Secret of the Staircase (The Virginia Mysteries Book 4)

by Steven K. Smith

  “Probably,” said Mom, “but I’m sure he’s very nice.” She turned around again and looked them in the eyes. “Just be kind to him, okay?”

  “Got it, Mom,” said Derek.

  Sam was about to agree, when something caught his attention out the window. “Whoa, is this the hotel?” Sam pushed his face against the window. A light-colored building of tan bricks stood in front of them. It looked like it was four or five stories high. Narrow clock towers rose up on either side of the building, reaching even higher. A round sign stood out front.

  The Jefferson Hotel – 1895.

  Yep, this was it.

  Dad pulled the car forward into a wide, curving driveway. He stopped next to the main entrance. A man dressed in a uniform and a hat eagerly jogged over to them.

  “You’re parking here?” asked Derek.

  “I think you’ll block the driveway,” said Sam. He couldn’t see a parking lot. Maybe they should park on the street. This guy was probably going to yell at them.

  “Everybody out,” said Mom, smiling.

  As they all stepped out, Dad handed his keys to the man with the hat. The man gave Dad a slip of paper and hopped into their car.

  “Dad! He’s taking the van!” shouted Derek.

  “He’s the valet, it’s okay,” said Mom, chuckling.

  “What’s a val-lay?” asked Sam carefully. Maybe it was the name for someone who stole your car. Although Dad did surrender his keys fairly willingly, and neither he nor Mom looked very upset.

  Dad handed their luggage to another uniformed man with a cart on wheels and ushered them onto the curb.

  “A valet is a parking attendant,” said Mom. “It’s a service for guests of a nice restaurant or a hotel. That way you don’t have to worry about finding a parking spot yourself. They’re offering free valet parking to everyone in the wedding party.”

  “Oh,” said Sam, thinking about it. “I guess that’s pretty cool.”

  “How do you know he won’t steal your car?” asked Derek.

  “That’s why I have a receipt,” said Dad. He held up the small piece of paper the man gave him. “When we’re ready to leave, we’ll give this to the valet and he’ll run and get our car for us.”

  How could Dad be so sure? “I think our car is a lot more valuable than that little piece of paper, Dad. I think you should’ve asked for something else from him.”

  “Yeah, maybe you should get his wallet,” said Derek.

  Mom and Dad laughed. “Trust me, boys. It will be fine,” said Dad.

  Sam watched the man carefully as he drove around the corner in their van. It was a long walk home if the van was stolen. He turned back to the hotel and stepped around a stone column in the entranceway. A dark shape was spread out on the sidewalk in front of him. His heart froze.

  It was a giant alligator!

  “Whoa!” he shouted. He jumped back into the parking lot, tripping over the luggage cart and landing face-first on Mom’s pink suitcase.

  Derek laughed. “Smooth, Sam!”

  Sam stood up and pointed toward the sidewalk, his heart pounding. “An alligator!”

  Derek was still laughing. Sam peered around the column. It was just a statue.

  Derek stepped next to him and patted his back gently. “It’s okay, buddy. Maybe you should go to the spa with Mom to relax a little.”

  Sam took a deep breath and stared at the statue. It was probably ten feet long. And even though it was made of bronze, it looked pretty fierce. He read the small sign next to the statue.

  “Alligators once lived in marble ponds that surrounded the Thomas Jefferson statue in the Palm Court Lobby. The last of the alligators, Old Pompey, called The Jefferson home until his death in 1948.”

  Sam looked over at Derek. “Old Pompey, I wonder if that’s the one that Mr. Haskins told us about.”

  “Boys, come on!” called Mom from the entrance door.

  Sam followed Derek into the hotel, his eyes peeled for any other lurking reptiles – bronze or otherwise.

  FOUR

  Sam walked into a colorful, light-filled lobby. Tilting his head back, he stared at the huge, round stained glass ceiling. The glass pattern was made up of brilliant blues and reds. “Wow,” he whispered.

  The light from the ceiling focused onto the middle of the room, where a tall white statue was fenced off from the rest of the space.

  “Cool statue,” said Derek.

  “Do you know who that is?” asked Mom, walking up from the front desk.

