Chapter 1: The Birthday Party
April 19th, 2018: For once, it was not a dark and stormy night…
…It should have been perfect, a thirty-fifth birthday party for Aaron Collins at the Fairmont Royal York in Toronto. In all of its' 88 years of operation it has seen many politicians, royalty, musicians, but never a party like this, and never a murder so gruesome.
But that is getting a bit ahead of ourselves…
…He and his new wife Ida (an Angel on Earth) were watching the Hotel employees set up tables and chairs. Ida felt awkward since they met up at Bramalea Go Train/Bus Station earlier that day and just stood there since she really did not know them. For once, Aaron was not oblivious to the needs of others when he realized "shit, how rude of me?", and then makes his introductions to Ida smiles and shakes their hands:
Aaron's mother Lindsay: An aging diabetic that while pulling Aaron out of Autism, also admits to preferring his sister.
Adam: A tech-guy who needed years to accept Aaron's sexuality, and may still be a bit nervous about Aaron's…mannerisms before marriage.
Isaac: Aaron's veteran stoic sidekick, so stoic he may have more secrets than anyone else.
Melinda: A single mother who would kill someone for the last cup of coffee on earth.
Susan: A tomboy who hates crowds more than Aaron.
Charles: A tavern man resenting Aaron's sobriety.
James: A man buckling under the stress of Magic: The Gathering and being a father of 2.
Justin: One of those recurring characters in Aaron's life where no matter what Aaron does, he is there.
Krystal: Justin's wife
Gregg: Aaron's straightedge guru and…
Rob: A cab driver with an uncommon sense of business.
Lindsay goes over to Ida and asks her to show the ring that Aaron got her when they got married.
Gregg asks "Was there alcohol at the wedding?"
Aaron nods, "I did not have any though. Ooooo, the Mississauga guests are here. Ida, this is…"
Damon: A Doctor Who obsessed clown with an obsession for violence
Kate: Ida's and Aaron's wedding planner.
Jen: A concertgoer from Aaron's past who otherwise does not fit in anywhere.
They all hug after that and Damon Kate and Jen went and joined the others.
The ballroom was grandiose and pastoral. The ceiling was painted a dirty Gold with chandeliers above every table. A stage on the north side big enough to host an ensemble from the days of big band. The floors consisted of well-polished hardwood floors, round tables with freshly washed white tablecloths. The west wall is split between Gothic-styled windows with black metal bars and a bar filled to the brim with everything from imported draught beer to the rarely ordered Absinthe bottle Marilyn Manson gave them back when he was relevant. The south is normally where the catering company dwells but tonight they have been asked to stand down as per Aaron's request, and finally the east hosts the entrance back into the hotel.
Sherry (a deceptive poker player if ever there was one) waltzes in and asks, "Can anyone help this bellhop bring in the D.J. Equipment? It is really heavy!"
Ida looks at Aaron and wonders who she was talking about then Aaron turns and says, "That would be Jason"
"OK why is he bringing that much equipment?"
"He is a D.J. by trade; he has roughly half a million songs on MANY hard drives."
Jason and Aaron hug and he says "and now I have them networked together so I can go from Iron Maiden to Shania Twain with only 1 second waiting time"
Ida Says "Hey Jason it is nice to see you again. How are you doing?"
"Just bought a house!"
She laughs and hugs Aaron then whispers in his ear "Babe I will be back I feel sick to my stomach again"
"Of course sweetie, all the locals are here. Not sure when the rest will get here."
Aaron goes over and helps Jason as everyone looks at the stuff with awe. After a few minutes Ida returns and sits down.
"Are you ok, sweetheart?"
"Yes I am fine just tired."
"OK"
Aaron walks away to go see if everyone was ok then Isaac comes over and asks Aaron.
"How are you going to handle all this company?"
