by Skylar Finn
Riley’s mouth dropped open. “You did?”
“Do you remember anything?” I asked her. “Did someone wake you up? Daniel said you were sedated. Did you take a pill from someone?”
She shook her head vigorously. “No, I don’t remember anything like that. I fell asleep in between you two like always. The next thing I know I’m waking up with you guys staring at me—wait. I do remember something.”
“What?” Jazmin and I prompted at the same time.
“A voice woke me up.” She grabbed my arm. “One of the voices, you know?”
“From the old wing,” I said. “The angry spirits.”
“Yes.”
“I didn’t think they could leave there,” I muttered.
“I don’t know who it was,” Riley said. “A man’s voice, I think. He told me to go downstairs. I remember getting in the elevator. Everything after that is blank.”
“What does this mean?” Jazmin asked me. “Did you find anything out in the old wing? Do you think is related?”
Until then, I’d forgotten about my most recent excursion into the old wing and the depths of the hotel, including the new information about the identity of our ghosts.
“It’s all related.” I slid off the bed, slipping my hand out of Riley’s. Things were piling up on me again. I couldn’t tell Riley about Oliver’s underground bunker. She didn’t need to know that her father was going crazy on top of everything else. She didn’t need to know that the ghosts haunting the hallways were actually her dead relatives. “I need a minute. Excuse me.”
I went out into the hall, where I could separate myself from Jazmin and Riley’s energies. I sank to the floor, back against the wall, and took deep breaths. Every part of me felt cold, and it wasn’t leftover from my unplanned hike through the snowy butterfly garden. I patted my cheeks. They were wet and warm with tears. Once again, I hadn’t noticed I was crying.
“Well?”
I jumped as Odette popped out of nowhere. She crossed her arms and glowered at me.
“Well what?” I demanded.
“Did you figure out what the key opened or not?”
I sniffled and got to my feet. To compensate for our difference in height, Odette floated higher off the ground, as if she anticipated my coming anger.
“Did you know?” I asked her. “That Riley was in danger? Because it sure as hell feels like you lured me out of bed and into the old wing as a distraction while one of your buddies took Riley for a joyride in the snow.”
Odette sank a little, her shoulders softening from their usual square posture. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about Riley being drugged and left to freeze to death in the butterfly garden,” I shouted. “Your own niece, Odette!”
She looked stunned, as if my words were equivalent to a slap across her face. “No, I would never! I had nothing to do with that. I didn’t know. Oh, this isn’t good.”
“You can say that again,” I snapped. When she began to pace up and down the hallway, I almost reached out to stop her before remembering that she wasn’t made of flesh and bone like the rest of us. “Why didn’t you just tell me that you were Oliver’s sister?”
“I couldn’t.” She tugged at her long, dark curls, unrolling them one at a time. They sprang back into place each time she let go. “They wouldn’t let me, and you don’t know the whole story. This is bad. This is so bad.”
I threw my slipper through her head to get her to pay attention to me. It didn’t do much. The slipper dropped to the floor, and Odette continued trailing wisps of her essence across the carpet.
“Tell me the whole story, Odette,” I said. “Or I’m done with all of this. I’ll get Riley out of here, and then King and Queens can burn itself to the ground for all I care.”
“No!”
Odette zoomed so close to my face at such a rapid speed, she misjudged the distance between us. Our noses crossed paths, and I swore as my entire brain seized up, like I’d eaten ice cream too fast but a hundred times worse. I pinched the bridge of my nose, breathing deeply to wait out the pain.
“Could—you—not?” I demanded, eyes squeezed shut.
“You can’t leave,” Odette said. “Please, Lucia. I’ve waited for so long, and this is the closest I’ve gotten to making a breakthrough. You’re the first person who’s found out about my family, but you have more to discover. If you don’t, I’m trapped here forever, and the haunting is going to get worse. The deaths? They’ll keep happening, especially now that you’ve let the other spirits out of the old wing.”
“Me?” I said. “No way. You can’t blame that on me.”
