فصل 11

Chapter 11: Haunted Hotel Gadsden

We left the hospital in Bisbee and drove from Bisbee twenty-three miles back to Douglas to the hotel where we planned to spend the night: the Hotel Gadsden, a tall, historic building that looked as old as the city and was, by far, the largest structure on the aged main street.

“I’ve heard about this place,” Ostin said. “It’s on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. It’s been used in a bunch of movies. They say that room 333 is haunted.” Tessa rolled her eyes. “Haunted? Really? I thought you were smart.” “I am,” Ostin said. “And yes, I believe in ghosts, spirits, and paranormal beings.” We parked on the street in front of the hotel and walked inside. The hotel’s lobby was high ceilinged and surprisingly beautiful, with tall, marble columns extending to the ceiling. Across the wall on the split stairway leading up to the indoor balcony was a forty-foot-wide Tiffany mural of the Mexican desert.

“I want to stay in room 333,” Nichelle said. “I’ve always wanted to see a ghost.” “There are no such things as ghosts,” Tessa said.

“I’m glad you feel that way,” Nichelle said. “You can be my roommate.” We followed Scott up to the check-in counter. “Do you have any vacancies for tonight?” he asked.

“Yes, sir,” the clerk said, looking us over. He was a fortysomething blond man with a name tag that read TOM. I noticed that his eyes lingered on the scars on my arm.

“I need six rooms for the night,” Scott said. “Double occupancy.” “We can accommodate that. May I see a credit card?” Scott took out his wallet and showed the man his ID. “We should have an account here.” “Just a moment,” he said, looking at his computer. “Of course. It’s good to have you back, Mr. Allen. Shall I put all the rooms on the same account?” “Yes, please.”

“I see the last time you were here, you stayed in 110, our Jacuzzi suite. Would you like the same room, or do you have a preference?” “We’ll just be staying in your regular rooms this time,” Scott said. “The historic rooms.” “I want room 333,” Nichelle said.

Tom looked over at her with a half smile. “So you’ve heard of our ghost.” Nichelle nodded. “Have you seen a ghost?”

“Once,” he said. “In the basement. The power had gone out, so I went down there with a flashlight to check the fuse box. Suddenly the hair on the back of my neck rose, and I had this feeling that I was being watched. Then I saw a cloud in the shape of a man come toward me.” “That’s creepy,” Taylor said.

“A cloud in the shape of a man?” Tessa said. “That’s bogus.” “Ah, a skeptic,” Tom said. “At least once a week I hear something about a ghost from a guest. Especially from those staying in room 333. Once we had a movie crew stay here while they were filming a documentary on the old West. One of the cameramen said his room’s light kept flipping on and off all night; then something threw all of his clothes off their hangers in the closet.” “I’m pretty sure that was an episode of Scooby-Doo,” Tessa said.

Tom just smiled. “Another time a woman, a college professor, told me that she felt someone get into bed with her. When she rolled over to see who it was, no one was there.” “She was probably just lonely and dreamed it,” Tessa said.

“Maybe, but she certainly believed it. She had reserved the room for three nights, but she packed up and checked out in the middle of the night. We have an entire binder filled with supernatural accounts recorded by our guests. Most are simple things, lights or televisions turning on and off in the night, or strange sounds coming from the radiator. Especially in room 333.” “All old radiators make strange sounds,” Tessa said. “Old buildings make noises.” “You may be right, but after hearing these stories for the last ten years, you begin to think that there must be something going on.” “Logically, I’d come to that conclusion,” Ostin said. “Though it’s possible that the expectation created by previous ghost stories might create an expectant psychological environment for mob hysteria.” Tom just stared at Ostin.

“He always talks that way,” Tessa said. “It’s annoying.” “Actually, I was admiring his vocabulary,” Tom said, handing out our room keys. “And here is 333 for you,” he said, handing the key to Nichelle.

“Thanks,” she said.

“Is there a restaurant nearby?” Ostin asked. “I’m starving.” “Yes, sir. We have our famous Saddle and Spur Tavern just behind you to your right.” While we were getting our keys, Scott took out his cell phone to make a call. I glanced over at him. He looked as frightened as if he had seen a ghost. He hung up his phone, shaking his head. “I can’t believe it.” We all turned to him.

“What?” I asked.

“The plane is gone.”

“What do you mean gone?” Zeus said.

“Boyd flew out the same night we landed.”

“Why would he do that?” Tessa asked.

“There’s no reason. . . .” He stopped, the look of concern evident on his face. “There’s no good reason.” “Could he have been working with the Elgen?” Zeus asked.

“I’ve known him since he was nineteen. He wouldn’t leave without us unless”—he closed his eyes—“something bad happened.” Taylor looked at Scott. “What do we do now?” “I need to go over to the airport and see if anyone knows what’s going on,” Scott said. “Ian, could you give me a hand?” “No worries.”

“And, Tessa, we could use some amplification powers.” “Yeah, I’m down.”

“I’ll go too,” Zeus said, taking Tessa’s hand. “In case we need some firepower.” “We should all go,” I said.

“No,” Scott said. “I think it’s best we not keep all our eggs in one basket. I’ll take Ian, Tessa, and Zeus. Michael, I want you to keep everyone else together.” “How long will you be?” I asked.

“It’s only twenty minutes from here, so no more than two hours. If you haven’t heard from us by then, you’ll know something’s wrong.” “All right, we’ll stay together until we hear from you,” I said. “Call our room if you have news.” “Which room will you be in?” Scott asked.

“The haunted one,” Nichelle said.