Aaron shrugs as he really has never had an answer and walks back over to help Jason. Aaron was always a fan of what he called "social crossover conversation". What that means is that he whenever he had a party; he never wanted people from one part of his life to only talk to other people from that part. So far the "social crossover conversations"included Isaac introducing Rob to Gregg (Isaac having met Gregg at a past birthday party and having known Rob through Rob's previous business venture, Digital Underground), Charles going through Jason's music collection (much like Aaron did in an old scouting house years ago) and wondering if he could hire Jason for events at the bar he works at, Jack's Backyard, Kate going on a rant to Justin and Krystal as to how much more cost-effective their wedding could have been if she had planned it (with Justin kicking himself), James asking Adam about the goings-on at Lester B. Pearson and Lindsay telling Sherry embarrassing stories of his childhood. Of course the crowd so far was a bit "Turner Fenton heavy", so Melinda and Susan declared themselves the bartenders.
An hour later, some more guests come in; Aaron and Ida run over to the door. Jess walks in and says. "I lived in Canada for 2 years and I still cannot find the place." Jess was used to her home in New Jersey although she worked for Montreal's Your Favourite Enemies for some time and travelled to Toronto on a few occasions, Aaron himself having seen her on 2 of them. After Jess hugs Aaron, she turns to Ida, "And who is this Aaron?"
"This is my new wife"
Ida smiles and Jess walks over to Kate (1 of the only people she has even heard of) to see if Kate plans weddings outside of Canada. All of a sudden they hear:
"This hotel better have a chef who can cook Cajun food".
Aaron and Ida shout "HELLION!"
Hellion was a wrestling name for their mutual friend John Grim. Not real wrestling, but an Internet fad called "efed wrestling". Ida went mostly by the name "Kelsey Marxx". In fact, that's how John and Ida met Aaron: He briefly explored a side of himself known only as Hawking Ripper. Ida and Aaron run over, give him a hug and then they start to laugh. They talk for a few minutes, then John leaves to introduce himself to the others, striking up a conversation with James over the common ground of wrestling.
"You were right Aaron; Charlotte was a breeze of an airport".
Aaron's mom walks over and says "Elizabeth, you made it" then brings her to talk for a little bit Elizabeth then gets mobbed by another elderly lady while a man with an Australian accent says "looks the same as it did in 1995" Aaron replies, "glad to see you too Karl".
Elizabeth is 1 of the female fans of Your Favourite Enemies often referred to as "YFE moms". Elizabeth may live in Knoxville, but spends a TON of time in canada. Karl on the other hand, was bassist for Australian Goth Metal band Temujin. Isaac left Rob and Gregg and tapped Karl on the shoulder.
"Good to finally meet you, Karl". They shake hands
"You too mate, always good to meet a Dorkriver (Isaac's nickname)"
Isaac laughs, "Sorry Karl, when you called me that, I thought of my house, I forgot to hang a lampshade."
After a shared laugh, an employee interrupts the conversation, "Mr. Collins, are you expecting any Russians?" Aaron nods and holds up 3 fingers. The employee leaves and 3 Russians come in: Andrey, Catherine B. and Frau. Andrey Iskanov was 1 of the most elite, yet controversial directors in Russian history. His groundbreaking work in the horror/documentary "Philosophy of a Knife"left many people rethinking World War 2. Frau Kaltenbruner was an aspiring actress who did work with Andrey on a few of his films. Catherine Bronnikova didn't really know the other 2 Russian friends of Aaron's until they met on the planes in Moscow/Washington D.C. They pretty much kept to themselves with occasional Yfe or Andrey fans coming over to say hello.
A trio of girls walk over, say hi to Aaron then turns to Ida after a minute Ida asks
"Who are these 3 Aaron?"
"Tamara, Julie and Megan"
Ida perks up, goes over and hugs Tamara
Tamara expresses anger: "We spent longer in customs than we did on the plane from San Francisco. And Julie and Megan were already jet lagged from Sydney"
"Why were you 3 strip searched?"
"Homeland security is a bunch of sickos"
"I know they are"
Megan knew Aaron back when Temujin only had 5 fans on its' facebook page, becoming sort of an ensemble darkhorse in Aarons life. Julie was a travel junkie who likely saw this occasion as an excuse to see Toronto. Tamara on the other hand was just 1 of those people who never got the "you have to grow up!"memo. Megan naturally finds Karl to talk to while Julie and Tamara plucks Jess, Elizabeth and Catherine B. from their respective conversations to start a YFE one.
