I pushed him from my thoughts. I needed to get my head screwed on straight. First things first, I checked my phone. Lucy had replied to say she’d sort my shift change out next week when the new rotas were done. I could handle a few days with him, right? Clearly, she didn’t get it. Maybe she never realised how much we’d grown apart over that summer. It was a long time ago.
I had a message from Jimmy too, but I kind of didn’t want to read it. That regret was starting to kick in. I knew it would sometime. Every impulsive reaction brings along some regret with it. Luckily, I hadn’t actually met him and done the thing that would really pile on the remorse. Yet.
It would probably depend how well this dream stalking went, whether or not I ended up meeting Jimmy. A poke around Mason’s head was unlikely to endear me to him. I’d probably be pissed enough to go stand outside the killer’s door with a knife in my hand after I did this.
I shivered as I took my clothes off. I realised I had no way to wash my uniform and the housekeeping service meant waiting a day for them to be returned. I’d have to wear the shirt and trousers again tomorrow and then call them. Lucy had given me Friday and Sunday off. That would help.
I hung them up and kicked my squeaky shoes under the desk with the tea and coffee supplies on it.
If Mason could have talked tonight I would have had to hear him out before I went poking around in his head. I supposed I should thank heaven for small mercies.
I pulled on a vest and put the kettle on. I ate an apple while I waited for the damned thing to boil. I probably should have eaten in the restaurant for once, given myself a boost consuming actual meat and veg., but I had supplies left to see me out the week and given the dire state of my finances that was going to have to do. I sprayed deodorant on the clothes I’d need to wear again. I hadn’t sweated too much waiting the handful of tables and standing around at the front desk, but I was slightly paranoid about wearing the clothes twice without washing them. I could get away with that in my house in the back of beyond, all on my own with no-one around to judge me. Here, not so much.
I paced around the room until the Pot Noodle was ready to eat, then I got into bed and turned on the TV. I sat through the news, waiting to hear about the nightclub fire. Nothing. A missing person’s case had been logged for a woman who looked suspiciously like the victim though. I wasn’t totally sure it was her, but the resemblance was enough to freak me out. She looked, I don’t know, younger, maybe, than this woman. Mason’s words came back to me.
He’s not done.
I didn’t doubt that for a second. I got up a couple of hours later to brush my teeth and take off my mascara. The lip-gloss had worn off on its own. When I got back into bed, I was asleep within an hour. I kept my mind on Mason as I drifted off, much as I didn’t want to. I had to think about him to enter his unconscious.
***
I entered the swirling vortex in my mind and stepped into the dark corridor of our old high school. I hadn’t done this very often, but when I had the surroundings tended to be reflective of what was on the person’s mind that I’d wandered into. He’d been thinking about this night.
I walked down the corridor, thinking about what he’d said earlier. I needed to know why he’d said it.
“He’s not done, Tina. He’s going to kill again. He has already,” I repeated his whispered words out loud.
The sound of heels clicking on the tiled ground made me turn. The woman standing behind me was the one from the news report I watched earlier in the night. It made me instantly question where I was. Had I actually entered Mason’s dream? Or was this mine? It made more sense if I was wandering around inside my own thoughts right now, weird as that sounded.
Why would Mason be thinking about this place? Why would he be thinking about this girl?
He wasn’t, was the likeliest answer. Probably my own reluctance to do this had screwed me over.
The girl stopped walking and I saw the bloody gash across her throat. She was wearing a skirt-suit and blouse. The blouse was darkened by the blood. She opened her mouth, moved her lips, but no words came out. I moved closer and she faded away in front of me.
This was a waste of time. I’d messed up this dream stalking by not concentrating fully on Mason. I looked down the corridor at the door Mason had busted open that night. It was ajar and there was a candle-lit glow to the room. My shoulders slumped as I was forced to admit it. I wasn’t going to find any answers here. This was definitely me seeing inside my own head. It wasn’t Mason’s.
