2B, or not 2B

Chapter 1

"Ooops, sorry – "

Jarrod closed the door in a hurry and checked the number on it to make sure even though his key had just opened the lock to what was supposed to be his hotel room in Cedar Grove, a town in the mountains east of Placerville. He was here for a contract negotiation for the sale of some equipment from one of the mines the Barkleys owned but which had been played out. There was enough work at an adjacent mine to keep the miners employed, but certain equipment would not be needed anymore and another mining company wanted it.

But what Jarrod wanted right now was a bed and a quick nap before dinner, the bed waiting for him in the room assigned to him – 2B. The trouble was, there was already someone in that bed, two someones in fact. Jarrod hadn't even gotten a look at them, except as moving lumps under the covers, before he shut the door fast and rechecked the number on the door. Yes, it was 2B, which was supposed to be his room.

Jarrod hustled back downstairs with his saddlebags. He had ridden here by horseback from Stockton because he had two other stops to make on the trip, and they were not on train or stage lines even though Cedar Grove was. He was tired and the last thing he wanted was what he had found in 2B. He headed downstairs to get another room.

"Well, that can't be right," the desk clerk said. "That room is supposed to be empty."

"Let's just say it's in use," Jarrod said. "Just give me another one."

"I'm afraid we don't have another one available. We're full up."

"Then hustle up there, get whoever those people are out of there, have the maid remake the room and by all means get me clean sheets and towels!" Jarrod said.

Jarrod sat himself down in a chair in the lobby while the desk clerk hurried upstairs. While he was waiting, he saw a young woman hurry down the stairs and out the door, and a few minutes later a man in a business suit came down. A man Jarrod recognized. A man who spotted him and stopped dead at the bottom of the stairs. It took a moment for his mouth to close, but it did.

Jarrod stood up and approached him, his hand out, a grin on his face. "Nat. It's been a while."

Nat Springer shook Jarrod's hand. "Indeed it has. What are you doing in Cedar Grove?"

"Selling some mining equipment. How about you?"

Springer laughed a little nervously. "Believe it or not, I own this hotel."

Jarrod's eyebrows went up. "You own a hotel this far from San Francisco? How in the world did you come to do that?"

"I won it for a client in a contract dispute, and then when he couldn't pay me cash, I took my share out of this establishment. We formed a partnership, and then the man up and died and I ended up with the hotel. Are you staying here?"

Jarrod understood what was happening here. "Yes, but my room was accidentally occupied so they're getting it ready for me after they evict the squatters. I would have thought you'd have your own rooms here if it's your hotel, Nat."

Springer laughed nervously. "So that was you at the door."

"That was me at the door," Jarrod confirmed. "I take it your wife isn't with you."

"No, she's not, and I trust you will be discreet."

Jarrod raised his hands in a "stop" signal. "I have no idea who I saw in 2B."

"Consider your room and meals while you're here to be on my dime, old friend," Springer said.

"Why are you here, anyway, Nat?" Jarrod asked. "I mean, I'm sure it wasn't just for …". He left the rest unsaid.

"No, no," Springer said. "I'm actually here to talk to one of the local businessmen about buying the hotel from me. It's a bit far from home and I really don't need a hotel in my portfolio anyway. When my partner was alive, I just let him run it and took my share, but now that I actually have to look after the thing – well, what you didn't see in 2B is about the only enjoyment I get out of the place. Don't want to buy a hotel, do you?"

"No, no," Jarrod echoed. "I don't need a hotel in my portfolio either."

"How long will you be in town?" Springer asked.

"Only a day or two," Jarrod said. "I'm hoping to finish my business tomorrow and head out the day after. I have a couple more stops to make on the way home. You?"

"Hard to say. We started negotiations today, but they could go on for days or they could be over by tomorrow morning. It depends on whether - " He looked over at the desk, saw the clerk was missing and said in a low voice, "It depends on a lot of things, including how fast I can fire that desk clerk that's on duty here, believe it or not."

"What?" Jarrod asked with a laugh.

"The man I'm talking to wants this guy out. He doesn't trust him. He thinks – " Springer stopped, then smiled sheepishly. "He thinks the guy is doing some business for himself out of here, and he's right, I'm sure. I can't finger him for getting me the young lady you saw leave – I'm afraid I'm responsible for that – but there's some money changing hands under the desk, shall we say. I think the desk clerk has a couple side businesses going."

"Why don't you fire him right now?"

"I need him for the night shift. He doesn't know it, but he'll be gone in the morning and that ought to loosen up my negotiations on the sale of the place. Have you had dinner yet?"

"No, actually, I just got here."

