PART SIX

JOURNAL ENTRY OF CODY FRANKLIN MARTIN – July 20, 2006

"Eight days and counting until Hannah Montana lands at the Tipton for her Boston Concert. Mom was able to finagle us cheap tickets through dad's music contacts here in Boston as well as a ticket for herself. I just hope she doesn't embarrass me. Zack is also rehearsing his stupid pick-up lines (et al, "Do your feet hurt because you've been running through my dreams all week." "Did it hurt when you fell out of heaven because you're an angel to me.") I know he's going to embarrass me.

"Maddie's supposed to return to work sometime next week since "the incident." She's been seeing a therapist for her depression and starting to feel better about herself. From what I can understand from the psychology about human possession from Mr. Collins' website, I'm assuming her low self-esteem might have made her vulnerable to whatever is in Suite 613. I don't think she was genuinely "possessed," but she may have exiled herself mentally and emotionally to a mental Jungian "fantasy-world," perhaps some form of self-induced amnesia, where she felt important and more like London (as if we need a second, more dangerous version of London wandering around the hotel unchecked). Not sure if I agree with this sort of pseudo-psychological assessment, but it does sound a lot better than possession, but then again, she did toss Zack and I around like rag dolls…"

Glaziers were refitting new glass to the front of the hotel even as guests checked in. William Collins' analysis of the hotel had appeared in the newspaper word for word from his society's newsletter and the bookings had gone up as predicted. Reportedly haunted hotels did do better business because both believers and non-believers wanted to either experience or either expose the ghosts. Amidst the business of tourists, businessmen and diplomats checking in and out, Maddie Fitzgerald wandered barely noticed through and around guests and Tipton tenants straining past men replaced the glass in the doors. Garbed in her civilian clothes, she appeared in her blue jeans, a white blouse and brown burlap jacket as if she had stepped out of a Western play and perused the lobby like a visitor for once. A refrained grin tried to break from the corners of her lips, and her eyes looked up over her surroundings back over to the candy county. Corrie dabbed her fingers to her tongue to turn the pages of her book, but something finally forced her to look up and she beamed toward Maddie once more.

"Maddie!" She placed her book open upside down to the counter. "How are you feeling?"

"A little better…" Maddie confessed with a deep breath. "I guess I'm finally feeling good about myself." She forced a small laugh. "How do you like my candy counter?"

"This is the most boring job I have ever had." Corrie leaned forward. "I'm beginning to understand why you…"

"Lost it?" Maddie filled in her words then shook her head. "It was too much of a lot of other things, but Zack and Cody helped to remind me that I have a lot of good things here too. I'm not just the candy counter girl; the Tipton is part of my family." She paused to allow Corrie to understand. "You know, I can watch the counter for you if you want to go get lunch."

"You will?" Corrie came out and gave Maddie a friendly hug. "Are you sure you want to…" Maddie just passed off the insinuation and allowed Corrie to go off to the back of the lobby for the employee hallway beyond the vestibule. A slight gasp for assurance, Maddie was at her place again and feeling nostalgic as if a hundred years had gone by since she was last behind the counter. She placed a blank receipt as a bookmark in Corrie's book and secured it down by her purse. She didn't have any memories of being in Suite 613. It all felt like a dream she had until Cody, Zack and London snapped her out of it. The sensations and images were in her head, but they were more visual impressions belonging to a dream she almost wanted to go back to and relive; something like those dreams she had where she was named Sharpay and sang and danced in a school in California. Somewhere in the selfish recess of her mind, she had liked being able to control everything around her – to be able to both manipulate the world around her and to intimidate others to her whims. It was what all dreams were supposed to be, but they belonged in her inner mind, and now here in the real world where someone could actually get hurt. Looking to the bars of candy within her restored podium, she half-seriously waved her right hand over them and jolted when they sat upon their edges toward her gesture.

Did anyone see that! She looked around the room scared and taken aback. She had imagined it. She had better had imagined it! A nervous chuckle under her breath, she pulled a long lock of her hair past her ear and peered up to Mr. Moseby emerging from his office. Carie had appeared from the hall to the lounge and had started toward him, but instead they approached en masse. Had they seen? Had they seen what she had done?

