The Last Keyholder

by Jamie Summer

  I loved her optimism and wished I had the same faith in the police she did. However, I wasn’t sure they’d be able to locate Nathan anymore. It had been hours.

  “It’ll be okay,” I told her, going to the bathroom to get changed. I considered taking a shower, as well, but figured I could do that at the hotel. It was probably nicer than the hospital one. I put on the clothes and tried to get my hair into a bun, but realized I didn’t have a hairband. One of the many things I would need to buy again.

  I exited the bathroom. The jeans were a little too long and the hoodie a little too tight, but I wasn’t complaining. They didn’t smell like smoke, which was all that mattered. “Thank you for everything.”

  Lina nodded. “I’ll accompany you downstairs.”

  I grabbed my cell phone and the discharge papers, then followed. Lina and I headed downstairs in comfortable silence. As we walked through the sliding doors that connected the hospital to the doors outside, I felt the nervousness starting to settle in again. A man dressed in a nice black suit stood right in front of the entrance. I assumed he was the shuttle driver.

  “Emlyn, remember, you’ll be okay. If there’s anything you need, here’s my number.” She held out a piece of paper. “Call me, even if you just want to talk.”

  I knew she didn’t have to go through the trouble of bringing me to the shuttle or even offering more help, so I hugged her. Clearly surprised by my gesture, she hesitated, then put her arms around me.

  I took the small piece of paper from her, then walked over to the man. He gave me a short nod and led the way to a black Suburban parked at the hospital entrance. He opened the door and I got in, instantly hating the cleanliness of the interior, the beige leather seat under me, and the smell of lavender in the air. Everything about this car was too fresh, too neat.

  “The drive to the hotel should take us about ten minutes,” the driver explained. I nodded. As he pulled away, he turned the radio on, making it clear he wasn’t keen on conversation. Or he wanted to give me privacy. Either reason was fine with me.

  We drove by cute houses. They were old and worn, yet had such lovely decorations, you could tell whoever lived there did so with pride. Traffic got worse as we drove closer to the city center. There were more commercial buildings, along with cute shops, and I was tempted to ask the driver to stop. Instead, I simply watched the world around me while we continued on our way.

  As promised, ten minutes after we left the hospital, the car came to a stop. I glanced around and gasped at the sight in front of me. While our former hotel had been nice, this took it one step further. The Merrion Hotel was the most famous hotel in town.

  “Are you sure we’re at the right address?” I asked, suddenly feeling very unsure about this. The old brick building didn’t look like one of the most expensive hotels in town, but I’d done my research and knew it was exactly that.

  “This is the right address, ma’am,” he assured me and got out, rounded the car, and opened my door. “They are waiting for you inside.” He nodded toward the entrance.

  I carefully took one step after another. It seemed crazy that something as materialistic as an expensive hotel would make me speechless, but in the midst of all the destruction, it seemed like a small sign of mercy.

  As I got closer, a concierge opened the door for me. “Welcome, Ms. Cavanagh,” he greeted me with a warm smile as I walked through. I stopped and gaped at him. How did he know my name?

  Before I could question him, the door closed. The white interior of the foyer was breathtaking, and I took a few seconds to marvel at it. It was simple, accentuated with old wooden chairs to my left and a fireplace to my right.

  “You must be Ms. Cavanagh,” the receptionist said with a wide smile. I turned around, glimpsing the reception area to my right. It was in a small niche, which could easily be missed as you took in the rest of the room.

  “Yeah.”

  “I’m glad you made it. Was the ride to your satisfaction?” she questioned. I nodded, still too baffled to form a coherent sentence. “Perfect. We’ve got you all situated already. If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you the way.” Before I could reply, she made her way out of the reception area and stopped in front of me. “This is your key.” She handed me a silver key. It was as old as the chairs in the lobby, and I liked the way the heavy metal felt against my fingers.

  I followed the receptionist toward the elevator and we went up to the first floor.

  “This way,” she told me when the doors opened and led the way to a room on the left. She gestured for me to slip the key into the lock, which opened easily. As we stepped inside, my eyes went wide…again. “This is one of our junior suites. I hope you’ll find it to your satisfaction. We’ve filled the small closet and dresser with several items of clothing. I hope you will find them sufficient. If they aren’t the right size, please, don’t hesitate to contact us. You will also find toiletry items in the bathroom. We’ve taken the liberty of replacing what we thought you might need. If there’s anything missing, just let us know. We want to make sure you have everything necessary.”

  I stared at her, mouth open. They replaced all my stuff?

  “If you need anything at all, you can call the reception at extension one. Whether it’s needing a recommendation, something essential, or any information whatsoever. That’s what we’re here for.” She gave me another smile, then left without another word.

  I turned around, taking in the room. It was gorgeous. It wasn’t a huge suite, but it was amazing in so many other ways. There was a king-size bed toward my left, along with two comfortable-looking armchairs and a coffee table in the middle of the room. There was also a coffee machine, several cups sitting next to it. The décor looked like the style of old townhouses back in the eighteenth century. I felt honored to even stand in such a beautiful room.