Harley and Holly stumble in half asleep, mumbling "we hate trains" in tandem.
They walk over, say hi to Aaron then stumble to the nearest chair they could fall into. Harley was a backyard wrestler from Dannville who also knew Aaron, Ida and John from Xwf. Holly was the biggest Yfe fan Indianapolis ever had, yet never had an unkind word for anyone. Harley found John in short order; while Holly joins the growing Yfe conversation.
Laura rolls into the ballroom in 1 of those electric carts. "Why did I spend 70 minutes on a plane?"
"Because a bus is even less comfy!" says Aaron
Laura (like Aaron's mother Lindsay) was type 2 diabetic. But no matter how many trips to the hospital she had, her spirit was never broken. She fights to stay alive, and she fought to get to Toronto from Sault Ste. Marie.
Then we hear a French Canadian voice say "You should've come by train"; in come Isabel, Tina, Vanessa and Victoria.
Isabel was the keyboard player and female vocalist of Your Favourite Enemies (the only band member to show up), Vanessa lived near Yfe headquarters and was frequently over listening in on recording sessions or watching baseball games (oddly, Yfe are San Francisco Giants fans). Victoria wasn't a Yfe associate but nonetheless met up with them thanks to her living in such a remote part of upstate New York (Canton to be exact) that it actually made more sense for her to cross the border into Canada and join up with the others thanks to Via Rail's famous "Quebec City-Windsor corridor" train. Tina then got on in her hometown of Kingston. Tina was another 1 of the "Yfe moms" but she was a bit quieter than the others. Laura started a conversation with Aaron's mother about their respective "Diabetic regimens"; Tina joined Elizabeth, while Victoria (not knowing anyone at all other than Aaron himself) went over to the bar to get a drink to calm her nerves.
Ida squeals and runs to hug Isabel when all of a sudden Ida and Isabel nearly get run over by a girl who WHIPS by in roller blades. Aaron shouts, "Corrine I don't think you can use those in the hotel!"
"You can if you give the bagman $100."
Corrine was a retired rollerblader out of Edmonton who nonetheless still had a huge hand in that community (she even attended Canada's hosting of the world cup in 2011).
Ida brushes off her clothes off afer falling with Isabel (who by this time had figured out where the respective Yfe conversations were taking place.) Ida excuses herself to go to the bathroom (again). While Ida is gone a girl with pink hair asks Jason where she can put HER hard drives of music...Which was Aaron's cue walk over and say hi to Phoenix. Phoenix was a Jack-Of-All-Trades musician, clothes designer and D.J. from Saskatoon. After whispering something in Jason's ear, Jason gets out 4 turntables (2 for him, 2 for Phoenix) and they entertain the crowd that has gathered with what D.J.'s sometimes call "Scratch-offs". The crowd is about evenly split between Phoenix mashing up Eminem's "Not afraid"with Godsmack's "Cryin' Like a bitch"and Jason modifying Alice Cooper's lyrics for "I'm eighteen"to fit the speed of Iron Maiden's "Two minutes to midnight"
After Ida comes back people walk over to see if she was ok she looks sick but does not say anything. Aaron walks over and asks "what the hell is wrong?"
I shake my head and whispers "I have been sick all day babe"
Aaron offers Ida Gravol as Aarons mom starts crying, Laurie and Allan walk in. Laurie was Lindsay's best friend from college while Allan was Laurie's son. This was the 1st time Allan and Aaron had met in person since Allan was in diapers, but they were nonetheless kindred spirits, sharing a common bond known as Autism. After the scratch-off (which had no clear winner), people returned to the conversations as before, only now Allan, Laurie and Lindsay were their own dialogue.
A few minutes later they hear bagpipes which could only mean that Heather is playing them and walking in at the same time.
She hugs Aaron and says "Happy Birthday Mr. Pirate, Hi Mrs. Pirate"
Ida scratches her head in confusion, "Pirate?"
