The Night At The Hotel

I searched open the drawers, frantically throwing out his papers and notes, and found the key to his locker. I stuffed it in my bag, put his papers back untidily and rushed out of his office making my way through the sparkling hallways, to the elevator. I called the elevator and anxiously stared at the screen above it's steel doors, reading the number of floors…5…4…3 –right then - something moved behind me. I saw a shadow move. I spun around stepping back and gripping my bag as tightly as possible. I was scared. Time froze. The lobby was motionless. I turned away, facing the elevator again, this time consciously staring at the reflection of the lobby at the steel doors…2…1…the doors slid open…

The walls of the 7 floor cynically stared at me while I stood with my shadow following me in the exquisitely furnished corridor. The air was thick. Silence echoed. On my left was a wall holding numerous wooden frames with grand events captured in them. My eyes looked back at me through the glazed tiles when I looked down. And on my right were three frosted-glass doors standing metres apart from each other. The whole hallway had a queer feeling to it.
I briskly walked towards the middle door, fixed that key in the lock. Nothing happened. I twisted it both the sides. Failed again. I darted to the other door. Tried and tried, praying to god, wishing the key would fit the lock but my luck was not with me tonight!
           
            "Catherine? Is that you, dear?"
I jammed right there. The voice seeped into my ears and bit my heart. My fist twitched, my lungs pumped up at great speed. What was I going to do? Tell Mrs Hermione, I was spying on her owner all this time? Or was she the one I saw downstairs?
"Catherine? Dear! What's the matter?" she ambled down the hallway. I staggered at my luck taking the worst shape ever! I turned around shakily, avoiding an eye-contact, I stammered "N-nothing! I was…er…called by Mr Lewis…er…he wanted me to paint something for his room!"  My brain had never been such a genius at making up stories! It convinced Mrs Hermione very well! I frowned at myself! I should've known she could be patrolling the floor! She's his child's governess after all!

I kept watching her from the corner of my eye, till she faded out of sight. Then I resumed to my task. I fixed the key, hopefully, one last time…and it snapped open with a 'CRACK!'. My heart danced. I could feel a sensation rising in me.

I pushed open the door to find a huge luxurious room with a rather 'imperial' look to it. I still remember how the room's beauty stunned me for a minute! Full-length windows… lavish furniture…marble floor… The abstract paintings had breath-stealing combinations of colours. Al the world's art stood here. The sight-grabbing wooden screen in the corner had Indian wooden carving tenderly done to it. The chandeliers shone like pearls in my eyes! But there was no locker…at least I could not see one!

I had to look around carefully. Aiming towards the wooden screen, I tip-toed across the room suspecting my prey's locker to be there. But not the slightest hint of it could be found! Maybe I had to creep with the wall, people usually camouflage their lockers in the walls. But no! I could not make out a single locker! I stood there, unintentionally wondering why a beautiful painting was hung here when the screen was already hiding this area. That struck me! The painting! I slid it aside to discover a small locker waiting for me! Now I simply had to the password I had memorized…240999no17…easy to memorize when you know what happened on the 24th of September 1999…when shot his 17th victim dead…The locker slid open and there rested a stack of papers, bunches of money and gold.

I grabbed the papers and ran my fingers through them. I found it! The letters he had written and received about trapping my brother. The documents that proved me right. And that album. I skipped through to the picture of Lewis sitting with a young man, healthy and happy. Another picture of them, the boy looking weary. The last showing him pale and weak…my brother.

It was true. This hotel belonged to my brother's murderer! The last picture dated 24-09-1999. The letters…they showed their plans…the reasons…the truth. I finally had it all! I could breathe freely!
"There's one more file at the back, you might want to see it"
My eyelids jumped. Lewis Kelvin…right behind me. My throat dried up. I was stoned.

He walked past me, his mirror-shine shoes tapping in the silence stopped right in front of me. He knew I was coming. That shadow…
"I'm impressed Laura…but I must confess…I read your eyes when I let you stay in my hotel…I was waiting for you!" he sneered at me "You think you can work your way out? We'll see…