  After a few minutes of marveling at my surroundings, I went and checked out the clothes they had given me. When I opened the dresser, I couldn’t believe my eyes. They had honestly gone through the trouble of replacing all my clothes. I saw underwear, shirts, jeans, sweaters, socks, everything. Tears welled up in my eyes at the thoughtfulness, and it took a few minutes to collect myself. There was no need for the hotel to do this. It wasn’t their fault the other one burned down. Quite frankly, I was pretty sure it was my fault, yet they went out of their way and bought me clothes. I had no doubt I wasn’t the only person they did this for, so the amount of money they spent had to have been tremendous.

  While I was happy with the clothes I got at the hospital, I pulled out several new items and put them on the bed. I wanted to shower, and putting on new clothes afterward would feel amazing. They weren’t name brand or anything, but they were the comfortable cotton kind of various colors, which I loved more than anything.

  I stepped into the bathroom and stopped, as speechless as I’d been when I’d entered the suite. There was a shower and separate tub, and the beige-and-brown marble tiles with golden edges were beautiful. It looked very chic and expensive. Part of me felt afraid to shower in here and get it dirty.

  Deciding I was being stupid, I stripped out of my clothes and walked into the shower. The receptionist hadn’t been lying when she said there were toiletries. Shampoo, conditioner, mascara, hair ties, and every other item I might need.

  It might have been ten minutes or ten hours later that I stepped out of the shower, but I felt like an entirely new person. I had no clue the simple act of taking a shower could achieve that. I pulled on the clothes, which fit perfectly. I made a mental note to thank whomever got them for me. They should definitely get a raise.

  Feeling more like myself again, I stood in the middle of the suite and thought about what to do. I grabbed my phone from the bedside table and dialed Nathan’s number again. I had little hope of success. When the voicemail picked up, it was yet more proof something had happened to him. If he’d been able to call me, he would’ve done so by now. He knew I’d worry, so he would have called first thing.
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  To keep my mind off it, I checked through my closet, trying to see what else they bought. Besides clothes, I found a new purse. I took it out, admiring the red bag for a moment, then put everything I’d possibly need in there…meaning my cell phone and the room key. I had nothing else of importance. I realized I needed to call my bank and figure out how I’d get money. I also needed to take care of the issue of my passport.

  After another glance at the room, I left, walking down the stairs this time. I wanted to study the old interior a little closer on my way down. Everything in this hotel looked like it was eighteenth century and I loved it. It kept the old charm, still managing to have all the necessary modern facilities.

  “Excuse me,” I said to the receptionist. It was a different one than the woman who had shown me my room earlier.

  “Yes, Ms. Cavanagh?”

  I really shouldn’t be surprised they knew my name, but I couldn’t help it.

  “I wanted to know who I could thank for all the clothes and everything in my room. It really…” I stopped as tears choked me, making it impossible to continue. The friendliness these people showed without asking for anything in return was beyond incredible. “It really meant a lot to me. I would like to show my appreciation.” I managed to get the words out without crumbling into a sobbing mess, although I felt myself getting closer and closer to doing just that.

  “We’ve all helped to make sure everyone had something to come back to. What happened was such a tragedy, we wanted to make sure you saw there is more than evil in this world. There’s a whole lot of good, as well.” She gave me a soft smile, and the tone of her voice made me feel even worse. I should tell her it was my fault the hotel burned. Should tell her it was a stupid quest that had left people without homes and jobs. But I didn’t.

  “Thank you,” I said through the tears. Judging from the hesitant look in her eyes, watching me as if I were minutes away from a breakdown, she was considering coming around her desk to give me a hug. Why did people have to be so unbelievably nice to me?

  I took a few deep breaths to get myself under control before asking her how to get back to the other hotel. Her brows furrowed. She shook her head gently, obviously confused as to why I would want to go back there. She then grabbed a map from behind the counter.

  “This is the easiest way. It’s not that far.” She marked the route so I could follow it. I appreciated that, as I was likely to have forgotten the moment I stepped onto the street. “Whatever you’re looking for, I hope you find it,” she whispered. How she knew I was looking for something, I had no idea, but maybe I looked like someone who had lost something they desperately needed to get back.

  I followed her directions and, ten minutes later, found myself in front of our old hotel. The picture it painted was one of complete devastation. The whole façade was blackened, dark burns everywhere. The fire department had done their job, but there was nothing left of the building to salvage. People milled around, stopping to take in the scene. I stood on the sidewalk, glancing up at what used to be my hotel room window. There was barely anything left of it, the outside wall having completely crumbled away. Several other rooms also didn’t have a wall left, proving yet again how awful and fast the fire had spread.

  I knew I needed a few minutes to take in the scene, to remember the horrific events of the past night, but after a few minutes, I couldn’t take it anymore. The smell of burned wood, plastic, and something I couldn’t identify assaulted my nose. There was a clean-up crew working on picking up pieces that had fallen to the street, but it was slow work since some of the pieces were still slightly glowing and probably hot.

  Nathan.

  I needed to find him. That was the reason I came back here.