Aaron chuckles, "Sweetie, the first 3 letters of my first name spell…"
Heather interrupts, "AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRR…"
Ida laughs, getting the joke, while Heather joins the Yfe moms' conversation. Despite being a mother in the town of Edinburgh, Scotland, her caring, free spirit ways suggested someone much younger in the soul.
Then in comes Marcel, really quiet, trying not to be noticed. Aaron notices him anyway and gives him a big hug. "Ich liebe dich, Marcel"
"Ich liebe dich, Aaron"
Ida then asks her husband, "Aaron, how do you know how to speak German?"
"Oh I only really have basic comprehension; someone in my junior high's heavy metal clique had to know what Rammstein was talking about"
Marcel was one of the youngest fans of Your Favourite Enemies in the world, but was nonetheless accepted and embraced by them. He even once took the train from his native Germany to St. Petersburg, Russia just to spend time with some of Yfe's Russian fans. After his initial anxiety, he seemed to act as a go-between for all of the Yfe conversations.
Agnes and Solveig skip around the room like AJ from the Wwe, giggling (possibly high from Amsterdam pot). Agnes lived there despite being born in Poland (working hard at 1 of the best Subway restaurants outside of North America); Solveig on the other hand was 1 of Norway's "eternal university students", learning whatever she can, on any subject she desires. Due to her hometown of Bergen not having anywhere near the airport Oslo has, Aaron arranged for her to change planes in Amsterdam and have an overnight layover so she can have fun with Agnes. Due to how silly they were behaving, their munchies and the glazed look in their eyes, Aaron was having second thoughts. In any event, they added themselves to the Yfe conversations without a hitch.
Conversely, Chiara and Fabio stumble in drunk on wine they had in Rome. They were married and 2 parts of Italian operatic metal band Crysalys. Fabio being a keyboard player, and Chiara being a trained Opera singer (who just happened to like heavy metal). Isabel started to pick Fabio's brain regarding differences in North American vs. European keyboards. While Chiara found Karl due to Crysalys and Temujin having a long history of respect for each other.
And finally, Aaron Langemann announces "Woohoo, the OTHER Aaron's LAST!" He walks over, hugs Aaron then goes over to Ida and hugs her too. Aaron Langemann is the longest tenured friend to attend this birthday party. They are a year apart but met in a Grade 2/3 split class back in 1991. Their mutual 1st name, a fondness for the Hardy boys detective novels and the epic Aloma elementary school battleground that was 4-square bonded them for life. That bond still remained despite Aaron L. now living in Manila for business reasons. Aaron L. basically mingled with the few he met at Aaron C.'s 28th birthday party (namely Isaac)
A few minutes later, music came on and some people got up to dance and Aaron C. started to cry. Ida goes over, hugs Aaron and whispers in his ear to see if he wants to dance. Aaron wipes the tears away and nods. They both get up and get on the dance floor the song they are dancing to is Rush's "The Garden". Ida smiles and leans her head down on Aaron's shoulder.
"I hope I can get through the next 2 weeks" said Aaron
"You will babe I'm here for you."Ida said back as she kisses his forehead. Aaron smiles and nods his head. They dance for a while and Ida started to get tired.
"Shall I do the toast now sweetie?" asked Aaron.
Ida looks at her watch and answers "might as well babe"
Aaron runs up to Jason's D.J. booth and asks through a microphone "could I have everyone's attention please?" Everyone looks up and turns there attention to Aaron:
"Thank you everyone for coming. I know it has not always been easy knowing me, but as I enter a new phase of my life with my new wife Ida, I will never forget where I came from. Whether you met me in School, Magic: The Gathering, Karaoke, Work, Family, Friends of Family, the Pirana Poker Tour, the Xwf, my Film interests, Music interests or Your Favourite Enemies, I love you all very much. So the next 2 weeks are on me, ENJOY!"
Upon a screen set upon the stage, displayed the seating arrangements for dinner. 6 tables, 7 or 8 per table:
Table 1
Seat 1: Aaron C.
Seat 2: Ida
Seat 3: Aaron L.
