Page 44 of A Haunting at Keystone Manor

“She’s in prison for murder.”

Frankie’s eyes go wide. “Whoa, no way! That’s crazy. She seemed so normal. You never really can tell, I guess. Anyway, are there any rooms that need to be cleaned? Kayla usually handles my schedule, but I haven’t heard from her in a while. Now I know why.”

Brandon pulls up the hotel calendar on his screen and studies it for a minute. “Looks like rooms two, six, fourteen, eighteen, and twenty-one need cleaning.” He winces. “We’re a little behind.”

She bobs her head. “Okay, I’ll go get started. Nice to meet you, Brandon.”

“Chill,” he drawls. “You too.”

She eyes him a second longer, not yet noticing me lounging by the edge of the desk. I clear my throat.

“Oh, my god!” she screeches and clutches the fabric of her shirt. “You scared the shit out of me! Where are your parents, little boy? Brandon, why are there children roaming freely in the lobby?”

I squeak in protest. “Excuse me, I’m the manager of this hotel.”

“I thought he was the manager of the hotel,” she says, pointing at Brandon.

“Well, technically he’s the acting manager. I’m his boss though. I used to clean the rooms, but I’m dead now, so…”

She looks over at Brandon and asks, “Is he… touched in the head? You know, special?” She gestures at her head and looks over at me, a little scared. “Did he escape from somewhere?” she whispers.

“Oh, no, that’s Alex. He’s a ghost,” Brandon supplies helpfully.

She studies me before clicking her fingers. “That’s right! I remember now. Kayla hired me because you stopped showing up to work. You ghosted her.”

“I guess technically that’s true, but she’s the one that killed me. Whacked me over the head with a cast iron skillet.”

“Wow, what a psycho. So, you’re a ghost, huh? That’s pretty cool. I’ve never met a ghost before.”

“Thanks!” Ugh, I was supposed to fire her. I can’t do it now, she thinks I’m cool!

“Anyway, I better get started. I’ll see you around,” she tells me and waggles her fingers at me. Wow, she took that better than I expected, I think.

I turn back to Brandon as she leaves. “Damn, that didn’t go how I planned. I was going to fire her for being a terrible cleaner, but she got her hooks into me.” I glare in the direction she left, well aware she’s not looking this way. “Remember to dust the ceiling fans!” I yell after her, hoping she heard.

“She’s really not though, our cleanliness rating is five stars,” Brandon says helpfully.

“That’s beside the point, Brandon!” I screech at him. “She’s still the enemy, and not to be trusted...” I tap my fingers along the desk before another thought occurs to me.

“Where’s Seth? I haven’t seen him around in a few days,” I ask.

He looks up from the computer. “He’s visiting his grandma. He should be back soon,” he says, and goes back to his typing. I peek over and see that he’s confirming booking requests. I smile. The hotel is still going strong, and the reviews are pouring in, mostly positive. There have been a handful of “fake and gay!” and “rigged bs, not even scary!” but I shake those off. I know who I am.

“Oh, okay. Cool. As long as he knows he’s always welcome here.”

“Thanks, little dude,” he says and turns back to his computer. I let him work in peace.

***

Two days later Seth hasn’t returned to the hotel, and I’m starting to grow concerned. He’s been attached to Brandon at the hip for so long now, and even I’m starting to miss him.

“Maybe he’s busy getting high with his grandmother and lost track of time,” Jake snarks, and I slap him lightly on the arm.

“I don’t know man, Granny Brooks doesn’t usually partake. Trust me, we’ve offered. You should see her with a glass of wine, though,” says Brandon with a shake of his head. “This isn’t like him. We text a lot when he’s away, and he hasn’t responded to my messages since yesterday.”

“I’m sure he’s okay,” I say, trying to reassure him. I’m not feeling reassured though. I’ve been on alert since Elder Covington's visit, and it’s turning my stomach that Seth isn’t accounted for. What if he gets hurt? I couldn’t live with that. “Keep trying to get ahold of him, and call his grandma too. If you don’t get a response, we’ll go from there.”

The phone on the front desk rings and Brandon rushes to answer, probably hoping it’s Seth. “Thanks for calling Keystone Hotel, this is Brandon. What can I do for you on this fine day?”