  “That’s easy,” said Sam. He’d known even before he saw the inscription along the base. “It’s Thomas Jefferson.” She should give him a little bit of credit. It was the name of the hotel after all.

  “Sam! Derek!” called a familiar voice. The boys looked to their left and saw Caitlin running up toward them. “Hey guys, isn’t this place great?”

  Sam turned to his mom. “What’s Caitlin doing here?” He hadn’t expected his friend from school to be at the hotel. She wasn’t in the wedding. He didn’t think she even knew Mom’s friend, Anita.

  “Didn’t I tell you? Caitlin’s dad is the photographer for the wedding,” said Mom.

  “Surprise!” Caitlin smiled and gave him a big hug. Sam turned red and squirmed free of her embrace.

  Sam was surprised. But not disappointed. It was fun to have Caitlin along. They’d had cool adventures together in Williamsburg and on Belle Isle. She was super smart, and once he got to know her, she wasn’t as annoying as he used to think she was.

  Derek nudged Sam in the ribs and bounced his eyebrows with a smirk. He liked to tease that she was Sam’s girlfriend, but they were just friends. After all, who needs a girlfriend in fifth grade, anyway?

  “Oh, look,” said Mom. “There’s Anita! Boys, why don’t you explore the hotel with Caitlin for a while.” She gave them a serious look. “Please talk to Nathan when you see him. And remember what we talked about, this is a nice hotel.” She smiled weakly at Caitlin. “Make sure they don’t get crazy.”

  “Yes, ma’am. I’ll do my best,” said Caitlin.

  “Let’s go,” said Derek, leading them to the edge of the lobby. “I want to look for more alligators.”

  Derek stopped at a balcony that looked out over an enormous open ballroom. As much as Sam had been impressed with the stained glass ceiling and the statue in the lobby, he had to stop and marvel at this bigger room.

  “Isn’t it beautiful?” said Caitlin.

  Sam felt like he had walked into a palace. The Grand Ballroom was two stories high with a balcony wrapping all around. Ornate marble columns were built into the walls, stacked above and below the balcony from floor to ceiling. Potted palm trees filled each corner of the room. Several fine-leather couches and dark-wood tables were scattered on an elegant carpet in the center of the white marble floor. The ceiling stretched above them, decorated in the middle with more stained glass and fancy designs. Sam made a quick scan for alligators, but didn’t see any.

  “Look at the staircase,” said Caitlin, walking to the center of the balcony. A long, elaborate staircase descended down into the ballroom. It was wider than a normal staircase. An elegant red carpet stretched across the steps. They walked down two sets of five steps and stopped to gaze down the final set of a couple dozen.

  “That’s impressive,” said Derek, approaching from behind them with a whistle. “It looks like something. I just can’t think of what.”

  “A staircase?” asked Sam.

  Caitlin giggled. “People think it looks just like the staircase in ‘Gone With the Wind.’ That’s one of my mom’s favorite movies. Have you seen it?”

  Sam shook his head. It sounded familiar, though.

  “It’s a love story set on a southern plantation during the Civil War. It’s a classic.”

  The Civil War part sounded okay, but Sam wasn’t too sure about the love story.

  “I feel like Scarlett O’Hara from the movie.” Caitlin tilted her head back dramatically like she was a celebri
ty. As they walked down the stairs together into the ballroom, she held out her hand to Sam. “Will you direct me to my carriage, sir?”

  Sam blushed and awkwardly took her hand. Caitlin walked over and collapsed on one of the leather couches like she was about to faint. Derek cracked up on the bottom step.

  “Quite a staircase, isn’t it?” a voice called from the side of the room. Sam turned and saw a man dressed in a brown-and-burgundy uniform standing in the back of the room next to the gift shop. He had dark skin and a thick gray mustache.

  “Sorry, we’re just playing around,” said Caitlin, letting go of Sam’s hand and sitting up straight on the couch.

  The man walked over to them with a smile. “That’s okay, y’all stay as long as you want. How do you like the hotel?” He gestured across the grand ballroom.

  “It’s awesome,” said Derek.

  “We’re here for a wedding,” explained Caitlin.

  “Ah,” said the man. “Beautiful place for a wedding.”

