Chapter X

Tick, Tick; the grandfather's pendulum echoes throughout a quiet lobby. Sora stirs on the bench where he's been told to stay, or else he'd get a beating from his sleeping neighbor who's lying up against the wall across from him. Bzzt; the lobby's lighting awakens our bench rester, his eyes look around, but what catches him by surprise is that his attacker's body, gun and cuffs are gone. Click, urk; the hotel's front door opens, and Sora turns to see Nema is here.

"What are you two doing out of your rooms?" Nema asks. She crosses her arms and taps her left foot, waiting for an answer. "Well, do you have explanation?"

The bench rester hear's his neighbor yawn. "No, I swear I put the mp3 player back in its original spot mom."

"Wake up!"

Rye open's his eyes, looking around widely. He finds everything of the detective is gone, and shoots a nasty look at Sora. "Where did you put it all?"

"Put what where?"

"This monster!" the accused's guard screams with a finger to his neighbor who lives across from him. "Killed Detective Roy Barker."

Nema turns his head, and sighs heavily. "Is this true?"

"No, I mean yes, but he…" Sora fumbles, stopping himself because the reactions he's getting aren't necessarily good. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry? I'm surprised a killer like yourself can even say those two words," Rye snaps. He stands up and walks over to the officer's murderer. "I mean, you've killed two people, that's quite a surprise in two days, you're working your way up the ladder, huh?"

"Where's Roy's body, Sora," the hotel owner asks as she walks forward to look into her client's eyes, "did you hide his body?"

"Look…" the bench man starts, but cuts cut off by a hand to his face from Nema.

The hotel owner turns back to Rye, and sneers. "Before you go and tear my customer's heart out, I'd like to call the police department where Roy works."

"Fine, but I have to ask, what's that behind Sora?" the accused's guard says with a point to a hole in Nema's lobby wall. "Kind of strange, huh?"

"We'll get answers and find out what's going on," replies the hotel owner, who stands up and heads to her office. "But if something did happen, there will be consequences and they won't be great. Now follow me-both of you."

The guests follow Nema to her office. The hotel owner opens the door, ushering Sora and Rye inside before heading in herself. She closes the entrance, locks it, walks over to her desk's phone, and presses buttons on the keypad. Ring, Ring; her phone does nothing more than create unease. The lights inside buzz noisily.

Click; the line connects. "Detective Roy Barker, how may I help you?" a familiar voice asks, sounding loud and clear that someone isn't dead.

"Hello detective, this is Nema from The Sliver Shadow Hotel," replies the hotel owner.

"What can I do for you?"

"I'm just checking up on you, is that ok?"

"Um…sure…"

"Thank you, I've got some business to attend to. I apologize for the awkward call."

"Nema, if something's going on you should…" Roy's voice is cut off by a quick hang up.

The hotel owner looks at two dry, frozen, and stunned guests. "Well, do you two have anything to say for yourself?"

"Bull, you're protecting him!" Rye screams, his hands ball up into tight fists.

"Excuse me? Why would I protect a killer?"

"You didn't even charge him for murdering Velia!"

"That's enough from you Rye!" the hotel owner screams so loud that a flock of birds would go flying. "Listen, I'm not charging him yet because the case is still being looked into, and until any evidence is found otherwise that I should charge him, he's staying here."

"Why are you keeping a killer here?"

Nema sighs, and rubs her head. "This place, my hotel, has encountered many tragedies over the years. Suicides, sexual attacks, but something like Sora's predicament would have many stop coming to The Sliver Shadow hotel," she looks up at the accused and shakes her head. "The press is bad as it is, and I talked to the authorities. They wanted to take you away, but I fought for you to stay until they bring forth more evidence, however, your time here will be much longer."

"You can't keep me here forever," Sora mumbles, a scowl forms on his face. "You'll have to let me go, sooner, or later."

"Sooner, or later, or over to the police, just watch your nose and stay out of my hair, or I will change my mind," Nema replies. She takes her office seat and stares at the two guests intensely. "Now get out of here," the hotel owner says. She leans back to watch them leave, and close the door with a bit of force behind them. "Fire had never been so alive, the waves crashing made me feel sad, death for a new was coming."

"This is bullshit!" Rye roars. He looks to his quiet suspect. "Why?"

"Why, what?" Sora grumbles, feeling annoyance wrapping around him like a giant snake.

"I don't know why you're still here, you should be faraway from this place, you reek of death."

"Damn it Rye, would you drop it?" the accused snaps, and he grabs his neighbor that's across from him on Floor 2. "Look, I really don't get what's going on here because you're right, my behind should be on the grill for constant questioning of Velia's death! However, I did not kill her out of spite, I did it because she attacked me! As for Roy, yes, you saw his body, but what happened was…"

Rye breaks loose of Sora's grip on him and heads to the stairwell to go back up to his room. He stops to look at his suspect, but as he opens his mouth, no words come out. The accuser closes his mouth, opens the stairwell door and shuts it with a loud bang.

"This place is a mad house!" the lonely figure screams. He looks back at the hotel owner's door and then to where his accuser went. "People are trying to kill me, have gone mad with Orel Myshton's 'Climatic Glory,' but others are angry at me and one has me staying for…"

Sora groans, and heads to the same stairwell door his neighbor went through, but a small click makes him stop to see Nema step out of her office. Her face is pale, all color has gone. She looks sick.

"Sora, please don't forget to read some of your book," says the hotel owner, who smiles weakly and chuckles lightly. "It'll help lessen the insanity you've been going through."

"Ever since I started to read that book, my stay here has gotten twisted," replies the customer. "Besides, it seems to be an obsession in this place and I don't want to read anymore."

Nema laughs and smiles uneasily, yet kindly. "You will though, or else its Floor 3."