Disclaimer: Hello! Welcome to chapter 3! As usual, we don't own anything recognizable from the show. We don't own the song Hotel California either. But I can play it! Never mind, on with the story!
*
When Dean woke up, the scene was just as beautiful and peaceful as it had been when they arrived at the hotel. He didn't trust it for a second. He resolved to have a little one-on-one with the mysterious Miss Lenoire. Mind OUT of the gutter Dean, he chided himself, this is business now. Slipping into jeans and a black AC/DC t-shirt, he briefly considered taking a shower but decided that, knowing his luck, the ghost would choose then to make the bathroom overflow with bleach - not something he wanted to experience.
Truth be told, he was getting a really bad vibe from this place. Looking out the window again at the placid lake, his paranoia rose. He felt like there was something purely evil lurking under the surface.
Suddenly, the room went frigid and Dean was assaulted with voices. Some sounded angry, some sounded sad, but all of them were screaming at him, desperately trying to be heard. Dean could see his breath as he stood, apprehensively, trying to figure out what they wanted. Then, just as suddenly as they had begun, they ended. He shook his head experimentally; still nothing. The scene was peaceful once again.
He stepped outside to see Sam's door still shut. Not bothering to knock, he threw the door open and bellowed,
"Rise and shine Sammy!" But Sam was nowhere in sight.
"Sam?" called Dean, instantly worried. His fists tensed, he could feel someone, or something, moving towards him. A hand grasped his shoulder and Dean whirled around.
"Chill dude," said Sam with a small smile. Dean coughed, trying to hide his embarrassment.
"What's the big idea of sneaking up on me like that?"
"Payback mostly," Sam laughed, but grew serious, "But I do have something I have to show you."
Sam led his big brother into the bathroom and showed him an ornate silver hairbrush. Dean raised his eyebrows.
"Wow Sam, have you finally found a brush that makes your hair silky and shiny?" Sam didn't smile,
"Turn it over, Smart-ass." The back of the hairbrush was beautifully engraved with the name 'Amelia Daphne Rose'. Dean furrowed his eyebrows, trying to remember why that name sounded familiar.
"Do you...?" he began to ask, but Sam cut him off.
"Yeah I do, follow me."
*
Sam hurried down the hallways, Dean following slightly breathlessly behind. Without warning, Sam stopped and Dean crashed into his back.
"Sam, what -?" he began to ask, but noticed what they were looking at.
It was a beautiful portrait of a proud looking woman. She gazed down haughtily from the canvas; her eyes were narrow, but delicate. Her chestnut brown hair was tied up in an elaborate hairdo and she was dressed in a form-fitting dark purple dress, with a matching silver and purple pendant. There was a plaque beneath the portrait.
"Amelia Daphne Rose..." Dean murmured, while Sam fixed his gaze on the painting.
"You know," said Sam thoughtfully, "she looks a bit like Miss Lenoire." Dean looked up, tilting his head to the side.
"Miss Lenoire is better looking." He said decidedly. Sam rolled his eyes. "I do see your point though." Dean added, before Sam could respond. "So what do you say we worry about breakfast for now and the ghosts later? I'm starving." With that, Dean walked away, Sam trudging slowly behind. He cast one last look at the portrait, swearing that the eyes followed his progress.
*
"Morning boys," said Leah cheerfully, brushing a stray piece of hair out of her face. Dean gave her a charming smile,
"Good morning to you too." Leah met Dean's eyes and blushed a little bit,
"What do you guys want for breakfast? I'm making scrambled eggs," she indicated the bowl in front of her, "but if you want something different..."
"Scrambled eggs are fine," said Sam distractedly, looking around the kitchen. Leah went back to stirring. "Leah, where's Miss Lenoire?"
"In her room," answered Leah, still focused on her cooking, "I bring her breakfast to the balcony upstairs every morning."
"Do you think we could talk to her?" Sam ploughed on; ignoring the look Dean was giving him. Leah looked up,
"I'd be careful about that; sometimes she gets upset over nothing at all. I think she's still grieving, personally; spends almost all her time in her room. She comes out at breakfast and at night to walk around the lake and eat dinner, but other than that..." She paused to pour the eggs into the frying pan, "She's a lovely woman, but I don't want her getting upset. If you do catch her in a good mood, keep it real short. " She smiled apologetically, "Sorry"
"No worries," said Dean, catching on to Sam, "I am curious though, you know that big portrait in the main hallway? The one of the lady in the purple dress?" A loud bell went off and the three of them jumped.
