But no Father.
My nerves jangled anxiously as we headed toward the registration desk to the right. Two starched uniforms stood behind it, both dark-headed men in their twenties, and the taller of the two—ANDREIwas engraved on his gold name tag—greeted us in English.
“Welcome to Hotel Regina. How may we serve you?”
“Good afternoon, Andrei,” I said. “My name is Miss Theodora Fox, and this is my—”
“Brother,” Huck said.
I shot him an ugly look that saidI’m going to murder you in your sleep.He shot me one back that saidJust go with it.
“Brother,” I repeated. Whatever. “Anyway, we are supposed to meet my father here, and I was wondering if you could tell me if he’s already checked in? He’s an American by the name of Richard Fox. Very tall. Dark hair. Beard. Built like a grizzly bear?”
The man did a double take. “You are the Fox’s daughter?”
“Yes? Is he here?”
Andrei snapped at his associate. “Look! It is the Fox’s children.”
“The Fox?” the other man murmured.
They both stared at us as if we were circus oddities. Then Andrei said, “My apologies. We have heard stories about you. The Fox is a great man. What a character! A favored and generous guest. Because of him I was able to buy a new refrigerator for my wife.”
“Uh...” I glanced at Huck, questioning.
Sheepish, he gritted his teeth and avoided my eyes.
“We will never forget the Fox,” the desk attendant said. “He is always welcome, and so are you. How is he? And Jean-Bernard? Are they here in the city now?”
“That’s what I’m asking you,” I said. “We’re looking for my father.”
His brow wrinkled. “He is not with you?”
“We were to meet him here,” I said impatiently, feeling as if I were in a Marx Brothers film.
“Ah,” he said, realizing—finally. He shook his head. “No. We have not seen him since he left in July. I am sorry.”
My heart plummeted into my stomach. Not here yet. Well, he did say to wait until Friday. It was only Thursday. Maybe he’d show up later today or even tomorrow. But that would mean we needed to get a room—if for no other reason than to wash the bonfire out of my hair and change clothes. I could see Huck thinking along the same lines as he reached into his long gray coat and pulled out a few green bills. “Would you be able to exchange American dollars for Romanian lei?”
Where did he get American money? Had to have been from Father.
“Of course,” Andrei said, and they talked exchange rates and room rates, and it seemed as if Huck had enough cash for two, maybe three nights, if we didn’t eat. So Father had damn well better show up soon. Huck registered for one room despite my mumbled protests. “This is all the cash I have,” he whispered. “You lost the traveler’s checks—”
“They were stolen from me!” I whispered back.
“My job is to keep you safe. My money. One room. End of story,” he said in a low voice. “If you want to punch me later, feel free.”
I grumbled under my breath, but he just ignored me. As he was signing our names in the registration book, Andrei said, “I’m very happy Fox is returning. We last heard from him when he sent a letter and money.”
“Money?” I asked.
“It was generous but unnecessary. I told him it would be fine. The mayor’s wife doesn’t even remember fainting. It is all forgotten. Just an amusing story now of the wild American treasure hunter.”
Mayor’s wife?
The other desk attendant said something under his breath in Romanian that I couldn’t quite catch, and they both chuckled.
“My father... is always the subject of great stories,” I said, squinting at the attendants. Huck’s back was turned to me now, so I asked Andrei, “How exactly did it happen? The incident with the mayor’s wife?” and ignored Huck’s groan.