***
I woke up to darkness, wondering why I had to keep messing everything up. The demon had to be out tonight looking for another victim. I’d failed to grab a key, and I’d failed to figure out what the deal was with Mason whispering creepy shit in my ear. The clock by the bed told me it was half past one in the morning. I got up and pulled on jeans that were probably about due for a wash. My plan to grab a key was obvious and the thought of it made me cringe. There was no way this is going to work.
I pulled on my jacket and went into the bathroom. If I didn’t make it look like I’d been out, this whole thing could seem iffy. I put on my heels and slicked on lip gloss. I put my hair up. Nerves kicked in. This might seem like nothing, but I was putting a bunch of stuff at stake by pulling this shit. My job I’d barely been in for a day, my already tenuous friendship with Lucy, the cheap place to stay while I got back on my feet. I groaned as I got moving. One too many screw-ups caused this mess. I needed to try to fix it, even if it meant losing everything.
I headed down the back stairs, and slipped out the open door to the back of the building. An idea came to me as I gazed at the cigarette butts on the ground. I took a few steps to my left and poked around the smoker’s area. An empty cigarette pack had been smooshed into the little metal bin that’s supposed to be for butts only. It was pretty crushed, but I managed to straighten it out. I kept it in my hand as I walked around front.
No turning back now. I walked in through the front door and headed straight to the desk. The woman manning it was older, and had that thousand-yard-stare painted on her face as I approached. I smiled and put my elbows on the desk.
“I went out for a smoke and totally forgot my room key.”
She rolled her eyes, before she nodded. “Name?”
“Strickland.” I watched her type something into the computer. I tried not to make it too obvious I was holding my breath. The breezy smile felt like it was starting to freeze on my face. Asking Lucy to move me to the nightshift didn’t seem like such a hot move after this little stunt. It might mean being stuck working with Mason indefinitely. The thought made me groan. I’d messed things up already, there was no use denying it. My days at the Starlight were numbered.
“Room number?” The woman raised her eyebrows, awaiting my answer.
“Three-twenty.” I felt my face heat up a little under her unimpressed gaze. Maybe she checked the guy in when he came here. Knows he didn’t bring anyone. She was certainly looking at me as if she thought I might have some kind of nasty disease.
She went to the key rack and picked one out. Made a note on the computer and handed it over with a tight smile. I should have been relieved. She’s not suspicious, just disgusted.
“Enjoy your stay.”
I nodded as I picked it up. Mission accomplished, I headed up the stairs to the killer’s room.
***
I wasn’t sure what I expected to find when I finally got up the courage to slide the key into the lock. I knew the demon hadn’t been letting his host sleep, that I was not likely to find him already out cold. The door opened with a long, achy creak. I winced as I stepped inside, worrying that I’d already messed up. I would find out any second now if I had. He wasn’t standing behind the door waiting for me, and I found out within a few seconds that the room was empty. He’s out. It should have been cause for relief but it really wasn’t.
Mason said he’d found another target. I wondered if he’d gotten to her already.
&n
bsp; Don’t think about that. It was too hard not to. I found a place to lie in wait and set the metal ornament I’d brought down on the floor. I’d stopped into my room on the way up to get it, knowing I had to come with a decent weapon to brain the demon’s host. It’s a small version of a massive sculpture in town. The Kelpies; two horses’ heads. Turns out there was one in here too.
I had to just think of the killer being out as a lucky break. I’d be right here when he came back. I could knock him out and get to the demon. This was it now. My best chance.
I stifled a yawn. At least I got a few hours of sleep earlier. I’d just have to get through work looking like zombie, if I didn’t manage to sleep a whole day away chasing the demon down in the dreamscape. Seemed likely, given how long I was out for the last time.
Oh well. Probably wouldn’t have worked out anyway. I was bound to let Lucy down sometime. Might as well be right away.
