Hey everyone! Another chapter coming your way! Thanks so much for your comments! They're what keep me posting, so thanks so much!
We finished wiping off the wall as best we could after an hour or so. The writing was gone, but there was a pinkish red smudge in its place.
Frank and I sat on the queen-sized bed as he pulled out his case file from his suitcase. Joe took Bess to the hotel's pool to calm her down a bit.
Frank flipped the large yellow envelope over, causing the contents of it to fall onto the quilt, covered in hearts and doves. But, what do you expect to be on the bed in a honeymoon suite?
I was still trying to deal with the whole being alone with Frank thing. Which was difficult enough, but the candle shaped lamps, instrumental music coming from the hallway, and love themed furniture was making it even more difficult.
I had turned off my cell phone earlier, after it rang about twenty two times. They were all from Ned, obviously. So, besides the faint love songs outside our door and our quiet breathing, there was complete silence.
Frank picked up some of the letters from the bed, flipping through them slowly. I picked up my own bundle and did the same, finding myself peeking out from them once in a while to sneak a peek at Frank.
After the fourth time of admiring his eyes scanning the papers in his hands, Frank looked up at me. I immediately turned red and went back to scanning my own letters.
"S-so all the guests, excluding the honeymooners, in the past week have gotten letters like these, huh?" I asked Frank, breaking the silence between us.
I looked at the letter I had just flipped to. It was written on white paper, burnt along the edges. The font looked like it was typed using a typewriter. And the words read: "Falling in love is just as easy and painful as falling in death."
"Yep," Frank answered, nodding. "And the case is to find out why."
I flipped over to another paper. It was pretty much the same, as was the next one, and the next one. Some were just worded differently.
"This person sure doesn't like love, huh?" I said, trying my best to laugh, but finding my throat almost closing up.
Frank came over to me and looked over my shoulder at the notes in my hands. He breathed lightly on my neck, making my body shiver and heart pound fast. "Yeah," He agreed. "So…maybe our culprit got divorced."
"Or just broke up."
"It's a thought, I guess," Frank said. "But, my heads starting to hurt. Maybe we should rest a bit."
I nodded, "Good idea."
He smiled as I handed him my papers. He fumbled with them for a moment before stuffing them into the large envelope. He headed over to the right and opened the drawer to place the mess of files inside.
"At least we didn't get a note like the others did," I said, lying on my back and staring at the ceiling. Frank didn't answer. "Right?"
"Think again." Frank shut the drawer and handed me a burnt piece of notebook paper. This time it wasn't written in text, but with newspaper clippings: "Don't be surprised if your wedding announcement shows up in the obituaries."
We all sat on the floor of Joe and Bess's suite, looking at the notes we found just several minutes before, in our room's nightstand.
Bess's eyes were red and puffy from crying. But once she stopped, she clenched her fists, grabbed her note and ripped it to shreds.
"Evidence!" Joe tried, picking up the pieces. "Evidence!"
"It's okay," I assured him, holding Bess's hand. "We've still got ours."
Frank shook his head. "It doesn't matter, anyway. We've already touched it, so our fingerprints probably overlapped his."
"He was probably using gloves anyway," Joe said. He took Bess's hand from me and held it himself.
"True."
"What's weird is," Joe began. "I checked everywhere in our room before doing anything else."
"Why?" I asked.
"It's a thing I do," He shrugged. "Anyways, what's weird is that this note wasn't here till after we returned from the pool."
"So?" Frank said. "They probably placed it when you were gone."
"Yes, but why would they wait to put mine in and put yours in right away?"
Frank and I looked at each other for a second, which was hard to do without blushing. "He's right," I agreed. "Which means there must have been a time we were gone where he could have put it in."
"But there wasn't ever a time…" Frank stopped and slapped his forehead. "Yes, there was."
"When?" We all asked. Even Bess, and I didn't even know she was paying attention.
"After we finished wiping our wall, we helped Joe and Bess with theirs," Frank answered the group. "They could have snuck it in then."
Everyone nodded.
Bess spoke up. "So what? Every time we leave the room a new threat is gonna pop up?"
"It makes sense, doesn't it?" Frank thought. "I mean, if they were to do that…give a new threat each time they leave…that would scare anyone enough to not only leave the hotel, but probably break up with their partner."
"So…it's like revenge," Joe said. "Not against the hotel, but upon love itself."
"Who can hate love?" Bess thought, clutching tightly to Joe.
"A crazy person," Joe told her.
"And according to the file from ATAC, the threats got worse the longer the couple stayed," Frank said, flipping through his case file again.
"Why wouldn't the hotel shut down?" I said, my voice cracking a bit.
"They didn't want to get the press involved," Joe answered. "Which is probably why they called ATAC, a private organization, rather than the local police station, to investigate."
"Have any of the threats been physical?" I asked.
"Not yet," Frank said. "But even if there were, I don't think the hotel would close."
"Why not?"
"It would add suspicion," Joe said. "Which would still get the press involved."
I was still trying to get used to this serious case stuff the Hardy's knew so much better than me.
"Look," Frank stood up. "It's getting late. Why don't we head off to bed?"
"And risk getting a new threat tomorrow morning?" Bess crossed her arms. "I don't think so."
"Joe…" Frank started.
"I'll take care of it," He smiled.
I got up and headed towards our room, Frank closely behind. "Speaking of bed," I started. "What are the sleeping arrangements?"
Before I got an answer, something black fell on my head, making me scream louder than Bess had earlier.
I'm never good at cliffhangers, but I'm very proud of myself for this one. Sorta... Please R&R!
