Chapter 11 #2
“Yeah, all swirling around me, like I was in the center of a storm,” Eric confirmed, confused as hell, “and yet I was the only one there.”
“I would have been terrified.”
“Let’s just say that I wasn’t as comfortable as I would have liked. Stefan mentioned something about loving to have some training available for these things, but he would want to have control so that students wouldn’t have any unpleasant surprises.”
“Students? Does he really train people?”
“I think to some degree. I got the impression that it’s not so much that he trains people but that people come to him looking for help, and he feels an obligation to help them. I also got the impression that it has come at a personal cost, which he may not have expected.”
She shook her head as she studied the space around them. “Do you think it was Debbie?” she asked, both hope and worry in her tone. “Because, if it was her, wouldn’t that mean she was stuck here? Even though she didn’t die here. Or did she?”
Eden was worried, but, in the back of her mind, there was also fear. “I don’t really understand ghost lore,” she shared, glancing around, “and I can’t believe I’m even saying that. But, if that’s a thing, do you think it’s something I should be worried about for Debbie?”
“I have no idea,” he admitted, facing her. “That is something we would have to ask Stefan. Most people think that ghosts are intended to head off and to do their own thing as soon as they’re dead, but I’m not sure that’s the case here right now.”
“How can you say that?” she asked curiously. “Do you think Debbie’s here though? How do you explain that?”
“I can’t, and I’m not sure that she was here.
I just know that, when I sat here and opened up my senses—something I almost always do at a crime scene when I’m puzzled over something—all hell broke loose.
Stefan says I should do a hell of a lot more of that sort of thing, but last night was nothing I’ve ever experienced before.
” He took a deep breath and added, “I wasn’t even sure I should mention it to you. ”
“I’m glad you did,” she said. “I mean, it’s disconcerting to even think that that was possible, but I would rather know it’s possible and have an idea of what is going on, especially in terms of where Debbie may be.
” Not to mention not feel so crazy when I see that in the future, she thought to herself, as her mind was off and running one hundred miles an hour again.
“God help me, that sounds absolutely ridiculous in this context,” he shared.
She nodded. “What could Origin mean?”
He winced. “I’m not sure I have an answer for you.
Stefan didn’t really give me an answer either, but he mentioned something about not having ever seen one, or maybe it was not having seen one in a very long time.
But said that there were places on earth that were more otherworldly than others. Places that opened doors…”
“So, they’re rare and—”
“Say what you mean to say,” Eric urged her.
“It could be a portal of sorts,” she suggested.
“That’s why I don’t want to say it either, since it brings up all kinds of horror-movie symbolism that I’m not sure we really need or should be expressing at this point.”
She scrubbed her face, her mind racing. “Good God,” she murmured out loud. “This is not what I expected you to say this morning.”
He laughed out loud. “No, I’m sure it isn’t,” he agreed, “but, regardless, one of the things I want to do is try to open that up again.”
“Oh, hell no!” She stared at him, incredulous. “Why in God’s name would you want to do that?”
“Because we need to know.”
His tone was calm, adamant, and she knew for a fact that, despite her feelings on the matter, he was right. “When do you want to do that?”
“Tonight. This is Sunday, and the seminar ends today, remember? But we can stay on for a couple more nights, if I can convince my captain. My options are limited.”
She stared at him, surprised, then nodded. “That’s true. Not exactly what we came for though, is it?”
His jaw worked, as if struggling to get the words out. “Or it’s exactly what we came for.”
*
After breakfast, Eric and Eden walked back into the main part of the hotel, heading to their assigned rooms for the meditation seminar.
Having a few minutes to spare, Eric stopped at the front desk and chatted with the woman there, talking about Debbie’s death after attending last week’s seminar, even going so far as to explain he was a detective.
Turns out she was the hotel manager, mentioning how sad it was that she died, but the manager knew nothing further about it apparently.
Eric didn’t know if he believed her or not. But then, nobody really considered Debbie’s death suspicious, since she’d died at home, so most people here at the hotel felt it didn’t involve them.
The hotel manager had obviously been quite upset when he continued to speak about Debbie, but more so about any potential negativity of her death being associated with the hotel.