I stared through the open curtains into the dark night sky. I couldn’t see the stars from here, they were too far away. It was so quiet in the room. All I could hear was my own heart beating.
Why would the killer pay for a room he wasn’t going to use? I mean, maybe he didn’t live in town, but if that was the case and he wasn’t sleeping, why bother with the room at all? I got up and looked around, trying to find signs of what he might be doing here.
There were some dark coloured shirts and trousers hanging in the wardrobe. A toothbrush and shaving stuff in the bathroom. I couldn’t find a bag. I didn’t come across a murder weapon. That would have be too convenient, I supposed.
I sat back down, my hand on the metal ornament.
My job wasn’t to investigate him. My job was to get rid of the demon. Another lesson learned from Gran.
I sighed and tried not to let myself get comfortable enough to risk falling asleep. He had to come back sometime. Sooner would be better, so he was probably going to wait until it was time for me to start work. Seemed about right.
Just as well I’d also changed into my work clothes when I’d stopped into my room for the weapon. I’d brushed my teeth and re-applied my make-up too. Not that I was convinced it would stay put. Chances were it would disappear by the time I had to get down to the reception area. If I even made it down there. Still, it never hurt to be prepared.
I wondered if Lucy would call me if I didn’t show up for work. I swallowed the lump that rose in my throat at the thought of letting her down. She wouldn’t be surprised. Same old Tina, unreliable as ever.
I should just face it. Things were what they were. I couldn’t change who, or what, I was.
And I was fully committed to those thoughts, until I realised the killer might not be coming back to this room at all. He saw me working in the hotel. He’d have to be an arrogant idiot to come back here. While I was sure he was the first of those things, I know he wasn’t the second.
He might think I would call the police. That would be the smart option at this stage, right? Unfortunately it was not. I’d been through that shit before. Almost got myself stitched up for a murder committed by a demon. Talking to cops was never, ever, a good idea for someone like me. I’d learned that pretty quickly, though it was something my grandmother had already tried to teach me.
I’d thought my situation called for it, not realising how sideways things were going to go. I rarely went against her rules for a dream walker to live by after that little screw up. Telling the cops I’d witnessed something awful only made me their number one suspect. They had no other leads. I’d been at the scene of the crime. Could I blame them? For thinking the worst, no. For trying to pin something on me that I didn’t do, yes. I’d never make the mistake of thinking they could help me again.
I got up when my phone showed it was almost time to start work. Daylight was streaming through the curtains. My bones ached as I moved, my leg had fallen asleep and my arse felt numb. Worst of all, my shoes were still squeaking like crazy. I sighed as I left the room. This demon was really starting to do my head in.
Chapter Thirteen
I ditched my jacket and stuck my phone in my back trouser pocket before I headed down to reception. Tonight was going to have to be the night. I’d talk to Mason after work, then I’d have to go find and knock that fucker of a Wrath out. No more screw ups. No more standing around waiting. This needed to end and it needed to end tonight. If it took going astral to find him, then chasing him down to wherever he was to knock him the hell out, then that’s what I’d have to do. Whatever it took.
I walked down the stairs and went to the front desk, finding Mason there dealing with customers already. He looked me over when the customers moved away, frowning.
“I thought I gave you a waistcoat yesterday?”
I shook my head. “You were too busy tearing strips off me for leaving town before.”
He ignored my poke at his mean behaviour and handed me a waistcoat. It looked too big and it was.
“We’ll order you the smaller size,” he said, smiling wryly. “It’ll do for the rest of the week.”
Great. I looked like I was swimming in the thing. It was the least of my worries though.
“What’s on the plan for today?”
He glanced around. I could tell he wanted to talk, but my fingers are crossed that he won’t. Unfortunately, much like the day before, there weren’t any people around. This hotel wasn’t exactly jumping with customers, especially first thing in the morning.