Seat 4: Kate
Seat 5: John
Seat 6: Gregg
Seat 7: Holly
Seat 8: Isaac
Table 2
Seat 1: Agnes
Seat 2: Catherine
Seat 3: Heather
Seat 4: Jess
Seat 5: Laura
Seat 6: Solveig
Seat 7: Tina
Seat 8: Jason
Table 3
Seat 1: Elizabeth
Seat 2: Isabel
Seat 3: Julie
Seat 4: Marcel
Seat 5: Tamara
Seat 6: Vanessa
Seat 7: Victoria
Table 4
Seat 1: Charles
Seat 2: Damon
Seat 3: James
Seat 4: Justin
Seat 5: Krystal
Seat 6: Allan
Seat 7: Laurie
Seat 8: Lindsay
Table 5
Seat 1: Adam
Seat 2: Mel
Seat 3: Susan
Seat 4: Corrine
Seat 5: Phoenix
Seat 6: Harley
Seat 7: Rob
Seat 8: Sherry
Table 6
Seat 1: Andrey
Seat 2: Frau
Seat 3: Chiara
Seat 4: Fabio
Seat 5: Karl
Seat 6: Megan
Seat 7: Jen
Then a dozen waiters come in (2 per table) with Satay Chicken, Satay Beef, Miniature Shrimp Rolls (for the meat-eaters) and Crispy Spring Rolls (for the vegetarians). Aaron whispers to Ida "Hopefully everyone doesn't fill up; I got Salad King to cater for everyone."
"I do not think they will babe"
"They will be taking our order any minute, are you up for some Thai food?"
"Yes I think I just need to eat babe I have not had anything to eat all day"
The owner of Salad King (Alan Liu) walks up to us and says "Ida, Aaron I will be taking your order myself. What will it be?"
Ida answers before Aaron (much to Aaron's shock) "I would like the vegetarian special please!"
Alan looks puzzled, so Aaron speaks up "2 veggie only Islamic noodles". Alan goes "Ah, and how spicy do each of you want it?"
"I will go for a 3 please"replied Ida
"And I will go for a 10"replied Aaron
Alan raises an eyebrow and asks if he was sure, Aaron nods and says "It is my 35th birthday"Alan nods and walks away.
After 40 minutes of taking orders and waiting they bring out the food. Ida grins and waits for Aaron to start to eat. Hoping to stall for a minute to start eating, Aaron debates nervously "I can never pick between fork and chopstick."
"I eat with a fork babe I never can use chop sticks"
Aaron nods and picks up the fork. Ida picks up her fork, takes some of the food and starts to eat. "Oh GOD this is SO GOOD!"Said Aaron smiling at his wife as she says "I know it is babe thank for helping me order."
"It's panang curry and noodles. Panang has coconut milk so you'll be ok."
Ida looks out to see how everyone's enjoying their food. She gets to observe a sea of people enjoying themselves, struggling with chopsticks, and in a few cases, loosening belts.
"Ok I was hoping for coconut milk thanks babe"she leans over, kisses him (then wipes her lips with a napkin as she is not used to the 10 chillies) and start to eat again. A few minutes later she stopped eating and leans back full then perks up after seeing a few people walking over to her. John, Holly, Aaron L. and some of Aaron C.'s close friends come over.
John asks "How did you find such wicked thai food?"
"Salad king is the best here hellion, Aaron knows the owner."replied Ida
Indeed that was true. While Alan Liu made himself as accessible as he possibly could, he especially appreciated Aaron's/Aaron's friends/Aaron's relatives' journeys from Brampton to Toronto just to eat there. Brampton only had a Thai fast food place in malls and their quality was nothing compared to Salad King (Salad King is also one-third cheaper). Over the years, Alan was great to Aaron, his friends and his family. So when it came time to plan the catering of this birthday, Aaron only had 1 option.
"A buddy of mine took me there a few birthdays ago, I fell in love. Even now I only love Ida more than Salad King". Ida blushes and starts to hide her face so her husband smiles and leans over to kiss her head.
