Restless Spirits

“Are any of these incidents violent?”

“Depends on your definition of violent. No one’s been hurt, but rattling beds and tugs on clothing can be quiet discombobulating. So I don’t think they’d call their interactions peaceful.” Maureen’s lips twitched up, and he chuckled. Demi grinned and peered at him.

“I could see how that’d be true, Maureen,” Demi said.

“Okay, you two are all checked in. I’ll escort you to the room now.” Maureen walked from behind the counter and led them over to a steep set of stairs with a polished wood hand railing. “This banister is actually an original that’s been restored and kept up over all these years.” Maureen ran her hands over the shiny surface, and Pierce followed her example. It humbled him to think of how long this had been around. They wound around a corner, passing the first level and onto the second, where Maureen took a left.

“This is one of my favorite rooms. The decor is stunning and very romantic.” Maureen came to a stop in front of a heavy wooden door, removed a key from her coat pocket, and placed the clunky black key into the hole. She pushed the door open. Soft blue walls and a massive bed with lace covering over the four-poster’s canopy caught his attention first. A brilliant yellow coverlet with pink roses covered the wide expanse of the bed. The bed was so monstrous, a petite person would need a footstool to climb into it. Drapery of the same material decorated the top portion of the window directly in front of them.

“Is there anything else I can get you other than this?” Maureen handed over the key.

“No, thank you for being so helpful,” Pierce said.

“Will you be working tomorrow?” Demi asked.

“I will,” Maureen said.

“Wonderful! Do you mind if I ask you a few more things?” Demi said.

“Not at all. I’m looking forward to it.” Maureen smiled. “Now I’ll leave you to your evening. Please enjoy your stay.” She stepped away, closing the door behind her.

“This is beautiful,” Demi whispered. She trailed her fingers over the white trim that ran the center of every wall. A small mahogany desk sat in the corner with a lamp. A tall antique dresser of the same color rested against the wall, across from the foot of the bed.

“Yes, it is. A little feminine for my taste.”

Demi said, “Just about everything from this era would be. Back then all of the frills were for the lady and to show status.” She walked the room, trailing her fingers over the furniture before she came to a stop in front of the window. “Do you want to take a shower while I poke around? I’m dying to use an EMF meter for the first time.”

“No, that sounds great.” He placed her bag on the bed and headed toward the small bathroom he knew had to be an addition. The claw-foot bathtub with the attached shower made him smile. They did an excellent job of remaining historically accurate while adding enough modern creature comforts. As he stripped down, the scent of roses filled the air. He glanced around at the small sink and found nothing on the counter. Perhaps they’d sprayed the room with air freshener earlier. Hope rose inside him like a bubble, and anxiety melted away. This trip is going to be a success. I can feel it.

* * * *

Freshly bathed and dressed, they headed down to the hotel restaurant. Demi sat at a tiny table in the corner, across from Pierce.

“Do you feel like we’ve stepped back in time too?”Demi asked. She reached out to pick up her white wine and took a sip. This would never happen in Seeker, but when in Rome.

“I actually can’t help but think of Titanic with the linen napkins and fine china,” Pierce said.

“Not to mention all this glassware.” Demi traced a finger around the rim of her wineglass. Light reflected off the multitude of glassware lining the tables.

“How could I forget that?” He winked.

They’d ordered twelve-ounce sirloins with mixed vegetables and baked potatoes. Her stomach rumbled, and she took another sip of the wine as she drank in the dining area. From the corner of her eye, something white caught her attention. She turned her head and frowned when she found nothing.

“You okay? You have an odd look on your face.” Pierce leaned in.

“Fine. I just thought I caught a glimpse of something out my peripheral.”

His jaw dropped. “Like what?”

“I couldn’t say truly say. It looked white. Maybe it was a tablecloth.” She shrugged.

“No, they border on beige.”

They exchanged a look. “You don’t think we’ve already experienced something, do you?” Her voice shook a bit with excitement.

“Maybe. Did you bring your EMF meter?” Pierce asked.

“You know I did.” She unzipped the oversize purse she carried and dug inside for the blocky black box with five colored lights and labels. Removing it, she turned it on and held her breath as it read. The tiny circle lit and jumped from dark green to light green, barely topping the 2.5 range. She frowned. The box measured electromagnetic energy, something they believed a ghost gave off, especially when they attempted to manifest in some way. This reading she had didn’t indicate anything out of the ordinary. “Nothing yet.”