Chapter 23 - The City Park Hotel - 6.25 pm
James (Never Jimmy) Calhoun was walking down the corridor, another room service meal delivered, another two-dollar tip burning a hole in his pocket. It was true what the older waiters had said, the tips really did get bigger the higher the floor they stayed on, so, naturally he was nearly always on the lower floors. A trip or two up to the penthouse suites when business was brisk, but other than that just the odd dollar here and there, still…
He paused and turned around, he could swear he was being followed, but the corridor was empty when he looked back. He shook his head, to clear it, and put the paranoia down to the fact he hadn't slept too well the past couple of nights. Strange dreams and broken sleep patterns put you on edge, never mind the news reports.
Still, he consoled himself, with the tips he was making he might finally be able to afford those new skates (He gave a small internal prayer for the complete, if not _too_ rapid, healing of Mario's fractured ankle so he could keep this job a little longer). Surely, when Vicky saw how good he was, maybe she'd finally agree to go out with him.
He smiled, his bad feelings banished by thoughts of a mass of red curls, dark drown eyes, a snub nose dusted with freckles and a dazzling smile aimed solely at him, meant only for him. Well, a guy could dream…
He was so caught up in that happy mental image that, as he walked past one of the access doors to the back staircase of the hotel, James missed it opening slightly. He didn't have a chance as the arms reached out, one wrapping around his waist, the other clamping itself across his mouth, pulling him back into the darkness of the stairwell beyond..
Fifteen minutes later
The Corinthian looked down at his new friend. Scared eyes stared back at him, scared eyes that were a striking shade of grey with, the Corinthian was interested to notice, just a shading of pale blue around the edges he hadn't seen before, giving them the appearance of fine old marble….
The Corinthian grinned, that little game was the province of one of his most dedicated students, one of his favourite collectors in the mortal plain. He made a mental note to look up the Bogeyman sometime soon, see how he was getting along, wondered if he'd got into triple figures yet. He probably had. It was nice to see one's students prosper on their own. Perhaps he'd find time to meet some new students in Gotham during this trip, maybe tonight even, once he'd eaten.
It had been fun, and good practice, to stalk his latest catch using his human limitations. It kept one alive, though not in the strictest sense of the term of course.
He had found his new friend, the waiter from last night, down on the third floor of the hotel. It had taken some time to find him and then wait for a time when he was alone and the corridors had been empty. Carrying him back up to the penthouse suite by the backstairs had been especially risky, but it would be worth it, he only had to look at him to see that. Stripping him (Apart from that cute bow tie) and securing him to the bed before he came around again hadn't even been a challenge
"I'm sorry to say Jimmy, that you're going to be the overlooked one. After the fuss about last night, the press will barely find room to cover you, there's only so much that they'll feel their public will be able to take. I've seen it happen before, many, many times. It's not fair really, the spectacular ones get all the attention, and I was really spectacular last night, if I do say so myself. Not many people will think about you, you're just the… leftover, the spare. But I want you to know that that's not how I see it, you're just as important to me as any of the others. You'll have my full attention. By the way," he added conversationally, "Scream or call for help and I'll slit your throat right there and then, okay?"
He leaned forward and pulled the gag down off his mouth.
"Please mister, I'm only filling in here for a couple of days, my Mom's the head Housekeeper here and she needed a hand, I shouldn't really be working here at all, I'm only 14." He was babbling, but anything to stave of the moment he was scared was coming.
"Then I was exceptionally lucky to find you, wasn't I Jimmy?"
"James" It came out on reflex, without thinking.
"Sorry?"
It was too late to back out. "My name, it's James, not Jimmy."
"My apologies, I saw the name on your badge, but assumed you preferred the diminutive. It's nice to meet someone with an eye towards tradition as regards proper names. I won't make that mistake again, I promise. Now James, tell me about your dreams…."
"My what?"
"Dreams, those things that fill your head like visions of sugarplums when your head hits the pillow. Tell me about them."
"And then you'll let me go?"