Aaron L. starts moaning and holding his stomach "I tried 20 chillies...never again"
Ida and Aaron C. laugh, then Ida said "Well I thought 3 were hot so I think you were crazy to do that."
Phoenix stares at Aaron L. and says "I had the hot and sour mushroom at 15 and had trouble"
Everyone else shakes there head and sat down to talk some more.
Alan cuts out the lights and wheels out a HUGE birthday cake with 35 candles. Everyone's mouth drops open when they see that then waits for Aaron to stand up and blow out the candles. Isabel shouts "WHY IS NO ONE SINGING?" Ida starts singing as everyone else follows with her. Aaron blushes while they sing and then he stands up to blow out the candles.
After it was done, Ida stands up and kisses him then hands him a huge present that he had to sit down to unwrap after opening it a letter falls out and Aaron smiles as he said "Aww 80 inches of Doctor Who"he reads the letter out loud: "Aaron I have been saving my money to get you this and on top of it I got you FIOS so you can watch anything you want I hope you like. Love, your wife Ida!"
"I love it and I love you sweetie"said Aaron
They both hug and then people started passing out their presents
"Open mine first", requested John
"Ok bro", Aaron opens the package and reveals all of the seasons of doctor who with a 3d blu-ray player. Aaron's eyes go wide (as do Damon's) and he said "HOLY SHIT, I never thought anyone would get me that."
Ida speaks up and says "hellion and I planned this babe."
"I guessed as much"Replied Aaron
John winks at Ida, then Isabel hands him her present. Aaron opens it and reveals the new album of Your Favourite Enemies. Aaron grins "so do you like it then?"
"I love it Izzy"said Aaron
She laughs and stands back. After an hour or 2 of unwrapping presents there was one more present left. Aaron cracks his knuckles and then starts to unwrap the present. Inside was a Sony Playstation 4 with an improved kinect and a brand new dance game for it. Aaron gets excited and screams, "YAAY!"At the top of his lungs. His mom speaks "I got that for you. I hope you enjoy it."Aaron nods, then stands up and hugs everyone. Then he goes over to the D.J. booth again and asks, "Does everyone want their room assignments?" A giant, enthusiastic "YES!"is emitted from the crowd. People walk up at once to get there room numbers:
"Ok we are on the top floor and we have the whole floor to ourselves. Aaron L. And Holly, you're with Ida and I."Holly gets near Ida and both of them walk over to Aaron "I have our key ladies, don't worry."
"We know you do, we are just waiting"replied Holly.
Aaron C. knew everyone (obviously, this is his birthday party), whereas Ida and Holly had grown close thanks to their mutual cheery demeanours and Your Favourite Enemies. Aaron L. on the other hand, only really knew Aaron C. so this was an awkward group for him.
"Ok, room 2: Agnes, Heather, Marcel and Solveig."Heather runs over, grabs the key and they head upstairs. Minimum awkwardness here (in fact before this party began, Aaron and Ida called this the Yfe Europe room.) Heather may or may not have known Marcel however…
"Room 3: Elizabeth, Jess and Tamara."Jess goes over, grabs the key and they just stand there for a minute waiting to head up. Absolutely no awkwardness here in the Yfe USA room. Everyone knows everyone else, moving on…
"Room 4: Catherine B., Isabel, Victoria and Vanessa."Isabel goes over gives a hug to Aaron then goes up with the others. Absolutely no awkwardness here in the New York/Quebec/Russia room. Everyone knows everyone else, moving on…
"Room 5: Laura, Julie, Jason and Tina."Laura goes over grabs the key and they went upstairs to their room.
Aaron shouts out, "Don't worry Laura, your bed has been lowered so it's easier for you to get in and out"
"Thanks Aaron you know me so well."
Julie didn't really know any of the others (save for group chats and the like), in fact neither did Jasonwhile Laura and Tina know their province of Ontario as well as anyone, so early rooming jitters should pass.
"Ok, Room 6: Corrine, Gregg, Jen and Phoenix."Gregg shrugs, heads up to grab the key then he goes upstairs with the others. Gregg shrugged as no one in this room knows anyone else at all. In fact, these 4 are only rooming together as these are friends for Aaron's music interests (excluding Your Favourite Enemies) that only have their native Canada in common.