"Maddie…" Moseby was reaching up comfortingly and took her close more as a parent than an employer. Carie also took her turn to comfort her as a substitute daughter. "Maddie…" Moseby repeated. "I just want you to know I am sorry. I mean, I may be your employer, but I care about you too. I just want you to know that if you ever have a problem, my door is open."

"Mine too, honey," Carie brushed and adjusted Maddie's long hair aside with her fingers. "If you ever need to talk to anyone, I'll be there for you."

"Thank you, Mrs. Martin…." Maddie echoed barely above a whisper.

"We mean it, Maddie." Moseby assured her. "I will do anything within my power to… Mr. Collins!" His attention was attentively diverted to the solitary ghost-hunter and he whirled Maddie around for Carie to catch.

"Why is it that the ghosts only come out AFTER I've left?" William Collins was trussed up explorer style in boots, khaki pants, a black shirt and brown leather jacket with a worn fedora to his head. "I'm just about to head to an examination of the Stoddard House in Pickford, Illinois when I got your e-mail about, what, ghostly apparitions in the restraunt?"

"The back stairway is thick of them too." Esteban mumbled as he wandered by.

"I've got something else you're just going to love…" Moseby grinned with a secret. "Surveillance tapes of all sorts of weird goings on…" He led the ghost hunter toward his office behind the admissions desk.

"Hey, Mister Collins…" Zack, Cody and London had come down the elevator. London stopped briefly by Maddie and they once again hugged each other in deep friendship. London was promising to try and be nicer to her and less self-involved. Cody had his left arm in a sling while his brother stopped before the experienced ghost hunter and looked up with a knowing grin.

"Have I got a story for you!" Zack beamed firing his fingers to the Maine native like two small guns.

"But Mr. Moseby has a better one." Carie challenged him.

"I'd bet money that he doesn't." Cody sounded as if he had a secret. Neither he nor his brother had told anyone just exactly how they found Maddie. With everything that happened that day, the simplest version of their story claimed that Maddie had been locked in Suite 613 trying to get out and that was it. She had been taken to the hospital by stretcher, and had experienced a nervous breakdown. In the back of his mind, Moseby suspected a lot more, but then he decided he didn't really want to know.

"Oh, by the way…" Moseby looked to Collins and reached deep within his front desk. "I did finally get a telegram from Irene's heirs in France." He produced the paper. "It seems they were unaware of her ownership of Suite 613, and not having any interest in it, they drafted a deed for it which they sold to a wealthy family in New England near…"

"Collinsport, Maine?" Collins was beaming ear to ear.

"You?" Zack spoke up and London dropped her jaw. Carie lightly giggled at the realization while Maddie shared looks with London and Cody. Collins could just smugly beam himself while looking among their surprised faces.

"I wanted it to be a surprise." He finally admitted. "I tracked them down during my examination of Calvados Castle last month." He turned back to Moseby. "Of course, I want it back on the housekeeping schedule, and fixed up again by this winter and ready for my parents' anniversary next February 13."

"Excellent," Moseby moved behind the counter for his electronic date-book. "Under what names should I put the reservation under?"

"Barnabas and Angelique Collins…" William revealed his parent's names.

Carie, Cody, Zack, Maddie and London all similarly started tilting their heads in unison imagining a tune from a Gothic soap opera from the late Sixties. It was almost like the same Robert Cobert theme used against the image of water striking against rocks for the opening montage of a TV series about a wealthy family living on an estate with a haunted history.

At that moment, another sound, resembling that of a single plaintive voice wafted through the sixth floor toward the elevators. It was searching and wandering. It was distant, as though from another world. Not one of the already ensconced guests nor the bustling employees could hear it, but it continued searching.

"Maddie…. Maddie…." It seemed to implore. "Come back to the party, Maddie…."

The elevator parted to the floor and Corrie nearly stepped forward. Realizing where she was, she stepped back confusingly into the elevator.

"Where am I going?" She asked herself. "This isn't the employee break room." She just shrugged it off, stepped back and hit the button for the second floor once more.

END