“Sounds like a plan. I’ll see you then.”
Stephen hangs up, and I walk down the high street and back to the underground.
“Mr. Foster. Mr. Foster.”
I’ve barely stepped back into the hotel when the woman who checked me into the hotel last night waves me down, stopping me by an arrangement of pink and purple hydrangeas next to the concierge desk.
“Good news! The airline delivered your luggage to us. I had one of the bellmen take it up to your room for you.” Her eyes sparkle with delight.
“Thank you, Imani. I really appreciate that.” Today, I see the golden name badge on her uniform. I must have missed it in my tiredness last night.
I instinctively lean in and hug her, and then pause, unsure what has come over me.
Maybe it’s her small act of kindness.
Maybe it’s the fact that she’s around the same age as my mother.
Maybe it’s that she symbolizes everything my mother is unable to be.
Kind.
Warm.
Considerate.
“Oh, and a bit of advice. You may want to be a bit morediscrete down in the gym.” Her voice lowers to a whisper as a couple walks by and she points to one of the cameras by the stairway to the atrium.
The horror must be evident on my face because she follows up with, “Don’t worry, I ensured no one else saw the footage.” She winks at me.
“Thank you,” I say, quickly turning to make my way toward the elevator.
Is that why Alexander left me hanging in the steam room?
The slow ride up is punctuated by a number of stops that let guests off at the lower floors. I breathe and try to be patient. All I want is to get back to my room and finish up the last few bits of work I need to do.
When I reach the fifth floor, I’m greeted by an eerie quietness. The bustle that greeted me when I left for lunch has disappeared. As I make my way down the hallway, I notice not only a maid’s trolley positioned outside my room, but Rob, lost in his phone, leaning up against the wall. He’s hard to miss given his towering frame.
When I get closer, Rob notices me, raises his hand and immediately coughs. Panic spreads across his face.
My door is ajar, which is strange considering I had left the Do Not Disturb sign on. Why would Rob be positioned outside my room and not further up at Alexander’s?
Rob ignores me, which is fine by me—one less difficult person to deal with today—and I turn into my room, only to bump straight into Alexander.
Ah, that explains it.
“Well, well, well. Look who it is. Houdini himself,” I say, crossing my arms. Alexander takes a startled step back, his eyes widening.
“I can explain…” he begins, then awkwardly waits for me to say something.
Although I am no stranger to awkwardness, I am not going to help.
“Go on…” I wave my hand, waiting for him to continue.
I’m intrigued by how he couldn’t wait to escape earlier, but now he’s in my room.
His gaze darts behind me to Rob, still waiting just outside the door, then back to me and then to behind him. He walks back to the table where my laptop sits beside a notepad and pen.
“I wanted to leave a note for you about earlier.” He grips the pad and holds it up to me. It’s void of any writing.