"Room 7: Chiara, Fabio, Karl and Megan."Megan grins, heads over and grabs the key, then walks back to her group and they head upstairs. This room is almost a study in contrast. As this humble narrator has mentioned, Chiara/Fabio are married, and they somewhat know Karl. Otherwise, it's Australians on the left, Italians on the right so to speak…
"Room 8: Andrey, Frau, Charles and Kate."Charles goes up, grabs the key and then high fives Aaron. Then Charles goes over to head upstairs. This is an odd room to explain altogether. Basically: Andrey knows Frau (but no one else), Charles knows Frau (but no one else), Frau knows Andrey and Charles (but not Kate, and Charles not all that well), and Kate knows no one at all (yet is put in the same group of friends as Charles). Moving on…
"Room 9: Damon, Justin, James and Krystal."Damon goes over, grabs the key then winks at Aaron and heads to the others. Krystal is the 1 person in this room who knows everyone (despite all being in the same clique on Aaron's facebook list). Damon doesn't (to this narrator's knowledge), know Justin or James. James however, knows Justin (and used to date Krystal) so the awkwardness should be minimal…or total…this narrator hasn't decided yet.
"Room 10: Adam, Isaac, Mel and Susan."Adam heads over, grabs the key then goes back to the group and heads upstairs. No awkwardness here, this is the "Turner Fenton"room. Everyone will "remember"everyone else.
"Room 11: Allan, Laurie and Mom."Lindsay grins, goes and grabs the key then goes over to Laurie and Allan. They head upstairs and there's no commentary needed here as the relationship has already been explained.
"Room 12: Harley, John, Rob and Sherry."Sherry goes over, grabs the key then heads over to the other two. Harley and John at least know OF each other (thanks to XWF) but Rob and Sherry are the odd ones out.
"I hope Harley and John do not give Sherry and Rob a hard time"whispered Aaron.
"They should not babe, they are good guys!"
Sherry comes over before heading upstairs "we could get a poker game going later", Aaron pondered that possibly and answers "hey, we have 2 weeks, we will get 1 in."Satisfied, Sherry catches up to Rob, Harley and John.
"Babe go have a game with Sherry I want to go do something with Holly."whispered Ida into Aaron's ear
"Actually I am kind of beat, so I want to get settled"
"Ok babe I will be going out with Holly I will be back in a couple of hours"
"Ok, I will leave the door open"
Ida hesitates then looks at Holly and she whispers in my ear "it will be ok we need to make sure you are ok"
Aaron L. speaks up "Don't worry Ida, I promise I will get your husband upstairs"
"Thanks Aaron we will be up in a little bit"
Ida and holly walk away and head for a drugstore to grab a pregnancy test. Ida goes and pays for it and the girl head for the closest bathroom which is next door. Ida pees on it in the middle stall. When it comes out positive, Ida bursts into tears. Holly asks "You are sad it is positive?"
"No I am so excited! I was told I could not have kids"
Holly gave her a long hug as she knows something about Aaron that few others do "that was last on Aaron's Autism list"
"To have a kid?"
Holly nods.
Ida starts to tear up again, then hurries and brushes them away.
"We better get back upstairs; hopefully we will not get lost on the P.A.T.H."
The P.A.T.H. was a series of underground tunnels and stores connecting the majority of Downtown Toronto to each other. One can access Union station (the subway station the majority of the party have been to today), the CN tower (the tallest free-standing structure in the Western Hemisphere), the Rogers Centre (home of Baseball's Blue Jays, still referred to as the Skydome by the locals), the Fairmont Royal York (the aforementioned hotel), the Air Canada Centre (home to the Maple Leafs for hockey and the Raptors for basketball), Brookfield Place (a series of office buildings), Hockey Hall of Fame (self-explanatory), the Toronto-Dominion centre (aka the building Wesley Snipes saved a baby on in Blade: Trinity), the Design Exchange (a Design and Art museum), the Toronto Dominion Gallery for Inuit Art (again, self-explanatory), City Hall (Again, self-explanatory), The biggest Bay in Canada (department store), the Cloud Forest Conservatory (the City's nicest indoor garden), Eaton Centre (one of the many malls Toronto has, if you actually saw the movie The 6th day you have seen some of it) and the Church of the Holy Trinity (again, self-explanatory) by just walking all 28 km of it and following the signs. But, now we must return to the story.
