stepping around the front desk, peering down the hallway, Jeff said, “Where are the two guests Kurt was helping. Are they okay?”
“The paramedics said they were both dead.”
A chill ran down Jeff’s spine. His thoughts drifted back to June when they had found the body of one of their guests floating in the pool. Management had said the guy drowned–plain and simple.
“I-I gotta go,” Rhiannon said.
“Of course, yeah, call me when you get there. Let me know how he’s doing.”
She disappeared out the doors. Jeff glanced down the hall wondering what the hell had happened.
Chapter Two
Christmas week, 1983
The disposal of Sarah’s sugar daddy had gone just as she said it would. Christina had helped her load the bloody body of Gordon Kilpatrick onto a mobile luggage cart before heading downstairs and successfully distracting the old guy at the hotel’s front desk. Sarah never told her what she did with the body; Christina never cared to ask. In the days and weeks that followed, she was amazed, and somewhat frightened at how quickly things seemed to return to normal. She had been certain her sleep would be forever haunted by the killing, but the dreams never came. In fact, she thought of that violent day less and less; the passing days had a neat way of making
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