"Crap, that'll be Miss Lenoire," She hurriedly added the eggs to a colourful arrangement of fruit and toast, "I'll be right back, you boys just make yourselves comfortable."
When the door swung shut, Sam looked around the kitchen again, more intently this time.
"What's the matter?" asked Dean, noticing his little brother's face. Sam furrowed his brow, trying to concentrate,
"I keep hearing this voice," he answered slowly, "sometimes it's loud and sometimes it's a whisper."
"I don't hear" Dean started to say, but he was cut off when a steak knife lifted out of the rack and flung itself towards him. With a shout or surprise, he ducked just in time, only losing a few bits of hair.
When he was sure nothing else was going to be thrown at him, Dean stood, "Why do ghosts like to throw knives at me? Why?"
*
"So what," asked Sam in a hushed voice while they ate their breakfast, "There's a ghost in my bathroom and in the kitchen? How many people have died here?" Dean chewed his lip, debating whether to share his experience this morning.
"Dean," said Sam, staring straight at him, "Is there something you're not telling me?" Dean sighed,
"Yeah," Sam's gaze hardened, but he kept silent, "There were a bunch of voices in my room this morning, all started screaming at me out of nowhere. Think there might have been fifteen or twenty different ones." Sam's mouth fell open,
"My God..." he murmured,
"How are you doing?" asked Leah, interrupting Sam's thoughts, "Can I get you anything else? More eggs? Coffee?"
"Nah, we're fine," said Dean, winking at her as she turned to leave. She tossed him a grin over her shoulder. Dean's gaze followed her until she left the room. When she was gone, he sighed and looked at Sam.
"I suppose you want to do research, huh?" Sam nodded.
"Well in that case," said Dean leaping up from the table, "I'm going to go have a nice chat with the ladies, I mean residents, and you can go on the computer!" Sam glared, but Dean took no notice, practically sailing out of the room.
"I swear I'm gonna have to put a leash on him," Sam muttered to himself, pulling out his computer.
*
Dean wandered the hallways aimlessly; it really did seem to be just Leah and Miss Lenoire here. He wandered outside to find Leah tending to the flowers in the outside patio.
"Leah," she looked up,
"Hey Dean," she said, blushing again, "What are you doing out here?"
"Just admiring the scenery" he answered breezily, "mind if I follow you around for a bit? Got nothing else to do."
"Yeah, sure thing," Leah moved on to another clump of flowers, "Can you pass me that watering can?" Dean picked it up, silently noting its weight. Leah took it with one hand and began to water the plants. Dean decided to go in for the kill,
"So Leah, I never got to finish asking," She looked at him and smiled,
"You and your brother just don't quit, do you?" Dean paused, Leah laughed, "I'm playing with you. What do you want to know so badly?"
"Who's Amelia Rose?" Leah looked thoughtful,
"That's Miss Lenoire's mother, of course." When Dean looked confused, she continued, "Miss Lenoire's father left when she was very young. When he did, her mother went back to her maiden name." Dean nodded slowly, processing this in his mind.
"How did she die again?" Leah bit her lip,
"I'm not quite sure, Miss Lenoire found her on the floor of her bathroom. The doctors said something about poisoning I think."
*
Dean barrelled into the room where they had eaten breakfast to see Sam staring at his computer looking concerned. He looked up when he heard Dean,
"Dude, I got to talk to you." They paused, noticing that they'd spoken in unison again.
"You first," said Sam,
"Amelia Daphne Rose was Miss Mysterious' mother. She was found dead in her bathroom. Cause of death: poisoning." Sam's eyebrows shot up,
"Bleach?"
"That'd be my guess." Sam went back to his computer,
"Check this out," he said, showing his brother the screen, "This property is worth millions. When Rose died, Miss Lenoire inherited the entire property plus the family fortune." Dean stood up, and started to pace slightly,
"So Miss film noir pops dear old mom, inherits millions."
"And now her mother is angry, so she's trying to uncover the truth by communicating with us." The brothers looked at each other,
"Think this would fall into the category of 'topics that would make Miss Lenoire upset?'"
*
A/N: Sorry for the long wait! Hope you liked it!
MichellenKyla