  Sam read the tag on the man’s shirt. It said his name was Moses. He wore a hat similar to the valet’s that had taken their car. Sam wondered if he was a bellman, like Mr. Haskins had been. “Is your name really Moses? Like in the Bible?” He didn’t remember meeting anyone with that name before.

  “Yes it is, son. Moses T. Peterson, at your service.” He leaned down closer with a toothy grin. “But you can call me Mo. That’s what everyone else does. I’m Head Bellman here at The Jefferson.”

  Derek’s ears perked up. “Hey, our neighbor used to be a bellman here too.”

  “A long time ago,” said Sam.

  Mo raised his eyebrows. “Is that right? What’s your neighbor’s name? I’ll bet I know him.”

  “Mr. Haskins,” answered Derek.

  Mo laughed. “Jonas Haskins?”

  Derek nodded.

  “Why sure I know old Jonas. He’s a crazy cat, that one. Haven’t seen him in years. I think he was just leaving as I was starting out here.” He took off his hat and scratched his head. “You tell old Jonas that Mo Peterson says hello. Will you do that?”

  “Sure,” said Derek.

  Sam thought of Mr. Haskins’ picture and looked around suspiciously. “You don’t have any more alligators here, do you?”

  “He’s really nervous about the alligators,” said Derek.

  “Sam, that was a long time ago,” said Caitlin. “Didn’t you read the sign?”

  “She’s right,” said Mo. “There really were alligators here, but that was even before my time. In fact, in the old days, this corner over here was the hotel registration desk.” He pointed to a bar area next to the ballroom. “Folks used to bring containers of baby alligators now and then and leave them here at the front desk.”

  “Why would people have baby alligators?” asked Caitlin.

  “Yeah, they’re not exactly normal pets,” said Derek.

  Mo grinned. “Well, folks say that locals would get gators on vacation down in Florida and then bring them back home with them as pets.”

  “That’s crazy,” said Derek.

  “Maybe so,” continued Mo, “but after they got too big to live in sinks and bathtubs, folks would bring ‘em here to the hotel.”

  Sam thought about having a pet alligator in his bathtub. That didn’t sound like the kind of pet he’d enjoy having around. He looked at his feet and imagined baby alligators scurrying around like rats on the oriental rugs and marble floors. He looked up at Mo and tilted his head. “Really?”

  Mo nodded. “That’s right. Some of them ended up staying at the hotel.” He pointed across the room toward the Jefferson statue. “They lived in long fountains that used to be in the Palm Court, up where you came in. Others were given away to zoos and the like.”

  Mo lowered his voice a bit and looked around as if to make sure no one else was listening. “What most folks don’t know is that some of those little buggers never made it to the fountains or the zoos.”

  Sam opened his eyes wide. “They didn’t?”

  Mo shook his head.

  “What happened to them?” asked Caitlin.

  “Well...” Mo said, pausing like he wasn’t sure if he should be talking about it or not. “I’ve been here a long time, and you see a lot of strange things at an old hotel.”

  “What kind of things?” asked Derek, moving closer so he could hear.

  “Oh, strange noises, when the hotel is quiet. Even when the guests are gone or sleeping at night, the staff is still up, you know. Making sure everything’s taken care of. Some folks say they’ve seen long-lost alligators walking around, descendants of a few lost baby gators that never made it to the registration desk. Folks say they slipped out of their cages and into passageways under the staircase here. There’s drains and tunnels under there that lead beneath the basement and out to the city sewers.”

  “They lived under the stairs?” asked Derek.

  Mo nodded. “Folks say they’ve lived down there for decades, like in the wild, undisturbed by people. Ah, most of the time they stay down there, not bothering anybody. But every once in a while, particularly in the winter like this when it gets cold, they come up out of the sewers and lie by the heat vents.

  “Gators are cold blooded, ya know. They need to stay where it’s warm. For the most part, Richmond’s warm enough to keep ‘em alive, but in those really cold parts of winter, the ice and the snow drive ‘em up into the hotel. Folks say you can hear their claws on the marble floors when they walk.”

  Sam could hardly breathe. Was Mo telling the truth?