"It depends on the dreams. Be honest with me and we'll see. Lie, and I'll know it."
And so, in desperation James started, telling the weird freak in the dark glasses about the dreams he could recall. And he recalled a lot of them; the dream of hunting eels that sailed through the air instead of the water, about the dream about an earthquake striking, for some reason, the tree house he'd had when he was seven. About the dream that confirmed that houses where the hot faucet was on the right of the sink instead of the left were places no one should go alone.
Eventually he was interrupted.
"You made that one up."
"What?"
"You made that one up."
"Which one?"
"The one about the tiger that spoke your name as it met you outside your school."
"No, honest mister, the whole truth, all of it."
"It's a lioness, not a tiger, and she couldn't speak aloud if she wanted to."
"Let me try again, maybe I got it wrong. I'm nervous here"
"Don't whine James, it's unbecoming. And I'm sorry, but it's too late: One chance only James, I told you that. I had a busy night last night, and a busy day today, so I have little time to waste. Now you'll just have to face the consequences. Like all the others"
"The others?"
"There's only really one thing different between you and them. I don't normally bother with those I choose, they've already been there and done that, but it would ruin my reputation if you were to be found… intact, as it were. You deserve my special treatment."
He really was naive, the Corinthian thought, he doesn't even know what I'm talking about.
Then, as he saw the eyes slowly widen even further and the mouth slowly open in a silent "oh" as the head started to shake from side to side, he realised that James wasn't _that_ naïve.
"Oh no, oh please, no… don't.."
The Corinthian unbuckled his belt as he moved around, so that James could see what was about to happen.
"With due apologies to another James, Mr Brown that is"; He started to sing softly as he pulled his belt out of it's loops. "I'll be your first… your last… your everything… and the answer to all your dreams."
He replaced the gag and started. If only the soundproofing in this place were a little better and I wasn't sworn off using my abilities to dampen the sound, thought the Corinthian, I'd take the chance and listen to the screams.
Two hours later
The Corinthian put the remains of the eye down and let out a contented sigh as he watched the last signs of life leave the body, a final twitch of the wrists and a gurgling at the back of the throat. He'd seen it so often before, but it never failed to fascinate him. After the rush of the night before it was nice to be able to take his time and savour a kill, to devote all his time and effort to one person. And James had been exceptional, he had to admit it.
He turned his attention back to the "How did you enjoy your stay?" card he'd found.
"Hospitality? Can't fault them on that one. Five"
"Décor… Well, it's looked better, maybe they need something to get all this blood out… A three for that one? No? All right, two."
"Room Service? Best I've had in a long time, James. Five plus for that one! I should give you a tip you know, oh yeah how about 'Don't talk to strangers?'. Oh, you've heard it before. Never mind then. "
He finished off, not signing his name. That would just be gauche.
However, there was one last little thing to do, a final twist of the knife, metaphorically speaking. Even if James wasn't going to make the front page, he was damn well going to make a good first impression in his new role.
He picked up the phone and dialled Reception. He had to pause for a moment to remember the name he was registered under.
"Housekeeping please. Thank you.,, Hello is that Housekeeping? Yes, this is Mr Bradley in the Davis Suite. I'd like to talk to the Head Housekeeper. Yes it is important, very well, I'll hold… Ah, Mrs Calhoun isn't it? Yes, I insist that you come up here immediately. A young man purporting to be your son was up here recently, and… well… there is now a matter of cleanliness in my room that I wish the head of the Housekeeping section to bear witness to. Believe me I wouldn't trouble you if I didn't think it was important. Five minutes? Yes, I think it can wait that long. See you soon."
With that the Corinthian checked he had everything that mattered; knife, shades and killer smile, and slipped out of the room heading towards the back stairs. He'd already moved the car to safe place following his afternoon escapade, so there was no need to go through all that formal checking out procedure.
As he left he patted the hand of the body on the bed, and straightened the bow tie.
"Don't worry James, I've asked your Mom to come and collect you."
And once more the Corinthian set off into the night, looking at it, as he so often did, with new eyes, fully alert to the promise of the darkness.
