She dithered before the sinks after exiting her own stall, waiting until the other two hotel guests had exited. Straightening up once she was alone, Silva made eye contact with her reflection in the mirror, laying a hand over the swell at her front.
“We talked about this, remember? We’re going to try finding a bad lady today. And I don’teverwant you doing anything this stupid on your own, understand? I’ll be very cross with you if you do. We might have to go somewhere scary, but I won’t let anything hurt you. And I need you to be brave, as brave as you can be. ”
That her little wing was listening, she had no doubt. Silva took a deep breath, looking herself over. She was as ready as she would ever be.Go time. Again.
There was more deliberation in her walk as she made her way back to the reception desk. She had already called ahead and knew the general manager was in that morning, ensuring she was bright and early. She wasn’t leaving this hotel without an answer, and if they were smart, they would provide it without argument.
“Checking in?” The human behind the counter gave her a sunny smile when it was her turn to step up.
“No, actually.” She gave the human woman a smile of her own, as disarming as she could manage, sucking in a breath before she continued.You can do this. You’re not leaving without this. “I’m here to speak to your manager. I called ahead, and they said he would be here.” She had her phone already in hand, already swiped open to the information she had recorded, giving the woman behind the counter the manager’s name as confirmation.
The human woman faltered, her smile slipping for a brief moment. “Um, yes. Would-would you please step to the side, right over here? Let me check if he’s available.”
“Of course,” Silva smiled beatifically. “I’ll wait here until he is.” Her words were pointed. She made sure that they were, watching as the human woman hesitated again, before disappearing into the doorway behind the counter.
Silva smiled internally, thinking once more of the cat-like man. Once she had regained the tiniest measure of freedom after her hospital stay, she had packaged up her key as securely as she could. She had cold packs that came with an imported face cream she’d purchased online, along with the tiny cooler it arrived in. Sandwiching the key between the gel-filled packs, she ensured they were frozen solid, then packed the cooler in a box, the box inside yet another box. Half a roll of packing tape later, she texted the number on the card she had been given.
Just to let you know, nothing ate me.
Some ephemera has been overnighted to you.
I’ll be looking for your deposit.
~ Karen
True to his word, the amount Pyewacket had quoted her was deposited into her account, along with an additional $500 that he noted as the delivery fee. It was a better outcome than she could have hoped for.
Honestly shocked, but glad to hear it.
Pleasure doing business with you.
You have my card if there’s anything else you require.
She had a feeling that by immediately asking to speak to the manager upon entering the hotel that day, she only confirmed the moniker he’d bestowed, but Silva didn’t care.They’re lucky if that’s all you’ll be.
They kept her waiting nearly 30 minutes.
The human woman popped her head out of the office twice, her eyes instantly finding Silva, making no secret of the fact that she was checking to see if she was still there. Silva bristled, but stayed serene. She wasn’t going to give up that easily, and she would wait as long as it took. At length, the staff evidently arrived at the same conclusion.
A tall man with receding blonde hair and a disgruntled expression finally deigned to step from the office to speak with her.
She nearly snorted in disgust.Of course, it’s a man. A woman would’ve come out immediately just to get it over with. She didn’t feel comfortable around humans in general as it was, especially human men, and particularly when they held positions of authority over her. Unfortunately forthishuman, as her pregnancy progressed, Silva of the Daytime became smaller with each passing week.
“Yes, Miss, what can I help you with?”
She smiled tightly.Not even acknowledging that he’s been keeping you waiting this long. That’s fine. We weren’t interested in playing nice anyway.
“Yes, thank yousomuch for finding the time to speak with me.” She paused, smiling. Letting him grow comfortable, for she knew comfort led to complacency. She was pretty and sweet and had been underestimated every day of her life, but those days, Silva reminded herself, feeling the familiar weight against her insides as her little passenger turned, were long behind her. “I’m looking for a way to get in touch with a florist this venue has used regularly. I was specifically told thatyouwere the contact for this individual.”
She had come prepared with the date of that long-ago banquet she had attended here, the event name, and the club that had hosted it, along with several other events she had discovered the strange fae woman had attended. All here, at this hotel.
“I don’t believe I know which florist you’re referring to. You’ll need to contact our events department for that. We use several area businesses, so it could be any number of florists.”
Silva saw the lie in the man’s eyes. Another sweet smile, a Silva of the Daytime smile, one she knew was threaded in ice. “I’m not wasting time running in circles with the events department. As I said, I was toldyouare the specific contact. I don’t care what florists you use for other things. I’m interested in the person who provided the flowers for the specific event I mentioned, and them alone.”
He flinched, his shrug aborting mid movement, making a small noise in his throat. “I wouldn’t have that information. You would need to contact the hosts.”
She exhaled evenly, counting the beats of her breath. “I did that first, and I was told it was arranged by the hotel.”