“Same as yesterday.” His sky-blue eyes were fixed on me suddenly. “So who’s Jimmy?”
“Um...” I patted my back pocket and my phone was still in there. I didn’t know where that random question came from, and I didn’t like what it implied either. I frowned at him. “Did you talk to Piper, or something?”
“Who’s Piper?”
“Don’t be weird, Mason.” I didn’t think he knew her, but what did that leave?
His jaw tensed, but he didn’t ask any more questions. I was left wondering how the hell he knew about Jimmy. Someone had to have seen me with him at that night club. That had to be it. Someone who knew them both must have told Mason he saw me with Jimmy. Either that, or he saw my phone. Which seemed highly unlikely since it’d been in my….
“Hey,” I said. “Were you in my room when I was helping with the lunch rush yesterday?”
I fixed my gaze on his, watching his expression carefully.
He blinked at me. “What? No. I was here watching the front desk.”
“What about on your lunch break?” We did both get one of those. I sat in the kitchen and ate a sandwich prepared by the lunch chef while his assistant took over waitressing duties for half an hour.
“I was through the staff break room.”
The phone conveniently rang. He picked it up. Room service. I listened in as he wrote down the order. He passed it to me as he hung up the phone.
There was no other way he could know about Jimmy. It seemed unlikely that someone would know them both well enough to tell him. They ran in totally different circles. Or at least, they had. I supposed a million things could have changed in a year. I seriously doubted it, though. I could see him sneaking into my room more readily than changing his habits when it came to friends.
Damn it. I couldn’t believe he’d actually snuck into my room. Why the hell would he do that?
“Weirdo,” I muttered under my breath as I took the order to the kitchen.
When I got back to the desk and saw him nodding, I assumed he was on the phone. He muttered something I was out of earshot to hear. When he turned I realised he wasn’t on the phone at all. He was talking to himself. Just like old times. He’d been caught doing it often enough at school to get the piss taken out of him. He’d been called names. Stuff that really poked at his buttons, considering his mother had been diagnosed schizophrenic.
“You okay?” I raised an eyebrow as I approached. The question was code for I’d seen him talking to himself. It’s old code, but he didn’t seem to have forgotten.
H
e flushed red, which is kind of cute with his pale skin and vibrantly ginger hair. I told myself to stop it. Nothing should be cute when you didn’t want to like someone. It’s not allowed.
“It’s nothing,” he said, shaking his head. “Did I tell you about the video cameras?”
I shook my head. “There are cameras in this place?” I didn’t bother to point out that he was changing the subject, more interested in knowing how I could potentially use this news to my advantage. He probably hadn’t realised it was actually an interesting subject switch until I started to ask questions.
He began to point out where the cameras were located. One was positioned right over the entrance. I was surprised I didn’t notice it before. It’s not as if it was hidden.
“So where do they record to?” I couldn’t see anything behind the front desk.
“There’s a security office next to the back office where the safe is. There are monitors and a couple of hard-drives recording everything back there. They get wiped once a week, recorded over. The discs aren’t that expensive, but that’s how it’s always been done.”
I logged that info and tried to figure out how I might be able to use it. “Are there no cameras upstairs?”
It was probably wishful thinking to imagine one outside the killer’s room. It wasn’t as if I could watch the damn thing anyway. The security guards in the hotel were separate from the other staff. It wasn’t as if I could ask to be assigned to work security.
Mason shook his head. “Nothing. All of the cameras are on the ground floor. There’s supposed to be one inside the lift, but when they tried to set it up it wouldn’t work.”
“Seems weird that they wouldn’t replace that, when they changed everything else.”
He shrugged. “Lucy says it’s cursed. She hates getting in there. She’s been trying to get a dumbwaiter set up for the room service orders, so she can send someone up to the right floor and the orders can go up on that. It’s apparently a fraction of the cost of installing a new elevator.”
Sinners Never Sleep (Seven Deadly Demons Book 1) Page 8
