Reel Sharpe
Page 35
*****
Two hours later, we pulled into the Alta Vista Inn. The hotel was actually quite nice – the front desk clerk said they had just gone through a major renovation. The lobby consisted of a small check-in desk, a breakfast area with a series of small tables, and a bar off to the side.
“Breakfast is included with your room rate, and it’s served from seven a.m. until nine,” the front desk attendant informed us.
She gave us two sets of keys – one for me and one for Reid and Foxy. I turned to Foxy and smiled. “Ha, you get the snorer.”
Reid had just woken up and was rubbing his eyes. “You got any coffee here?’ he asked the woman behind the desk.
“Yes sir, it’s over in the breakfast area. Please help yourself.”
Reid headed over and poured himself a cup. The elevators were just past the desk. I heard one of them ding, and the doors opened. Mac and Manny stepped out. Mac was in full stakeout gear. He was wearing a pair of light cargo pants with a utility belt around his waist, a beige short-sleeved shirt and hiking boots. He looked like he belonged in the Outback. Manny was dressed in his usual garb, a pair of long jean shorts and a t-shirt that said something in Spanish graffiti on it. Mac spotted us and waved.
“Not bad, right?” he said, motioning towards the hotel. “Seventy-nine dollars a night.”
“And it includes breakfast,” Manny piped in.
“Very nice,” I agreed. “How are you guys doing? Do you need any help?”
“No, this is our last trip. Just go get settled in your room, we’re okay,” Mac said.
“Any tracker activity?” Reid asked, returning with his coffee.
“No,” Mac answered. “He’s still home.”
“All right, well, we’ve still got some time,” Reid said.
“Hey, maybe we could go down to the border site in the daylight and get some shots. I think it would be good to show the terrain. At night we won’t be able to see much,” I said to Mac.
“We need to scope out the place anyway,” Foxy said. “I haven’t seen it yet. Let’s plan to depart in twenty minutes – agreed?”
We all nodded. Mac and Manny went to get the last of the equipment out of the car while Reid, Foxy, and I headed towards the elevators. Inside, Reid let out a big yawn. I pushed the button for floor two while Foxy and Reid were on floor three. The doors opened on two and I turned to the guys.
“Okay, I’ll just put my stuff down. See you in a few.” They nodded, and the doors closed.
My hotel room was pretty spacious, but it was also very stuffy. It took me about ten minutes to figure out how the air conditioning worked, and then I started unpacking. I laid my toiletries in the bathroom and placed the few clothes I had in the dresser drawers. I looked at the king bed in the middle of the room. It was so inviting and my room was so quiet and peaceful, but I knew it was not meant to be. If I was going to get my story and get to my sister’s wedding on time, I would have to stay awake and stay focused.
Chapter 10.