James (Never Jimmy) Calhoun was walking down the corridor, another room service meal delivered, another two-dollar tip burning a hole in his pocket. It was true what the older waiters had said, the tips really did get bigger the higher the floor they stayed on, so, naturally he was nearly always on the lower floors. A trip or two up to the penthouse suites when business was brisk, but other than that just the odd dollar here and there, still…
He paused and turned around, he could swear he was being followed, but the corridor was empty when he looked back. He shook his head, to clear it, and put the paranoia down to the fact he hadn't slept too well the past couple of nights. Strange dreams and broken sleep patterns put you on edge, never mind the news reports.
Still, he consoled himself, with the tips he was making he might finally be able to afford those new skates (He gave a small internal prayer for the complete, if not _too_ rapid, healing of Mario's fractured ankle so he could keep this job a little longer). Surely, when Vicky saw how good he was, maybe she'd finally agree to go out with him.
He smiled, his bad feelings banished by thoughts of a mass of red curls, dark drown eyes, a snub nose dusted with freckles and a dazzling smile aimed solely at him, meant only for him. Well, a guy could dream…
He was so caught up in that happy mental image that, as he walked past one of the access doors to the back staircase of the hotel, James missed it opening slightly. He didn't have a chance as the arms reached out, one wrapping around his waist, the other clamping itself across his mouth, pulling him back into the darkness of the stairwell beyond..
Fifteen minutes later
The Corinthian looked down at his new friend. Scared eyes stared back at him, scared eyes that were a striking shade of grey with, the Corinthian was interested to notice, just a shading of pale blue around the edges he hadn't seen before, giving them the appearance of fine old marble….
The Corinthian grinned, that little game was the province of one of his most dedicated students, one of his favourite collectors in the mortal plain. He made a mental note to look up the Bogeyman sometime soon, see how he was getting along, wondered if he'd got into triple figures yet. He probably had. It was nice to see one's students prosper on their own. Perhaps he'd find time to meet some new students in Gotham during this trip, maybe tonight even, once he'd eaten.
It had been fun, and good practice, to stalk his latest catch using his human limitations. It kept one alive, though not in the strictest sense of the term of course.
He had found his new friend, the waiter from last night, down on the third floor of the hotel. It had taken some time to find him and then wait for a time when he was alone and the corridors had been empty. Carrying him back up to the penthouse suite by the backstairs had been especially risky, but it would be worth it, he only had to look at him to see that. Stripping him (Apart from that cute bow tie) and securing him to the bed before he came around again hadn't even been a challenge
"I'm sorry to say Jimmy, that you're going to be the overlooked one. After the fuss about last night, the press will barely find room to cover you, there's only so much that they'll feel their public will be able to take. I've seen it happen before, many, many times. It's not fair really, the spectacular ones get all the attention, and I was really spectacular last night, if I do say so myself. Not many people will think about you, you're just the… leftover, the spare. But I want you to know that that's not how I see it, you're just as important to me as any of the others. You'll have my full attention. By the way," he added conversationally, "Scream or call for help and I'll slit your throat right there and then, okay?"
He leaned forward and pulled the gag down off his mouth.
"Please mister, I'm only filling in here for a couple of days, my Mom's the head Housekeeper here and she needed a hand, I shouldn't really be working here at all, I'm only 14." He was babbling, but anything to stave of the moment he was scared was coming.
"Then I was exceptionally lucky to find you, wasn't I Jimmy?"
"James" It came out on reflex, without thinking.
"Sorry?"
It was too late to back out. "My name, it's James, not Jimmy."
"My apologies, I saw the name on your badge, but assumed you preferred the diminutive. It's nice to meet someone with an eye towards tradition as regards proper names. I won't make that mistake again, I promise. Now James, tell me about your dreams…."
"My what?"
"Dreams, those things that fill your head like visions of sugarplums when your head hits the pillow. Tell me about them."
"And then you'll let me go?"
"It depends on the dreams. Be honest with me and we'll see. Lie, and I'll know it."
