Hocus Pocus Hotel

by Michael Dahl

  “I never said you were,” said Charlie. In fact, he was really starting to think that Tyler was pretty smart. It was just that Tyler never showed he had brains while he was in school. At school, Tyler pretty much only showed off his big arms and fists.

  Tyler ran a hand through his spiky black hair. “It’s crazy,” he said. “I just don’t get it. Oh, and by the way, this isn’t the only room where the shower curtain disappeared.”

  Tyler led Charlie to five more rooms on the same floor, opening each one with the hotel’s passkey. In each room’s bathroom, the shower curtain was missing. Only the metal rings that once held the room’s curtain in place still dangled on the curtain rod.

  “The maids found these,” said Tyler. “They always check out the rooms once a week, even if no one has used them. Just to make sure everything is in place.”

  “So no one is staying here?” Charlie asked.

  Ty shook his head. “Nope,” he said. “Get this,” he added. “None of these rooms has had a guest for over a week. They’ve been empty. And the cleaning people all swore the shower curtains were still there when they cleaned them.”

  “They couldn’t have made a mistake?” asked Charlie.

  “No way,” said Tyler. “The cleaning crew has a checklist for each room. If anything is missing, they have to report it. My mom’s a real stickler for being organized and clean.”

  “Six rooms without shower curtains,” said Charlie.

  “There’s other stuff missing, too,” said Tyler. “Now we need to go downstairs.”

  “There could be more than one ghost,” said Charlie.

  Suddenly, they both froze. A moan echoed through the dim hallway.

  “There it is!” whispered Tyler. “The voice.”

  A name was being called out over and over. “Mister Ken … Mister Ken …”

  The voice was soft, but clear. “See what I mean?” said Tyler quietly. He motioned for Charlie to walk down the corridor with him. Even as they tiptoed past door after door, the voice seemed to follow them.

  Charlie tapped Ty’s back and whispered, “Where’s it coming from?”

  Tyler shook his head. “I can’t tell. I’ve put my ears to the doors on this floor, but it isn’t coming from inside anywhere. It’s out here, in the hall.”

  “Mister Ken … Mister Ken …”

  The voice sounded angry. When it wasn’t speaking the man’s name, it was merely moaning.

  “You go down that hall,” said Tyler, pointing. “I’ll go down this way.”

  Charlie nodded and headed down the hallway. He wished he had a flashlight in his backpack. Even with a flash of lightning through the hall windows now and then, it was not easy to see his way down the hall.

  The ancient wallpaper was decorated with big black flowers.

  Lilies? wondered Charlie.

  The carpet was a deep green. The hall lamps were small and old-fashioned, covered with dim red shades.

  It reminded Charlie of walking through a funhouse. Or a creepy hotel in a scary movie. He half expected to see ghostly kids each time he turned a corner. But, except for Tyler, he was the only other person walking the halls.

  Neither of them saw a ghost or a moving shadow or a floating orb of light. They made a circuit of all the halls on the ninth floor. They passed the row of elevators twice (Mr. Brack was gone by then). And though the voice was equally clear throughout the hallways, they still couldn’t tell where it was coming from.

  For a while, Charlie thought that Ty was playing a trick on him. Firstly, Charlie didn’t believe in ghosts, so he had a hard time believing that the biggest bully in school did. Secondly, he could easily imagine Tyler telling his bully buddies how he had pranked Charlie and freaked him out.

  But after several minutes of prowling the halls, Charlie could tell that Ty was nervous too.

  Every time they passed each other, Tyler would ask, “Anything?”

  Charlie would shake his head and say, “You?”

  Tyler would shake his head. And the two would keep walking.

  Charlie did notice that the voice seemed to change volume as he walked. It would grow softer and then louder as he walked down a hall. If he retraced his steps to where the sound had been soft, it grew softer once more.

  Weird, thought Charlie.

  Charlie noticed something else. A second sound. It was softer than the mysterious voice, but always there in the background. A tinkling sound, like a tiny silver bell.

  Suddenly, the voice grew rougher, heavier. There was a loud bang.

  The voice cried out one more time, and then — silence.