"Well, they should have your room ready in just a few minutes. Why don't you meet me for dinner in the dining room at about seven? This is the best place in town."

"I'll be happy to have dinner with you," Jarrod said. "We can talk about almost anything other than what I didn't see in room 2B."

Springer put a hand on Jarrod's shoulder. "You're my kind of old school chum, Jarrod."

XXXXXXX

Jarrod and Springer had a long, relaxing dinner and talked about everything except what Springer was doing in 2B before Jarrod arrived. They talked about their families, they talked about why they were in Cedar Grove, they talked about cases they were involved in, and at about nine-thirty they broke it up and left the dining room.

"Exactly where are you staying, Nat?" Jarrod asked.

"At the home of the man I'm talking to about buying the hotel," Springer says. "Name's Johnson – he lives in a big place at the edge of town. I'm hoping to get some discussions going over brandy tonight."

They arrived at the foot of the stairs, and Jarrod offered his hand. "Well, here's hoping you get a good deal and get it fast."

"You, too," Springer said.

They shook hands and parted company, Jarrod heading upstairs and Springer out the front door of the hotel. Jarrod spent an hour or so going over the contract he was proposing for the sale of the mining equipment before settling down with a book and then turning in. He slept well – as long as he didn't think about what had gone on in this bed before he got here – and he slept in for a bit in the morning. He wasn't due to meet the man buying the equipment at the mine until eleven o'clock, and it would take less than an hour to get there.

So, Jarrod had a leisurely breakfast on Nat Springer's dime, then gathered up to return to his room and pick up his things to head out to the mine. As he headed out the front door of the hotel to get his horse at the livery stable, he met a shock coming in – Emily Springer, Nat's wife.

"Emily!" Jarrod cried. "I didn't know you were here in town!" And then he was a bit stuck, given what had happened the day before and Nat saying she wasn't with him.

"Have you seen my husband, Jarrod?" Emily said. She looked very grim.

"Yesterday, not today," Jarrod said.

"And was he alone?"

Jarrod could honestly say, "Yes, when I saw him, he was alone. But I don't know where he is now. He said he was in town to sell this hotel."

"So he said," Emily said. "Is he staying here?"

"He told me he was staying with the man he's negotiating with."

"Johnson?"

"That was the name."

"Do you know where this man lives?"

"No, I don't."

"Thank you, Jarrod," Emily said, turned on her heel and walked away. Jarrod saw her heading for the sheriff's office.

Jarrod took a deep breath and thanked his lucky stars that was over. He had been honest with Emily – even if he crossed his fingers on whether Nat was alone. But Jarrod had no desire to get into the middle of the Springer marriage. He hurried on to the livery to get his horse and rode out to the mine wondering if Springer was going to be able to conclude the sale of his hotel before his wife caught up to him.

Regardless of how well Springer's negotiations were going, Jarrod's were testy. He met the man he was selling to at the mine. They talked a lot. They haggled on prices and delivery methods and who would bear what cost. It took the better part of the day just to get all of the equipment listed and they still had to work out delivery details. The man he was negotiating with seemed to want to haggle everything to his, sometimes unfair, advantage. Not one to be taken happily, Jarrod stayed firm on some of his prices and other terms. At the end of a long day, Jarrod suggested they meet again in the morning, as the sun went down and they parted company.

Tired and headachy, Jarrod headed back to Cedar Grove and stabled his horse again. It was clear he wouldn't be out of town the next day, so he planned to extend his stay at the hotel one more day. He found a different desk clerk on duty when he got there, and when he requested the room for an additional night, the clerk said, "You realize the hotel has been sold."

"I knew Mr. Springer was working on it," Jarrod said. "Does that make a difference?"

"Not if you're only staying one more night. The rumor is the hotel will be closed on Friday. Just a rumor, but you know, sometimes they come true."

"Closed for renovations?" Jarrod asked.

"No one knows, but we're the only hotel in town and folks aren't too happy about it, especially those of us who work here. There aren't a lot of jobs in Cedar Grove."

"Maybe the buyer will end up hiring more people in the long run."

"I don't know. The night clerk was fired first thing this morning. I suspect I might be let go at the end of my shift – which is in about half an hour."

With his inside information about the night clerk, Jarrod wasn't surprised to hear he'd been sacked. "Well, I hope not. Whatever happens, I wish you luck, and I expect to be out of here on Thursday."

Jarrod trudged up the stairs to his room, checked to be sure it was 2B, checked to be sure there was no one in there. It was fine. He went in, crashed on the bed for about five minutes, then cleaned up and went downstairs to dinner.