Knox scratched his beard, like he was mulling over everything Celia had told them. “I don’t understand how a crime of this magnitude didn’t make it into the papers.”
Celia shrugged. “I can’t say for certain, but I’m guessing the hotel’s owners paid off Victoria’s two local newspapers. They could have offered them a bribe to keep quiet. Don’t forget that this was the 1920s. TV and internet coverage didn’t exist. If something wasn’t in the paper, it wasn’t like people could find out about it anywhere else.”
“Good point,” Knox said. “But those must have been some serious bribes.”
“The owners probably thought the expense was worth it. At the time, the Duchess had only been open for two years and was marketing itself as an upscale boutique hotel. If word got out that one of their employees had been caught in a scandalous affair with a wealthy guest, their reputation would have suffered. But the cover-upisn’twhat surprises me the most about all this.”
A little furrow crept between Glen’s brows, like he was trying to solve a puzzle. “Okay, I’ll bite. What do you think is most surprising?”
“That guests staying in room 309 haven’t reported any ghostly encounters,” Celia said. “At least, none that I’ve heard of. Usually, I’m the first to learn about this stuff because of my job at Historic Hauntings.”
Their server arrived with their drinks, along with a set of plates and a big basket of fries. The fries smelled so good Charlie instantly wished she’d ordered some of her own.
“Help yourself,” Knox said. “The fries are for all of us.”
“Thanks.” Charlie took a handful and set them on her plate, then doused them with malt vinegar. The first bite was crispy and delicious, but so hot it seared her tongue.
She tried to recall what she knew about room 309. In her five years at the Duchess, she’d become very familiar with all the rooms in the hotel. She’d memorized the ones with the best features, like the nicest views and the most square footage. In addition to the regular rooms, each floor of the hotel had four suites. Room 309 was one of those suites, but something about the room number was nagging at her. Until she remembered the layout of the third floor.
“I’ve got it!” she said. “I know why no one’s ever had a ghostly experience in room 309. It’s not accessible to our guests because it’s part of a storage area.”
“For housekeeping?” Knox asked.
“No. We have rooms set aside for that on every floor, next to the elevators, so our attendants can restock their carts. This is different.” She wished she had a photo to show them. “It’s made up of two adjoining suites, but the wall between them was taken down. It was turned into a big open space that the staff used for storing furniture and random crap.”
Knox stared at her in wonder. “Really? I had no idea it even existed.”
“That’s because we don’t use it anymore. It always seemed like an odd place to keep stuff, especially now that we store everything in the hotel’s basement.
Celia looked positively giddy. “That explains it. If any ghostsdoexist, they’d be more likely to appear in that storage room than anywhere else in the hotel. You should ask your housekeeping staff if they’ve had any sightings.”
Sightings?A shiver danced along Charlie’s spine. Now that she knew three people had died in that room, there was a good chance it might be haunted. Which was great for the show. But also slightly terrifying.
“Thanks, Celia. Knowing where to narrow my search will make things so much easier.” She popped another fry in her mouth. Still too hot. She took a quick sip of her mango daiquiri to cool down, only to be hit with a stunning brain freeze.
“You’re welcome,” Celia said. “I’ll send you an email with all this information so you can forward it to your friend atCanada’s Most Haunted. I hope he picks your hotel.”
“I hope so, too,” Knox said. “I can’t thank you enough for coming through for us. And on such short notice.”
“It was a pleasure. And…just so you know, I have a sixth sense. So, if you want me to check out that storage area, I can do it. Though not tonight because I’m giving a ghost tour.”
Charlie nodded eagerly. “That would be great. We don’t have a consulting budget or anything, but I could ask our boss if he’d be willing to pay you for your time.”
“No need. I love this stuff. Plus, if we do find out the Duchess is haunted, I can add it to my tour. I like injecting my talks with new material.” She smiled at Charlie. “You should come on a tour sometime. It’s not that frightening, I promise.”
Maybe not for someone like Celia or Knox. But Charlie had a very vivid imagination. She caught Knox’s eye. “Would you go with me?”
“Absolutely. We can go together as part of our research. Maybe on a Sunday or Monday, when I’m not working at the Gilded Lily.”
Yes.Her heart did a giddy skip-jump. Even if it might be mildly frightening, she wasn’t passing up another excuse to hang out with him. “I’d like that.”
They spent the next half hour chatting, entertaining Celia with tales of the hotel while she regaled them with the full story of her and Glen’s experience at the Grand Duke. Throughout their conversation, Charlie couldn’t help noticing how comfortable Knox seemed, sharing anecdotes and laughing at everyone’s jokes. He’d also acted like this on Sunday, when he’d visited her apartment. Friendly. Compassionate. A good listener.
Yet at the Gilded Lily, he rarely showed this side of himself. Was his mood related to his job? She’d always thought he liked crafting cocktails, but he never seemed truly happy. Though she didn’t want to give Randolph any credit, she wondered if he’d been onto something. Did Knox have aspirations he’d never shared with anyone? Given his love of reading, she could easily envision him wanting to pursue a career as a writer.
“Charlie?” Knox’s voice startled her out of her reverie. “You okay there?”
She cleared the thoughts from her mind. “I was just daydreaming. Thinking about the possibility of our hotel being haunted.”