And so, in desperation James started, telling the weird freak in the dark glasses about the dreams he could recall. And he recalled a lot of them; the dream of hunting eels that sailed through the air instead of the water, about the dream about an earthquake striking, for some reason, the tree house he'd had when he was seven. About the dream that confirmed that houses where the hot faucet was on the right of the sink instead of the left were places no one should go alone.
Eventually he was interrupted.
"You made that one up."
"What?"
"You made that one up."
"Which one?"
"The one about the tiger that spoke your name as it met you outside your school."
"No, honest mister, the whole truth, all of it."
"It's a lioness, not a tiger, and she couldn't speak aloud if she wanted to."
"Let me try again, maybe I got it wrong. I'm nervous here"
"Don't whine James, it's unbecoming. And I'm sorry, but it's too late: One chance only James, I told you that. I had a busy night last night, and a busy day today, so I have little time to waste. Now you'll just have to face the consequences. Like all the others"
"The others?"
"There's only really one thing different between you and them. I don't normally bother with those I choose, they've already been there and done that, but it would ruin my reputation if you were to be found… intact, as it were. You deserve my special treatment."
He really was naive, the Corinthian thought, he doesn't even know what I'm talking about.
Then, as he saw the eyes slowly widen even further and the mouth slowly open in a silent "oh" as the head started to shake from side to side, he realised that James wasn't _that_ naïve.
"Oh no, oh please, no… don't.."
The Corinthian unbuckled his belt as he moved around, so that James could see what was about to happen.
"With due apologies to another James, Mr Brown that is"; He started to sing softly as he pulled his belt out of it's loops. "I'll be your first… your last… your everything… and the answer to all your dreams."
He replaced the gag and started. If only the soundproofing in this place were a little better and I wasn't sworn off using my abilities to dampen the sound, thought the Corinthian, I'd take the chance and listen to the screams.
Two hours later
The Corinthian put the remains of the eye down and let out a contented sigh as he watched the last signs of life leave the body, a final twitch of the wrists and a gurgling at the back of the throat. He'd seen it so often before, but it never failed to fascinate him. After the rush of the night before it was nice to be able to take his time and savour a kill, to devote all his time and effort to one person. And James had been exceptional, he had to admit it.
He turned his attention back to the "How did you enjoy your stay?" card he'd found.
"Hospitality? Can't fault them on that one. Five"
"Décor… Well, it's looked better, maybe they need something to get all this blood out… A three for that one? No? All right, two."
"Room Service? Best I've had in a long time, James. Five plus for that one! I should give you a tip you know, oh yeah how about 'Don't talk to strangers?'. Oh, you've heard it before. Never mind then. "
He finished off, not signing his name. That would just be gauche.
However, there was one last little thing to do, a final twist of the knife, metaphorically speaking. Even if James wasn't going to make the front page, he was damn well going to make a good first impression in his new role.
He picked up the phone and dialled Reception. He had to pause for a moment to remember the name he was registered under.
"Housekeeping please. Thank you.,, Hello is that Housekeeping? Yes, this is Mr Bradley in the Davis Suite. I'd like to talk to the Head Housekeeper. Yes it is important, very well, I'll hold… Ah, Mrs Calhoun isn't it? Yes, I insist that you come up here immediately. A young man purporting to be your son was up here recently, and… well… there is now a matter of cleanliness in my room that I wish the head of the Housekeeping section to bear witness to. Believe me I wouldn't trouble you if I didn't think it was important. Five minutes? Yes, I think it can wait that long. See you soon."
With that the Corinthian checked he had everything that mattered; knife, shades and killer smile, and slipped out of the room heading towards the back stairs. He'd already moved the car to safe place following his afternoon escapade, so there was no need to go through all that formal checking out procedure.
As he left he patted the hand of the body on the bed, and straightened the bow tie.
"Don't worry James, I've asked your Mom to come and collect you."
And once more the Corinthian set off into the night, looking at it, as he so often did, with new eyes, fully alert to the promise of the darkness.