He assured her that he didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Still, he was wondering if the hotel manager had seen or had spoken to Debbie while she was here. So he asked her about that.
Shrugging, she replied, “I’m not even sure I know which one she was.” When Eric pulled out her picture, the manager’s response was unmistakable.
She winced, and then she sighed. “Yes, I remember her. I mean, it was hard to miss her as she and Richard appeared to be an item.”
“When did they become an item?”
“Here, as far as I know,” she said cautiously, as if trying to not say anything wrong.
“So, they didn’t know each other beforehand?”
“I don’t think so, but that’s really just an assumption,” she stated.
He nodded. “I suppose it could have just been a weekend fling. I mean, that must happen here a lot, huh?”
“Absolutely, and, chances are, that’s exactly what it was,” she noted. “You know how it is. You get a chance to get away, and you let your hair down a bit, and sometimes the clothing comes off too,” she added, with a tentative smile. “However, it wouldn’t have had anything to do with us.”
“What about Richard? How often does he arrange a retreat here in this location?”
“He does these, oh, twelve, sometimes fourteen times a year, mostly during the spring and summertime,” she shared. “But all we do is provide the space, and, for the most part, we get a lot of positive feedback, and it’s good for business. He’s apparently an excellent trainer.”
“And, of course, you don’t want anything to affect that.”
“No,” she declared. “I really don’t. As I said, it’s been very good for business.”
He nodded. “I’m not here to cause any trouble.”
She looked at him warily, as if not quite sure she believed him.
He smiled. “And I get it. Hospitality is not the easiest of industries, and anything with a potential for a negative impact could reverberate and could cost you valuable business.”
The hotel manager grimaced. “It can be brutal, you know? Nobody says anything, yet they say everything. So, from our perspective, if there is any problem, we would want to hear about it early, so we could stop it before it lands someone in serious trouble.”
“Has anything landed someone in trouble?”
“To the best of my knowledge, there hasn’t been any trouble. I’m sorry to hear about Debbie, but I will admit it’s a relief that she didn’t pass away here.”
“Yes, of course,” Eric replied, trying hard not to express his opinion, “particularly after the death of the other young woman recently here on the grounds.”
She blanched and nodded. “That isn’t a good thing either,” she agreed, “and she’s been here multiple times. I know she really loved being here.”
“And maybe that was a good thing for her, in that her passing was at a place she loved,” he suggested.
She nodded. “I want to think so.” She wrapped her arms around her chest. “It is a little disconcerting that you’re now talking about somebody I spoke to several times and won’t see again.”
He considered that and nodded. “And again I’m not trying to cause you any trouble.” She looked at him in disbelief, and he sighed. “I do have a job to do. We’re just crossing the Ts, dotting the Is, and making sure nothing here needs to be investigated.”
“There isn’t,” she stated crossly. “I don’t know anything about what happened to the poor woman, and I certainly don’t know anything about what happened to Deborah Kingston.
” She looked down at the picture again. “I’m just very sorry that two beautiful young women were here, and both of them are now dead, but it’s also the nature of the work Richard does. ”
“In what way?” Eric asked, surprised. “I thought it was meditation.”
“Sure. But along with meditation comes self-healing, sometimes hands-on healing. It frequently comes with people who have high expectations that nobody in their right mind could ever possibly meet, but some people are determined that they should get some miracle.”
“And?”
She sighed. “Hey, I’m not against miracles. I would absolutely love for everybody to have a miracle in their life. I’m just not sure how often that happens, but, if it does happen, good for them. We all could use a few more miracles in life.”
He smiled. “I’m with you there. Life is hard enough without anything causing distress and derailing any progress.”
“Exactly,” she muttered, her tone softer now. “So, enjoy your time here, but be aware that the hotel is not involved in anything related to these two women.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” he said.
“I must admit that you’ve depressed me over these deaths,” she shared.
“I think I’ll step outside and take a walk in the gardens for a bit.
” And, with that, she excused herself, called one of the other women to take her place, and slowly moved outside, where he watched her taking several large, deep breaths, trying to recenter herself.