"Ok I hope Aaron will be up when we get up there!"
"I am sure he will, I was talking to that other Aaron guy and he said he needed to call his wife back home in the Philippines."
They head back up stairs to find the door unlocked so they could get in Aaron L. is hysterical and on the phone "WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE TOWN'S IN GRIDLOCK? YOU'RE FUCKING EMERGENCY SERVICES!" Holly and Ida look at him weird then spot the body that was on the bed Ida faint as she see who it was. It was her husband, bashed by a sledgehammer, stabbed a large knife in the back, and a large section of head missing as a result of several gunshot wounds. Holly yells "SHIT!"and pages the front desk, "I NEED SMELLING SALTS TO REVIVE A PREGNANT WOMAN AND TO LOCKDOWN THE HOTEL TO CATCH THE MURDERER OF A GUEST...NO...IDA'S THE 1 WHO FAINTED, HER HUSBAND'S BRAINS ARE ALL OVER THE FUCKING WALL!" Aaron L. Hangs up Aaron C.'s cell, "They are going to take forever with Yonge Street being 1 lane each way. Not that it matters, 6 shots to the head is not survivable." Holly replied, "I know that Aaron but I need to get Ida revived she just smacked her head very hard"
Aaron gets ice, wraps it in a towel and places it on Ida's head. 3 hotel employees run in: 1 with the smelling salts, 1 with cpr training and the manager who's on an iphone "Look It is not a fucking prank, there is a murder victim in 1 of my rooms, lock it down, lock it down now!" The smelling salts wake Ida up a minute later, trying to sit up fast to go see if her husband was alive. Aaron L. Tries pulling her away from the gruesome scene. She starts crying, only to calm down when she was in the sitting room. "The windows, entrances and exits are all sealed", says the manager. "But that leaves the killer locked in the hotel with us." Holly asks, "Are other guests staying here not in our party?"The manager shakes his head no "frankly, April is a slow month for us". They all sigh and Ida asks, "How long until the police going to be here?"
"Quite some time, Mrs. Collins."
Aaron then takes a picture from out of his wallet "That's from when Aaron and I got our Baker Street Irregular badges 25 years ago, I know it's not a cop badge Ida but I swear on my life I WILL FIND YOUR HUSBAND'S KILLER!"
"Call me Ida Aaron, than I will help you on that search."
After a moment of contemplation, Aaron L. nodded and said "Alright...Ida it is"
Holly gets more upset "There is no way you are leaving me out of this investigation!"
Ida replies "I know you were with me holly you cannot be the killer"
Aaron L. chimes in "I was arguing with my wife on the phone, then I heard gunshots, then someone dressed in a ninja outfit ran out before I could tackle them". A 4th employee walks in the door "Who was on the phone to the Philippines? OH FOR THE LOVE OF GOD THERE'S A CORPSE IN HERE!" "No shit"said the employee who knew CPR (although with half the head gone, he never tried reviving Aaron C.)
Aaron L. attempts to calm things down: "It was my fault"
Guard #4 shook his head: "No it was not. The shots were too far away for you to have made them, I reviewed the recording twice in the elevator ride up here"
"I didn't know I was being monitored".
"Standard policy I'm afraid. I heard your call and what sounded like 6 loud bangs"
"So Aaron L. could not of done it" said Ida (relieved that at the very least, both of her roommates were innocent, as was she) Holly speaks up, "Ok, given that this hotel's employees are such morons, they should get out and run security. Aaron, Ida and I will examine everything until the cops get here."
Ida sighs and almost starts to cry again. Aaron L puts a hand on her shoulder and says, "We'll find the killer...even with...Aaron Collins's suspects"