  “Did you ever see one?” asked Derek, his jaw hanging open.

  “Maybe,” smiled Mo. “Just once. I was cleaning out an air vent over near the Palm Court one evening. I was down on the floor, reaching for a bolt that I had dropped down the vent, when I heard a sound. Slow, but coming closer. Like nails, scratching the floor.

  “Now I was kind of stuck there, mind you, my arm down the vent. I saw a shadow, coming toward me on the wall from around the corner. The sound on the marble grew louder and louder.”

  “What did you do?” asked Derek.

  “Well, I was in a mighty awkward position, all laid out on the floor there. I could hardly breathe, let me tell ya. I tried not to make a sound, but my hand started shaking, and I dropped the bolt back into the vent. It clanged down into the duct work. I looked down to try to grab it, and when I looked back up, the shadow was gone.”

  “Didn’t you go after it?” asked Derek.

  “Sure, I stood up and walked around the corner in the hall, but whatever had been there was long gone.” He chuckled. “They’re fast little buggers, ya know.”

  “That could have been anything,” said Caitlin. “You don’t know it was an alligator.”

  “Maybe so,” said Mo. “But I’m not the only one who’s seen things like that. Folks have also had things go missing that can’t be explained.”

  “What’s gone missing?” asked Sam, picturing himself being dragged away into the heating ducts by a rogue gator.

  Mo grinned. “Oh, lots of different things. Shiny objects mostly: earrings, jewelry from people’s rooms. Last year, a woman’s miniature poodle, cute little thing, just vanished into thin air right here near this staircase.”

  Caitlin’s mouth opened with surprise. “Vanished?”

  “What happened to it?” asked Sam.

  “Dunno,” said Mo, shaking his head. “No trace of it anywhere.”

  A burst of static squawked from the radio on Mo’s belt. “Whoops, that’s my signal. Gotta go help a guest with some bags.” He gave a quick half bow to the kids. “It’s nice to meet y’all. I’m sure I’ll see you around for the wedding.”

  Mo hustled off toward the lobby. Sam looked over at Caitlin. She looked skeptical.

  “You don’t believe him?” asked Sam.

  “He’s just trying to scare us,” said Caitlin.

  “What about the poodle?”

  “Yeah, and the jewelry,” added Derek.

/>   “Maybe there’s a thief,” said Caitlin.

  “Maybe it’s the gators.” Derek grinned.

  “Please,” said Sam, trying to convince himself. “There aren’t any gators here at the hotel anymore.” And he really, really hoped he was right.

  FIVE

  Mom and Dad walked into the ballroom down the grand staircase from the Palm Court. They were laughing and chatting with a man and woman that Sam didn’t recognize. Judging from the smile on Mom’s face, it was Anita and her fiancé. Every time Mom had talked about seeing Anita for the past three weeks, her face had lit up with excitement.

  A boy walked with them, trailing a few steps behind. Was that Nathan? He looked to be about Sam’s age, maybe a year younger. He was short and skinny, so it was hard to tell. He had reddish-brown hair and a lot of freckles. He was holding a small video game player up very close to his face.

  Sam had only seen Anita in old pictures from Mom’s college days. Dad called them Mom’s wild, party-girl years, although Sam had a hard time imagining his mom being anything close to a wild partier. A wild cleaner, maybe, but not a partier.

  Anita looked a little different now, with short dark hair and a lot of makeup. Her fiancé was thin, like Nathan, but tall. He had a dark, but graying, beard trimmed short and dark-rimmed glasses that made him seem like someone trying to look cool. It reminded Sam of the guy who played Tony Stark in the Iron Man movies.

  Mom introduced everyone. Anita’s fiancé’s name was Robert Wanderfelt. He spoke in a thick British accent, asking them to call him Robert, which felt weird to Sam, since he was used to calling grownups by their last names.

  Sam initially misunderstood Anita, thinking she said Robert’s last name was Wonderful. From then on he couldn’t remember anything else, and after he mentioned it to Derek and Caitlin, they all started referring to Robert as Mr. Wonderful.

  Nathan’s name was easy to remember, but he didn’t say anything. He just stared blankly down at his game.

  Sam waved his hand. “How’s it going?”