Chapter 13 Farnsworth
Farnsworth
According to Borja, the Samuel Brent Hotel is located in the heart of Boston and has been around for over two hundred years. Hopefully the Horror left true clues and this mission will lead us somewhere productive.
I glance at Borja, sitting beside me watching the scenery pass from the back seat of a car he apparently ordered.
The world is so convenient now. Whatever you want seems to be at your fingertips.
I knew about advancements in certain technologies, but I didn’t understand the extent of it all before experiencing it firsthand.
The drive to the hotel is riddled with sudden stops and starts, honking car horns, throngs of pedestrians passing by, and talking. So much talking. Borja and the driver are having an animated conversation about some sort of sport. Baseball, I think.
When we finally make it to our destination, we thank the driver and exit the car directly in front of the hotel. Its stone facade is impressive, squeezed between two modern buildings. A doorman stands out front, ready to attend to us.
I nod as we pass through the door he opens and glance around the lobby. It looks as I would expect—wallpapered, with heavy molding, dark walnut antique furniture, and elaborate chandeliers.
“Whoa, check this place out. It’s like stepping into the past.”
“I agree. I wonder where we would find a hummingbird brooch.”
“What about over there?” Borja points to a room tucked to the left of the lobby. Above it a sign with the words “Hummingbird Lounge.”
“As good a place to start as any.”
We approach the room, finding that it’s a small museum of sorts, displaying the history of Samuel Brent and how he came to build this hotel.
“Look.” Borja’s standing under a large painted portrait of a woman. “This is Lady Brent, whose nickname was Hummingbird.”
I gaze up at the portrait, noting the brooch pinned to her bodice. “Does it say anything else?”
“Just about how she moved here from France to marry Samuel. They had three kids, all boys, who went on to become successful men in their own right.”
“Not helpful,” I mumble.
“Oh. Wait. The famous hummingbird brooch given to Lady Brent as a wedding gift by her father-in-law went missing shortly after her death until it was returned to the Brent Hotel in 1952 by an anonymous source.” He leans closer to the plaque.
“The brooch is now displayed…” Borja pauses, glancing up and around the room.
“It’s displayed in the glass case right over there. ”
I hurry to the cabinet just to the left of the painting. Inside are various items, ranging from jewelry to sculptures and vases. And there, in the center, ensconced in black velvet is the brooch.
“We need to touch it.” I look for a door to open but find it locked. “I wonder if the front desk would allow access to it.”
“Probably not if they think you’re just a random tourist.”
“What would you do in this situation if I weren’t here?”
Borja grins. “On-the-job training. I like it.” He purses his lips in thought for a moment before glancing over his shoulder at the front desk. “Watch this.”
He walks confidently to the front and chats with the woman behind the desk. She looks unsure for a moment, but whatever he’s telling her seems to change her mind. She nods, reaching under the desk and motioning for him to follow her.
I remain quiet, simply watching the interaction.
“Thank you so much, Sherry,” Borja says. “My colleague and I appreciate it.”
“Sure thing,” Sherry says. “Just be careful, huh?”
“Of course.”
Sherry unlocks the case, slides the glass door open and gently lifts the brooch, then hands it to Borja. She hovers protectively, a nervous expression on her face. Borja hands the jewelry to me, but I don’t detect anything special or unusual about it.
“Does it have a case?” I ask.
“Yes.” Sherry lifts the velvet and pulls out a small wooden box. “Here you go.”
“Thank you.” I hand the brooch back to Borja and flip the box over, looking for an inscription or a clue of some sort.
“Uh, Farnsworth?”
“Yes?”
“Look at me.”
I glance up, then startle, astounded by what I see. Sherry is motionless, frozen in time, and many spirits swirl around Borja, their attention focused on the brooch.
“Hello.”
One of the spirits turns sharply to me. “Farnsworth. I had hoped never to see you again.”
The identity of the spirit pops into my mind. Benign, yes, escaped forty years ago. “Julia Cartwright.”
“I won’t go back,” the spirit says.
“Perhaps that’s true if you can make yourself useful. What do you know about the object?”
“Bad news,” the spirit says. “We ensure it never leaves the hotel again. The last time it did, people died.”
“There’s a spirit attached to it, then?”
The spirit nods. “A Horror. It’s been there so long I assumed no one was looking for it.”
“Interesting. What else should I know?”
“The Horror is weak. It’s been unable to leave the object on its own. Look inside the box.”
Borja opens the box to find a small ruby in the corner.
The spirit nods. “Put the gemstone in place on the brooch, then get ready.”
Borja hands me the gem and I find the one empty spot on the jewelry. I slot it into place, and as soon as I do, the item vibrates in my hand.