“Actually, I can,” Odette said. “The more you and Riley use your psychic abilities, the stronger the spirits get. They feed off of you. Every time you go into the old wing with unbalanced energy, they’re using you for their own purposes.”
“You neglected to mention that before,” I growled.
“I thought it might scare you off,” she replied. “And I was right. That’s why I told you to practice balancing your energy. Ghosts can’t feed off someone who has complete control over their energy, but you and Riley are like energy drinks to them.”
“Listen, Odette.” I released my nose, and the blood rushed back to my head all at once. “If I had the option to physically threaten you at this point, I would. As it is, I would like you to imagine me doing it, okay?”
She backed up a few steps anyway. “You do realize you’re threatening a child, right?”
“One that’s already dead,” I reminded her. “And one that has led me and the people I care about into danger multiple times.”
“I didn’t—”
“You withheld important information from me,” I said. “I made it out of the old wing alive twice because of sheer dumb luck. If I really am your savior or whatever, you better start cluing me into whatever’s going on at this godforsaken resort. Is that understood?”
Pearly white tears beaded up on Odette’s pretty eyelashes. “I’m sorry. I can only tell you so much. As they get stronger, I get weaker.”
As soon as she said it, she began to disappear. Whether it was her decision to go or someone was forcing her to leave, I didn’t know.
“Please stay, Lucia.”
7
Icouldn’t sleep for the rest of the night, even when Jazmin volunteered to keep an eye on Riley so I could get some rest. They went into the living room to let me have the bed to myself, but it didn’t help. The mattress was cold and empty, and the frigid sheets reminded me of everything wrong with me. A couple hours later, as I lay staring at the ceiling, dead tired but unable to fall asleep, the sun came up over the mountains and filtered in through the slatted blinds. In the living room, Jazmin and Riley whispered to each other. They were trying to be quiet, but their hushed voices traveled under the gap at the bottom of the door. I rolled out of bed and pulled on my kimono, knowing I would never get back to sleep.
“Hey,” Jazmin said when I emerged from the bedroom. She sat at the desk by the window, my laptop open as she worked on something camera related. Riley was wrapped in a blanket on the sofa, watching Jazmin work over her shoulder. “Did you get some sleep?”
“A little,” I said. “Is that coffee fresh?”
Jazmin passed me her mug. “Just made it, extra strong the way you like it. Are you lying about sleeping well?”
“Yup.”
“I knew it. You look dead.”
I groaned into the coffee. “Don’t say that. What are you guys whispering about?”
Riley peeked her bare toes out from beneath the blanket and wiggled them. “We’re watching more footage from around the hotel. Just found something good. Want to see?”
I sat next to Riley and tucked her against my side. “Good, as in good news?”
“Not exactly,” Jazmin said as she navigated to the beginning of the video clip they’d been examining. “It’s more interesting than anything else. Ready?”
“Ready.
”
She pressed play. On the screen, Liam Lavi rested at his usual table in the lounge. The camera was hidden behind a fake fern, the leaves of which obscured half the shot. No one else was in the Eagle’s View. It was as if Liam had stayed there long after Daniel dismissed everyone else. I remembered his confrontation with Oliver outside the gift shop. At least he’d left the Eagle’s View at some point. In camera, he appeared asleep. He had one arm flung across his face to cover his eyes from the gray light that poured in through the massive window. He lay across the booth with his feet propped up on another chair. A minute in, a tall shadow loomed over him. It was Nick Porter. He nudged Liam awake. Liam blinked blearily up at his new companion.
“Mr. Lavi, is it?” Nick said. “I’m afraid Mr. Watson’s looking for you again. You might want to clear out of the lounge.”
Liam rubbed his eyes and sat up. “Thanks for the warning, Mr. Porter.”
“Sure,” Nick said. “By the way, if you were serious about wanting a job after this nightmare is over, I’d be happy to hire you and your friends at White Oak. No one should have to work in these conditions.”
Liam’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Are you serious?”