  “Wow,” said Tyler, walking up to Charlie.

  “So, who’s this Mister Ken guy?” asked Charlie.

  “Beats me,” said Ty. “He could be a magician, maybe? They always call themselves Mister this or Mister that. I wonder if he used to live here a long time ago and maybe died in the hotel.”

  “Or maybe it’s the ghost of Abracadabra,” added Charlie.

  “Let’s ask Brack, when his elevator gets here,” said Tyler. “He knows everything about this place.”

  “Maybe there’s a record of accidents that happened here,” said Charlie. “We could Google it, I bet.”

  He pushed the button for an elevator, but when the next one came, it was not Brack’s.

  “No problem,” said Tyler. “We need to go back downstairs anyway.”

  As they stepped inside the elevator, Charlie thought about the ghost that had shown itself to the elderly operator. Something about Brack’s story didn’t sound right.

  When they reached the first-floor lobby, Tyler led Charlie past the front desk and down a broad flight of steps. At the bottom, they walked through several more corridors and finally came to a huge room with a shiny wooden floor.

  “You have a bowling alley down here?” exclaimed Charlie. His voice echoed in the large, empty space.

  “Yup,” said Tyler. “With nine lanes. But it’s closed now because of the ghost.”

  “Don’t tell me he stole the bowling balls,” said Charlie.

  “No, the pins,” Tyler said. “Not all of them. Just nine. One from each alley.”

  “This is getting weirder by the minute,” said Charlie.

  “And it’s not over,” said Ty.

  As he led Charlie back toward the marble steps, they passed another door. Actually, it was a set of double doors. Charlie noticed that the carved wooden doors were each decorated with a face. One face was smiling, and one was frowning.

  “What’s that?” Charlie asked.

  “Oh, that’s the old theater,” said Tyler, sounding bored.

  Charlie darted over and peered inside the doors. It was another huge room, bigger than the bowling alley. Rows and rows of red velvet seats faced a large stage. The stage curtains looked about a mile high. They were pulled to the sides, so that the shiny wooden floor of the stage could be clearly seen. It was one of the most amazing rooms Charlie had ever seen.

  Charlie rubbed his hand along the back of one of the theater chairs. “Cool,” he whispered.

  “No one’s used this place for years,” said Tyler. “This is where they used to have the old magic shows. Come on, let’s go.”

  He led Charlie back up the stairs and into the hotel’s main floor restaurant, the Top Hat.

  Several of the tables and booths were already filled with hungry guests. At the back of the dining area was the kitchen. Warm air and chattering voices greeted the boys as they passed through the kitchen’s swinging doors.

  “Hey, Dad!” yelled Ty.

  A tall man wearing a tall white chef’s hat hurried over to meet him.

  “Tyler, you shouldn’t be back here,” said Mr. Yu. “Only cooks and waiters.”

  “I know, I know,” said Tyler.

  “Who’s this?” asked his father, gesturing toward Charlie. “Your friend from school?”

  “Yeah, this is Hitch,” said Ty. “He’s here because he’s interested in the ghost.”
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br />   “Ah,” said his father, nodding his head. “Our phantom friend.”

  Charlie noticed that the older Yu had the same eyes as his son. But his face was much friendlier. Tyler must get his scowl from his mom, thought Charlie.

  “Tell him what the ghost took from your kitchen, Dad,” said Tyler.

  “I don’t know if it was a ghost,” said Mr. Yu, smiling. “But someone took a half dozen of my best serving spoons.”

  “The big kind,” added Tyler. “You know, for scooping out stuff.”

  “We run a tight ship here at the Top Hat,” said Mr. Yu. “Every pot, pan, plate, and utensil is accounted for. I can’t understand why anyone would want serving spoons.”

  “Are they valuable?” asked Charlie.

  “Well, they are old,” admitted Mr. Yu. “And I’m sure they’re genuine silver. They came with the original silverware from the hotel’s first restaurant.”

  “Think they’re worth a hundred bucks, Dad?” asked Tyler.

