But after the bustle of the holidays, Knox was glad to return to his regular routine, albeit one that now included Charlie. His favorite moments with her were the low-key ones they shared together—reading books by the fire, talking in bed, visiting flea markets, exploring Victoria’s hidden coves. She’d become an integral part of his life.
As the show’s opening credits unspooled over the screen, Charlie gripped his hand tightly. The episode started off with a recap of the murder-suicide, complete with a shadowy reenactment of the incident. After a brief overview of the modern-day Duchess, snippets from the three interviews followed. When Gertrude’s face appeared, her great-grandchildren whooped loudly, to the delight of everyone in the room.
Back in September, Knox hadn’t wanted anything to do with the show. But now? He was glad he’d been roped into it. If not for the opportunity to spend time with Charlie, he might have let her slip through his fingers. Thanks to her, he’d stopped lurking on the sidelines and taken a leading role in his own life. If asking her out had been risky, then coming clean about his past had been an even greater challenge. But both risks had paid off.
That wasn’t the only change. For the first time since he’d started working at the Duchess, he felt like he was a part of something. It was similar to the experiences he’d had back when he was deeply invested inThe Hidden Forest. While he still had a reputation to uphold as the city’s surliest bartender, now his grouchiness was more of an act.
With the backstory and interviews complete, the show moved on to the main event—the much-anticipated lockdown in the storage room. When Charlie entered the room, Knox tensed up, as if experiencing it all over again. The producers had manipulated the footage to make it seem like she had stayed longer than ten minutes. When the books came flying at her head, people gasped. Thanks to the lighting and camera angles, everything looked more dramatic than when Knox had first viewed it.
Laurel sat on Charlie’s other side, riveted by the ghostly showdown. “Holy shit, Charlie. And to think, I still can’t get you to watch horror movies with me. This show is scarier because it happened in real life.”
Charlie shuddered. “This was a one-time thing. No more ghosts for me.”
“Knox, you have to convince her,” Laurel said. “She’s seriously missing out.”
He chuckled, knowing it was a lost cause. Fortunately, both women loved fantasy films. Ever since Charlie had moved in with Laurel, retro movie nights at their apartment had become one of his favorite traditions. Charlie would make a huge batch of popcorn, Laurel would bake cookies, and he’d bring the candy. Then the three of them would settle in together for a rewatch of a classic flick likeThe Fellowship of the RingorLabyrinth. He was glad the two women were getting along so well and that Charlie didn’t have any regrets about leaving her parents’ place.
Toward the end of the show, Burke played back the recording he’d taken with the EVP during the few minutes when Charlie was recovering from Maeve’s emotional assault. Knox could barely make out what it was saying.
“What did that sound like to you?” he asked Charlie.
“Goo-buh? It sounded like nonsense.”
Burke played it again and announced, “Maeve is saying ‘goodbye.’ Could it be that she’s finally at peace and is bidding us farewell?” The other investigators responded with enthusiasm as he replayed it two more times.
Knox thought “goodbye” seemed like a stretch. But if that was the narrative they wanted to spin, who was he to argue?
As the show came to its conclusion, Burke faced the camera. “To the best of our knowledge, tonight’s investigation brought us in contact with the spirit of Maeve, an Irish hotel clerk who was murdered in 1924. Based on what we experienced during our lockdown, it seems as though she might have left this earthly plane and crossed over to the other side. Does this mean the Duchess Hotel is no longer haunted? Or will Maeve return—with a vengeance—at some point in the future? Only time will tell.”
Way to dramatize it.Knox stifled a laugh but joined the others in a thunderous round of applause. While the show might have been a bit hokey, it had certainly been entertaining.
Once the TV was shut off, Preston strode to the front of the room and raised his hand to silence the crowd. “Thank you, everyone. And Logan, thank you so much for featuring our hotel inCanada’s Most Haunted. We’re proud we were able to participate. As far as we can tell, Maeve’s ghost seems to have departed. But if she chooses to return, having a resident ghost associated with our hotel shouldn’t hurt business. Why should the Grand Duke be the only one capitalizing on their ghostly lore?”
Knox secretly wondered if the hoteliers at the Duke were jealous that they’d passed up the opportunity to star inCanada’s Most Haunted.
Preston continued. “Before we break for a little celebration, I want to recognize the two employees who helped make this happen. Knox McIntyre and Charlotte Fraser, stand up please.”
Charlie turned to Knox in astonishment. “No way.”
Knox couldn’t ever recall receiving this kind of acclaim from his boss. But he wasn’t about to pass it up. Taking Charlie’s hand, he stood beside her. Together, they waved at the group, which erupted in another round of applause.
“Thanks for watching,” he said. “We’re glad it worked out so well. Right after this, there’s a private party in the Gilded Lily. Just give me about ten minutes to get things ready.”
Charlie grinned at everyone. “Knox and I had a blast getting involved inCanada’s Most Haunted, but I’m turning in my resignation as one of the hotel’s ghostbusters. If anyone else wants to tackle that storage room, have at it.”
Knox tugged at her hand. “Want to help me set up?”
“Sure.” She waved at the audience again. “See you all in a bit.”
As they left, people started chatting amongst themselves. Did they believe the ghost was real? Or did they consider it an elaborate hoax? Regardless, the episode had served its purpose as a half-hour of spine-chilling entertainment.
Knox walked with Charlie to the Gilded Lily, pushing past the sign that announced the lounge was reserved for a private party. Once he was behind the bar with her at his side, he took her in his arms. Though they didn’t have long before the others came streaming in, he wanted her to himself for a few minutes. “We did it.”
“You really think I looked okay on TV?” Charlie asked. “I should have touched up my lipstick before I went in there. And one of the camera angles made my butt look kind of big.”
He gripped her ass, relishing the feel of it under his palms. “Your butt looked amazing, as always. You were fierce and wonderful.”
“Ooh, fierce. I like that.”