“Quite,” Nick replied. “At White Oak, we’re dedicated to treating our employees with the same respect we expect them to give to our guests. All employees are equals at White Oak. I see my entire staff on the same footing as myself. We value workers like you who stand up for what they believe in no matter the consequences.”
“Thank you,” said Liam, coaxing sleep from his foggy eyes. “That means a lot to me, sir. I’ll hold you to that.”
“I’m looking forward to it.” Nick glanced around the lounge as he leaned closer to Liam. “Mr. Lavi, we also do our best to take care of our employees’ mental health. In these last few days, I couldn’t help but notice you seem to be struggling more with Mr. Watson Junior’s death than the other King and Queens employees. I was wondering if you needed help in that regard. Or any regard really.”
Liam swept his mane of golden hair away from his face and tied it in a messy bun at the top of his head. He didn’t look Nick in the eyes. “No, I’m fine. Thanks, Mr. Porter.”
“Are you sure? I happen to be a very good listener.”
Liam rested his forehead in his hands, his shoulders rising and falling as he fought to control his breath. “I don’t know what to say, Mr. Porter.”
Nick sat next to Liam, far enough away to give him the space he needed. “Why don’t we start simple. Is there something bothering you?”
Liam hesitated. Then: “Yes.”
“Does it have to do with Mr. Watson Junior?”
“In a way. Not really.” Liam picked at one of the impressive calluses on his palm. “I’m not struggling with Tyler’s death. He was a prick. Sorry—”
Nick waved away his apology. “I’ve had my fair share of run-ins with many of the Watsons. I daresay Tyler was my least favorite to interact with.”
“Yeah,” Liam agreed. “Like I said, I don’t care about him. It sucks he died because maybe he would’ve learned not to be a jerk eventually, but he’s not the reason.”
“Not the reason you’re upset?”
“No.”
“Are you upset about someone else?” Nick prompted.
Liam, who looked as though he’d lost the ability to speak, pressed his lips together and nodded instead of delivering a verbal confirmation.
Nick crossed his bad leg over the good one, wincing as he did so. “You operated the ski lift, didn’t you? Were you the only one to fill that position?”
Liam hiccupped. “For the most part. Parker filled in for me on breaks, but she doesn’t like it. She’s always afraid something’s going to go wrong and people will blame her.”
Nick picked up the puzzle pieces that Liam was dropping. “Like how something went wrong the morning of Thelma Watson’s death?”
Liam bowed his head, burying his face in the sleeves of his King and Queens employee fleece. “Yes.”
“Thelma skied alone quite often,” Nick said. “Did you open the lift for her every time?”
“Yes.”
“Was there… anything in it for you?”
“No! Well—” Liam looked up, his eyes bright as he searched for the right words. “She slipped me a twenty sometimes, but she knew me and my sister were strapped for cash. And she brought me coffee. That was just a nice gesture.”
Nick said nothing, but he fixed Liam with a knowing look.
“She was unhappy,” Liam said. Jazmin turned up the volume so we could hear his low voice. “She skied every morning because she wanted to get away from Oliver and Tyler. She hated this place. It weighed her down. After a few weeks, she started confiding in me. I liked her. I understood her. She liked me too.”
“What happened, Mr. Lavi?”
“She’s not in love with Oliver,” Liam declared. “They were never in love. The only reason they got married was because of Tyler. Did you know that?”
“I’m afraid the gossip in Crimson Basin is all the same.”
“She hated that too,” Liam said. “That she got wrapped up in all this drama and gossip. She didn’t know who Oliver was back then. She had no idea he was a huge millionaire who was supposed to inherit his father’s resort. She didn’t ask for this life. She wanted to travel and have adventures, and she wanted to do it with someone who really loved her, not a guy who was already tied down to this crap pile.”
Nick tapped his fingers against the back of the booth. Legs crossed, arm outstretched, he embodied the perfect therapist, attentive but not pushy. “Did you think you were the man to give those things to her?”
“Whoa.” I nudged Jazmin. “No way. Liam and Thelma?”