  “Probably more,” said Mr. Yu. “Now, I need to get back to my customers. We’re serving one of my specialties tonight, Flambeau de Chesterton. I have to make sure I don’t set off the fire alarm like I did last time. You boys have fun.”

  “See you later,” Tyler said.

  “Nice to meet you,” Charlie said.

  Mr. Yu smiled at him. Then the boys left.

  As they returned to the lobby, Charlie stopped and asked, “Why do you think a ghost stole the spoons?”

  “Not so loud,” whispered Tyler. “I don’t want the guests to hear. It’s bad for business.”

  He grabbed Charlie by the collar and pulled him into a shadowy corner, where they were surrounded by potted palms and giant ceramic vases.

  “There’s no one around,” said Charlie, readjusting his collar.

  “Yeah, but that lobby echoes,” said Tyler. He shrugged. “My family has a reputation to uphold here.”

  “So tell me why you think —” Charlie began.

  “Yeah, yeah, the ghost,” said Tyler. “Definitely took the spoons. And I think so because it all happened the same night. After Mr. Thursday called us upstairs about the shower curtain, that same night, my dad noticed his spoons were gone. And later, my mom got complaints from some of the guests that the bowling pins were missing downstairs.”

  “That is weird,” said Charlie.

  “No kidding,” said Tyler. “This is why you need to solve the mystery. And it better be quick, before something else disappears.”

  Just then, a hand reached out from behind one of the giant vases.

  Tyler jumped as the hand grabbed at him.

  “Where’s my key?” came a voice.

  As the mysterious hand moved closer to Tyler, Charlie saw that it was attached to an arm, then a shoulder, then an entire body of a teenage boy with long blond hair. He was wearing a dark maroon suit and a gold name badge.

  “Don’t do that!” said Tyler.

  “Sorry, man,” said the teenager. “I need my passkey back.” He turned and looked at Charlie. “Who are you?”

  Charlie began, “I’m —”

  “He’s Hitch,” said Tyler. “And here’s your stupid passkey.” He handed it to the blond guy, who shoved it in his pocket.

  “Your mom was looking for it,” said the blond guy. “And I don’t want to lose it like last time.”

  “You lost it?” Charlie asked.

  The blond guy turned to Tyler. “Who is this kid?” he asked. “And why does he care about my stupid passkey?”

  “I’m, uh, writing a report on the hotel for school,” said Charlie. “Who are you?”

  “Rocky,” said the guy. “I work the front desk.”

  “He and Annie switch off,” explained Tyler.

  “When did you lose the key?” Charlie asked.

  “I didn’t really lose it,” said Rocky. “I just misplaced it. I was checking people in and I had a lot on my mind. I couldn’t find the key, but when I looked again a little later, there it was on the floor. Must have dropped it. Anyway, why do you care when I lost it?”

  “Don’t you have work to do?” asked Tyler.

  “Nice talking to you too, Ty,” said Rocky. He pushed his long hair behind his ears and walked back toward the desk.

  “Well, that could explain our ghost,” said Charlie.

  “What could? Rocky?” asked Tyler.

  “No, the passkey,” said Charlie. “Rocky said he was missing it for a little while, right? So while it was gone, someone could have used it to get into the rooms on the ninth floor and steal the shower curtains.”

  “You’re right,” said Tyler.

  “And does the passkey let you into the bowling alley and the kitchen?” asked Charlie.

  “Yeah. It unlocks every door in the hotel,” said Tyler.

  “So that’s how the thief did it,” said Charlie. “Stole the spoons and shower curtains and everything.”

  “But how could you steal a key right in front of someone?” asked Tyler. “Rocky’s not that smart, but he does notice things. He knew you and I were over here behind these plants and vases.”

  “Right,” Charlie said. “That’s why I think it had to be a magician.”

  “Why?” Tyler asked.

  “Magicians use the trick I’m thinking of all the time,” said Charlie. “It’s called palming. It’s how they can hide an object in their hands, right under your nose. Or they distract you, make you look at something else, while they put the object in their pocket.”

  “Hmm,” said Tyler. He strode across the lobby and stopped at the front desk. Rocky was busy working at a computer.