  The window of my room didn’t tell me anything about what happened. The police had said they didn’t find a body, so how did he get out? And, more importantly, where was he now?

  I let my gaze wander the streets around me, trying to see if there was anything that might give me a clue as to where he might have gone.

  Nothing.

  All I saw was the usual activity in Dublin. The only difference was the few pedestrians stopping to look at the burned building.

  My only chance to find Nathan was to check around the area. Every little street, shop, alley that might have ended up as his haven for the night. The police said they had searched everything, yet I didn’t believe they put all their effort into finding him. I had no idea why, but it was a gut feeling I had. They would’ve found him otherwise, right?

  He was here. He was alive.

  He had to be.

  I started off searching a few small alleys right next to the hotel. They seemed like the most obvious option. I didn’t find anything, though. I earned a few confused looks from people who saw me crawling along the dark alleyways, but I couldn’t care less. All I wanted to do was find Nathan.

  Panic gave way to sheer determination as I combed through street after street, alley after alley. I walked for an hour, but there was just nothingness. The sun had set and darkness had taken over the beautiful city. Lights flickered on all around me, bringing back thoughts from the day before. A time where everything had been different. Where the day didn’t seem as dull as it did now.

  I knew I should head back to the hotel. Maybe I should get something to eat first, suddenly remembering I had no money. Yeah, I should’ve probably thought about that. I decided to search a little more. That way, I would keep busy and not realize how hungry I was.

  My phone rang in my side pocket, startling me in the middle of the dark alley I currently combed through. For a second, I hoped it was Nathan, but it was an American number I didn’t recognize.

  “Cavanagh,” I said.

  The deep voice introduced himself as the manager of my bank. “We’ve heard you lost all your credentials and bank cards in a fire. We wanted to make sure you had a way of getting money.”

  I was speechless. How did my bank know I had lost everything? Was that another thing the hotel had taken care of?

  “I’m sorry. I should tell you the manager of the hotel informed us. After the police had identified all the people displaced from the fire, they contacted us. They found your credit card details from the purchase you made in the store at the hotel.” I remembered the quick stop I made at the shop to get some water for our excursion around town. I was shocked about the length the hotel and police went to make sure everyone was taken care of, and obviously not only with the essentials, like clothes.

  “Thank you. I have no idea what to say.”

  “If it’s okay with you, we’d like to transfer some money to you through Western Union. That’s the easiest and fastest way. I can give you the location of the Western Union closest to your new hotel, if you would like.”

  I thanked him yet another time before he told me where I would be able to get my money. It was shortly after seven p.m., so I was pretty sure the Western Union wasn’t open. I decided to try anyway. Searching for Nathan was important, but getting something in my empty stomach was equally as vital. I didn’t think he would appreciate me starving to death. I hung up with the bank manager after he said he’d send my new credit card to the Merrion.

  With everything I’d experienced these past few days, it amazed me to see how people came together in a time of need. Once I had some money, I needed to get the hotel staff a little something as a thank you. There was no way I could ever repay them for what they had done for me, but I wanted them to know their actions weren’t ignored. Their kindness made me forget there were people out there determined to get me off track when it came to the quest, willing to do whatever it took to get their way. If only for a few minutes, I saw the good in people. Something I haven’t had the chance to see much of in the past several months.

  The walk to the building the bank manager told me about took me almost all the way back to the hotel. Happy to see the lights still on, I walked in. After I gave the clerk the pin number the bank manager had given me, since I
didn’t have identification, he handed me my money. It was two hundred euros, enough to last me a little while. The bank manager had also mentioned that, if I should need more before my credit card showed up, I could call him and he’d take care of it.

  Money in hand, I stopped at a grocery store right next to the Western Union and got myself a sandwich and an apple. Nothing fancy, but at least something to fill my now grumbling stomach. I also grabbed a flashlight. I figured it couldn’t hurt to have one with me.

  I made my way back to the alley and continued where I’d left off. In the back of my mind, I knew it was no use. Despite the lights being on, it was too dark, but I couldn’t give up. Not when Nathan was out there somewhere, waiting for someone to save him.

  I double checked the streets where I had already looked, illuminating them with the small beam of my flashlight. Nothing had changed. The few new streets I managed to get through didn’t result in anything new. There was no sign of Nathan whatsoever.

  I wanted to scream. Shout. Yell at the unfairness of it all. Nathan did everything he could to get me to back off this quest. He didn’t want me to get hurt. Now he was the one missing.

  Defeated, I went back to the hotel. I checked the time on my phone and saw it was close to eleven p.m. Prime time for visiting Temple Bar, but it was the furthest thing from my mind right now. I walked into the hotel, seeing the reception area void of any people. A young man rounded the corner and smiled when he saw me.

  “Good evening, ma’am. Is there anything I can help you with?”

  I shook my head. I was exhausted. All I wanted was to fall asleep on that comfortable bed upstairs. “No, thank you. You all have been most kind already. I don’t think I can ever make that up to you.”

  His smile grew wider. “There is no reason to thank us. It has been our pleasure.”

  I told him good night, then turned and walked up to the first floor. I fished my key out of my pocket and opened my room.