Page 9 of Be Our Ghost (The Duchess Hotel #2)
“I’ve got it!” she said. “I know why no one’s ever had a ghostly experience in room 309. It’s not accessible to our guests because it’s part of a storage area.”
“For housekeeping?” Knox asked.
“No. We have rooms set aside for that on every floor, next to the elevators, so our attendants can restock their carts. This is different.” She wished she had a photo to show them.
“It’s made up of two adjoining suites, but the wall between them was taken down.
It was turned into a big open space that the staff used for storing furniture and random crap. ”
Knox stared at her in wonder. “Really? I had no idea it even existed.”
“That’s because we don’t use it anymore. It always seemed like an odd place to keep stuff, especially now that we store everything in the hotel’s basement.
Celia looked positively giddy. “That explains it. If any ghosts do exist, they’d be more likely to appear in that storage room than anywhere else in the hotel. You should ask your housekeeping staff if they’ve had any sightings.”
Sightings? A shiver danced along Charlie’s spine. Now that she knew three people had died in that room, there was a good chance it might be haunted. Which was great for the show. But also slightly terrifying.
“Thanks, Celia. Knowing where to narrow my search will make things so much easier.” She popped another fry in her mouth. Still too hot. She took a quick sip of her mango daiquiri to cool down, only to be hit with a stunning brain freeze.
“You’re welcome,” Celia said. “I’ll send you an email with all this information so you can forward it to your friend at Canada’s Most Haunted . I hope he picks your hotel.”
“I hope so, too,” Knox said. “I can’t thank you enough for coming through for us. And on such short notice.”
“It was a pleasure. And…just so you know, I have a sixth sense. So, if you want me to check out that storage area, I can do it. Though not tonight because I’m giving a ghost tour.”
Charlie nodded eagerly. “That would be great. We don’t have a consulting budget or anything, but I could ask our boss if he’d be willing to pay you for your time.”
“No need. I love this stuff. Plus, if we do find out the Duchess is haunted, I can add it to my tour. I like injecting my talks with new material.” She smiled at Charlie. “You should come on a tour sometime. It’s not that frightening, I promise.”
Maybe not for someone like Celia or Knox. But Charlie had a very vivid imagination. She caught Knox’s eye. “Would you go with me?”
“Absolutely. We can go together as part of our research. Maybe on a Sunday or Monday, when I’m not working at the Gilded Lily.”
Yes. Her heart did a giddy skip-jump. Even if it might be mildly frightening, she wasn’t passing up another excuse to hang out with him. “I’d like that.”
They spent the next half hour chatting, entertaining Celia with tales of the hotel while she regaled them with the full story of her and Glen’s experience at the Grand Duke.
Throughout their conversation, Charlie couldn’t help noticing how comfortable Knox seemed, sharing anecdotes and laughing at everyone’s jokes.
He’d also acted like this on Sunday, when he’d visited her apartment.
Friendly. Compassionate. A good listener.
Yet at the Gilded Lily, he rarely showed this side of himself.
Was his mood related to his job? She’d always thought he liked crafting cocktails, but he never seemed truly happy.
Though she didn’t want to give Randolph any credit, she wondered if he’d been onto something.
Did Knox have aspirations he’d never shared with anyone?
Given his love of reading, she could easily envision him wanting to pursue a career as a writer.
“Charlie?” Knox’s voice startled her out of her reverie. “You okay there?”
She cleared the thoughts from her mind. “I was just daydreaming. Thinking about the possibility of our hotel being haunted.”
“Wouldn’t that be great if it was?” Celia peeked at her phone. “I’ve gotta get ready for my tour. Let’s grab the bill.”
Knox waved her away. “I’ll take care of it. In return for all your help.”
“Thanks,” Celia said. “Let me check my schedule to see when I’m available to visit your storage room. As soon as I’m free, I’ll pop over.” She and Glen took off, leaving Charlie alone with Knox.
After Knox paid the bill, he turned to Charlie with a devious smile. “Hear me out for a sec. I know you’re done with work for the day, but I’m curious about that storage area. Do you want to go over to the hotel and check it out?”
Was he serious? In the three years she’d known him, he’d never suggested anything spontaneous. Nor did he spend time at the hotel after hours. “Shouldn’t we wait for Celia? She’s the ghost whisperer.”
“We can visit it again when she’s free. But I’m too intrigued to wait. I’ve never been in that room before.”
What did it matter that this wasn’t a romantic proposition? Or that the idea of checking out a room where people had died might put them at risk? Charlie wasn’t passing up an opportunity to extend their time together.
Her heartbeat quickened. “Okay, but we’ll have to go in the back way. I’d rather not have anyone at the front desk see me. Otherwise, I might get stuck there.”
“You got it, partner.”
Partner. She liked the sound of that.