  “Hey, Rock,” said Tyler. “The day you couldn’t find that key, were there lots of people checking in?”

  “I’m busy here, Ty,” said Rocky.

  “Just tell me what you dropped on the floor that day,” said Tyler.

  “Just someone’s credit card and … hey, how did you know I dropped something?” Rocky asked, turning from the computer.

  “Elementary,” said Tyler, with a smirk. “Whose card was it?’

  “And when did all this happen?” added Charlie.

  Rocky thought for a moment. He brushed the hair out of his eyes and said, “It was Thursday.”

  “Thanks, Rock,” said Tyler.

  Then Charlie asked, “And were any of those people you checked in named Ken?”

  “You’re starting to bug me, kid,” said Rocky.

  “Hey, can you answer his question or not?” said Tyler.

  Rocky frowned and looked quickly at his computer screen. “Nope, no Ken. Hey, no Ken do. Get it? You asked if I could answer his question, and I said, ‘No Ken do.’ Ha.”

  “You’re a comedian,” said Tyler. “Come on,” he told Charlie.

  The two boys walked away from the counter. Tyler shook and head and shoved his hands into the back pockets of his jeans. “What a weirdo,” he mumbled. “Well, now what do we do?”

  This puzzle was more bizarre than the Mr. Madagascar one.

  This was more than just a magician trying out a fancy trick. This mystery had a ghost, a wavering voice, missing bowling pins, spoons, and shower curtains. What did bowling pins have to do with ghosts? What did silver spoons have to do with shower curtains?

  Or maybe not exactly shower curtains, Charlie thought. There was something he had seen in Mr. Thursday’s bathroom that he hadn’t seen in the others Tyler had showed him.

  The other thing, the weirdest thing, was that Charlie was sure there was a phantom cleaner in the hotel. Things were being cleaned without anyone else realizing it.

  Suddenly, grunts echoed through the lobby. Charlie turned and saw a couple of men walk toward the counter where Rocky was working. Rain dripped from their clothes and their shoes.

  The men had thick necks and broad shoulders, but they were struggling with two huge suitcases. They set them down by Rocky, then took out handkerchiefs and wiped their foreheads.

  “Thanks,” Rocky said.

&n
bsp; “We got one more,” said one of the men. He jerked his thumb over his shoulder toward the front door. An empty taxi was sitting by the curb.

  Charlie looked at the suitcases again. Things were starting to make sense to him.

  “I think we need to go back up to the ninth floor,” said Charlie. “There’s something else missing from the bathroom in Room 909.”

  “I don’t hear the voice,” said Tyler.

  “Me either,” Charlie said. “Just wait.”

  They were walking through the hallways again on the ninth floor. When they reached Room 909, Tyler unlocked the door with the passkey. He’d grabbed it while Rocky was busy with the heavy suitcases that had just arrived.

  “Okay, Hitch,” said Tyler. “What’s the deal with Mr. Thursday’s bathroom?”

  “Look at the curtain rod,” said Charlie. “See anything?”

  “Uh, no,” replied Tyler. “I already told you that the ghost, or whatever it was, stole the shower curtains.”

  “Right,” said Charlie. “But I remember something from the other bathrooms. Since I have acute visual memory, I remember …”

  “Yeah, yeah, I know,” said Tyler, with a frown. “You remember everything you see.”

  “And the other rooms don’t match this room,” Charlie said.

  Tyler frowned, but he took off and ran to one of the other hotel rooms.

  Charlie followed as Tyler rushed inside the other room and disappeared into the bathroom.

  “Wow!” came his voice.

  “See it?” asked Charlie.

  Tyler walked slowly out of the second bathroom and stared at Charlie. “You did it again, Hitch,” he said. “This bathroom has the curtain rings still attached.”

  “They all do,” said Charlie. “Except for the curtain rod in Mr. Thursday’s bathroom. The shower curtains and the rings are missing.”

  “But why?” asked Tyler. “What’s the difference?”

  “Let’s see, there are about twelve or so rings on each rod,” Charlie said thoughtfully. “Someone wanted those rings.”

  “They’re not valuable,” said Tyler. “Just made out of metal.”