“Don’t let it go too long,” the spirit says, “or it will destroy this room. Again.”
“Again?” Borja asks.
“The current owner figured it out when she was still a girl. Her father dropped the brooch one day, the ruby fell out, and the haunting stopped.”
I remove the ruby from the brooch, and sure enough it stops vibrating.
“As long as it’s incomplete,” the spirit continues, “it isn’t strong enough to cause problems. We don’t know why.”
“I think I do.” I turn to Borja. “This has to be another object in the puzzle.”
“How do we get it out of here? That would be stealing.”
“Temporarily. We’ll return it.”
“We can help,” the spirit says. “If you plan to rid this hotel of that Horror’s presence, I am more than willing to offer my assistance.”
“In what way?”
“There’s a fake brooch under the display. They put it out when they take the original one in for annual cleaning and inspection.”
Borja digs in the cabinet, finding a box containing the replica. “Here it is.”
“Put it in its place and we’ll unfreeze the clerk and make her forget the interaction she had with you.”
I nod. “Very helpful indeed.”
“And we get to stay here,” the spirit says while Borja makes the jewelry switch. “We cause no harm.”
“I’m not interested in returning you to the Below. I don’t have the time or the resources.”
The spirit smiles. “Very good.”
“Thank you.” I unfreeze the clerk. “Come on, Borja.”
Borja nods, awkwardly waving at the spirits hovering nearby. We slip out of the hotel and I tuck the brooch safely away inside the box, taking care to keep the loose ruby separated from it.
“What do you think we should do now?” Borja asks as we stand on the sidewalk.
“Go back to your home and put together the items we have so far. Perhaps that will give us our next lead.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
By the time we arrive at Borja’s apartment, my mind is swirling with possible outcomes. This is a clever Horror, splintering parts of itself while in the Above to ensure its survival. I can only hope the objects are few and easily found. Otherwise, I may be here for much longer than I anticipated.
I should check in with work. How many souls are backlogged waiting for me? Granted, it’s been slow lately. The number of appropriate souls has dwindled in recent years. Life spans are longer, medicine is better. Premature accidental deaths are far less common than they used to be.
“Okay—” Borja kicks off his shoes as he plops down on the couch. “—we have a book, a pocket watch, and a brooch. Any idea where to start with that?”
“I would assume the brooch is somehow connected to the Wolcott family, or at least I hope it is. That will give us an idea of where to go next.”
“So, we should research Lady Brent?”
“Exactly.” I sit beside him. “You did well at the hotel with the clerk. As Chasers, we often have to think on our feet and troubleshoot quickly to avoid arousing concerns or suspicions.”
“Thanks, Farnsworth. I told her we were with a private university doing a presentation on the brooch.” He shrugs. “I want to do my best.”
“You have to.” I smile to soften my words. “The alternative to success is rather unpleasant.”
“Right.” He digs his phone from his pocket. “Well, I can start researching Lady Brent on the internet.”
A flutter in my chest makes my breath hitch. “Would you be open to showing me how you do it? Perhaps learning to use some of this new technology will be useful for me.”
“Yeah, of course. I’d be happy to.”
Borja leans closer to me, and as he does, I get a whiff of his scent. It’s nice; masculine and earthy. It’s been so long since I’ve even flirted with attraction that it’s somewhat startling, but instead of fighting it, I let myself enjoy his closeness. It’ll be gone soon enough.
“Farnsworth?”
I blink. “Yes.”
“I asked what cologne you wear? It smells really nice.”
“Cologne?” I shake my head. “I don’t wear any fragrance.”
“That’s your natural scent? Lucky.”
I sniff the air, noticing nothing but him. “What does it smell like?”
“Something floral I can’t name, but it’s soft and comforting.”
“Ah. It’s narcissus.”
“Huh?”
“The flower of the underworld. I didn’t know it was detectable in the Above, but perhaps because you’re a Chaser now you can smell it.”
“Will I smell like that someday too?”
I shake my head. “You won’t spend enough time in the underworld.”
“That’s too bad. Guess I’ll just have to enjoy you, then.”
He winks and my stomach twists. Is that flirting? Why would he flirt with me? No, that’s just wishful thinking on my part.
“Thank you,” I murmur. “We should get back to work.”
“You betcha, boss.”
“I’m not your boss. Just your guide.”
“Semantics.” He smiles again before looking down at his screen. “First step is to open a browser…”
I do my best to listen to his instructions and ignore his closeness, the sweetness of his breath, the warmth of his arm brushing against mine, and that amazing scent. I have work to do, but dammit if this man isn’t distracting.