Logan sipped his cocktail. “Ah, that’s good. Brace yourself. I reached out to a bunch of places, andEntertainment Weeklyresponded right away. They were all for it.”
“Are you shitting me?” Knox had been readingEntertainment Weeklysince he was a kid, way back when it had been a print magazine.
“No lie. It helps that Lila promised them an exclusive interview, spilling the news about her divorce. I’m glad you were able to persuade Zack and Norah to contribute.”
“They also put me in touch with two other writers. I can’t believe the level of support I’ve gotten.” The more people Knox heard from, the more memories came flooding back, making him remember all the things he’d loved about working on the show.
“You totally deserve it,” Logan said. “Hell, everyone deserves a second act.”
“Thanks, man. I owe you.”
“You don’t owe me a damn thing. Except you need to start writing again. The world needs more Mac Iverson.”
Knox couldn’t help but smile. “Funny that you mention it. Last month, I started tooling around with a horror screenplay I wrote ages ago. But I’ll be writing it as Knox McIntyre. After this article comes out, that’s it for Mac.”
For so long, he’d worried someone would discover his alter ego, but not anymore.
He was done keeping secrets.
Thirty
When Charlie escortedthe show’s film crew up to the storage room, she left nothing to chance. Joe from Facilities kept the door cracked open and stood guard, shooing away the few hotel guests who tried to peek inside. The crew set up their stationary cameras and digital recorders, then took baseline readings of the room’s temperature and electromagnetic energy. This time, Charlie didn’t catch the scent of roses or experience any emotional turmoil, which made her suspect Maeve was absent. Hopefully, she’d return for tomorrow night’s lockdown.
At seven, Charlie unlocked the Duchess’s breakfast room and ushered Celia and Gertrude inside. Since the room was usually off-limits to guests when not in use for the hotel’s daily breakfast buffet or occasional afternoon tea, it offered the crew the best chance at a little privacy. Along one wall, a row of tall windows provided a view of the back garden, including an old wooden gazebo that had once been used for outdoor events. Another wall displayed framed photos of Victoria, from the 1920s up through the present day. Charlie made a mental note to ask Knox if he’d be willing to add a few of his photographs to the room since they captured the natural beauty of the nearby beaches and forests.
Gertrude peered around the room. “Ooh, it’s nicer than I remembered in here. I’ll bet the food’s better, too.”
“We take pride in our breakfast buffet,” Charlie said. “The banana pecan muffins and lemon poppyseed loaf are baked fresh every day. Since the coffee is locally sourced from Alma’s Beanery, it’s better than the swill you get at most hotels.”
“Maybe Glen and I will have to spend the night here, just to take advantage,” Celia said.
“No need. Remind me before you leave, and I’ll give each of you some free coupons for the buffet.” It was the least Charlie could do, seeing as how Celia had refused payment for all the research she’d done.
“Thanks.” Celia sat at a table facing the window. “And thank yousomuch for offering to move in with Laurel. I’m glad she won’t be stuck with a stranger. She’s a great roommate. It’s just that…” She trailed off, a dreamy smile crossing her face.
“You’re in love with Glen and can’t wait to move in with him?” Charlie asked. “That’s wonderful. How long have you two been dating?”
“A little over a year. But after our first month together, I knew he was the one. Which isn’t like me because I’m not a romantic at heart.”
“When you know, you know, right?” Gertrude said. “That’s how I felt with Rupert. A few weeks after he started courting me, I was already imagining our wedding.”
Charlie could relate. Even if she’d spent over a year pining for Knox, she hadn’t expected to fall in love with him so quickly. She was glad she’d followed her heart and told him how she felt. And equally glad he felt the same way. Now that they’d both admitted their feelings, she was looking forward to everything that lay ahead of them—more nights in his cozy king bed, more hiking excursions and picnics in the park, more sexy teasing and quiet moments of relaxation.
As Logan and the other members of the team came in, she beckoned them over. The one carrying a handheld camera positioned himself at a table across from theirs. All the others sat beside him except the leader of the crew, a tall, bearded guy with a shaved head and a firm build that suggested an intense weight-lifting regimen. He was the first one Charlie had recognized when she met the team earlier since he’d featured prominently in the episodes she’d watched with Knox.
He greeted the women. “Good evening, ladies. I’m Burke, the lead investigator, and I’ll be conducting the interviews. Fair warning—they’re always edited for brevity, so you might not see much of yourself on the screen by the time the show airs.”
“That’s fine,” Charlie said. Based on the episodes she’d seen, she’d expected as much.
Celia went first since she was the one who’d discovered the tragic secret behind room 309. Gertrude followed, describing the harrowing incident when she’d been locked in for three hours. When it was Charlie’s turn, she summarized the research she’d done, including the accounts of numerous female staff members who’d had unsettling experiences in the room. She concluded by recounting the two occasions when she and Knox had been trapped in there.
After she finished her testimony, Burke addressed them while the camera was still rolling. “Thanks for sharing your stories. Given what you’ve experienced, what would be your best guess as to the source of the emotional manipulation? Is it coming from one of the people who died during that devastating event?”
Celia nodded. “I believe Maeve’s ghost has been the entity haunting the room.”
“I agree,” Charlie added.
“What makes you say that?” Burke asked. “Why couldn’t it be the spirit of Frances Delacroix since she committed the murders? I would have assumed she’d be the one who’d stick around as a vengeful spirit.”