“Just watch,” she said.
On screen, Liam fixed Nick with an expression of genuine shock, his mouth open and eyes wide. He rearranged his face, but it was too late not to see the truth in it.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he told Nick.
Nick smiled knowingly. “My dear friend, no man speaks about a woman with such passion and affection without reason.”
“That’s not why. We weren’t—it’s not like that!”
Nick scooted a little closer to Liam and leaned in. “Let me remind you that I am not Oliver Watson. I am not here to judge or punish you. If you need to get something off your chest, I’m willing to listen without expectations. I will not turn you in or betray you, Liam.”
Liam’s bottom lip quivered. “You can keep a secret?”
“Better than anyone else.”
“She kissed me first,” Liam admitted.
I hit Jazmin’s shoulder, unable to find words to express whatever I was feeling. Liam and Thelma. Oliver’s wife and one of his dissatisfied employees who wasn’t old enough to buy himself a drink had been involved. No wonder Liam was so disgruntled following Thelma’s death. Jazmin trapped my hand and shushed me so we could watch the rest of Liam’s confession.
“It was about a month after I started running the lift for her,” Liam went on. “She brought me a coffee and a twenty like usual, and then she said she had something else for me too. Then she kissed me. And it was” —he placed a hand to his heart— “freaking amazing, man.”
Nick couldn’t help but flash his signature smile. The warmth of it radiated outward, through the camera lens, and Liam relaxed a little at the sight of it. A moment later though, he sobered up again.
“But she said it couldn’t happen again,” he said. “That it was a one-time thing. She was a married woman. She had kids, one of which was my age. I didn’t push it. I thought I was lucky enough to get one kiss from her.”
“Was that the end of it then?”
Liam shook his head. “No, it wasn’t. A few weeks later, she had a big fight with her husband. Tyler had done something dumb again, and they disagreed over how to handle it. It doesn’t matter. She called me earlier than she ever had before. We met at the rental shop. S
he didn’t have any of her gear. No coffee or twenty dollar bill this time. She didn’t say good morning. She just launched herself at me. It was on and off after that. Some mornings, we’d hide in the rental shop. Others, she went right up the lift.”
“She was using you,” Nick said. “Her marriage was crumbling, and you were the perfect outlet for her frustrations.”
“She wasn’t using me,” Liam insisted. “She wasn’t like that. We had something. It was complicated for her. We talked about running away, but she didn’t want to leave Riley. She didn’t care about Oliver.”
Nick sighed, sliding away from Liam. “You are definitely in over your head, aren’t you? Liam, I know this is hard to hear, but maybe it’s for the best that yours and Thelma’s relationship never saw the light of day. It would’ve spelled disaster for everyone involved.”
“I don’t think so,” Liam replied. “If we had left like she wanted to, she never would’ve gotten on the ski lift that morning. She’d still be alive.”
“Do you blame yourself for what happened?”
Liam wiped his nose on the sleeve of his fleece jacket. “At first, I did. I thought I’d messed up or overlooked a safety check. Then I overheard Detective Hawkins talking about how the ski lift had been sabotaged. I couldn’t believe someone could do that. Out of all the Watsons, she was the best one, you know? Who would want to kill her?”
Nick patted Liam’s shoulder. “I don’t know, son. I knew Thelma too. She was a great woman. I’m sorry you had to go through all of that.”
A humorless chuckle got caught in Liam’s throat. “That’s the problem. I’m still going through it.”
“What do you mean?”
Liam checked in with Nick’s expression. “You said you aren’t here to judge or tattle on me, right?”
“You have my word.”
Liam took a deep breath. “After Thelma died, I was beyond upset. I couldn’t function. I almost didn’t show up to work, but Parker is the only other person here who knows how to operate the ski lift, and like I said, she hates it. It was awful. For days, I had to answer questions and show the cops how the ski lift worked and explain what I thought might have happened, all the while pretending Thelma was nothing more than my employer’s wife. It was freaking torture.”
