"Mommy, where are we going?"
"It's a place important to Mommy… We're going to wait for Daddy to come home…"
Vague voices played in Rhodes's mind as he stared at the old hotel. He stood at the edge of the parking spaces, looking up at the hotel like he used to. When he saw his mother's face, his family suddenly felt so real. He remembered bits and bits of their time together. However, most scenes were like muted tapes, which only had a buzzing noise. The few words he caught sounded irrelevant to one another.
Those few lines were the clearest. Rhodes remembered coming to the hotel, hand in hand with his young mom. She didn't look much older from her photo on the merit page he found. If they frequented this hotel, the spirits surely saw him a lot.
"Rhodes? What are you doing there?" Giles stepped out of the hotel upon seeing him from the main lobby. His voice was even louder so Rhodes could hear him well.
Unlike what he was used to, the hotel was filled with a lot of sounds. Small repairs and painting jobs were all over. Movers also roamed, replacing old furniture with new ones. Many people talked and walked, while the loyal employees were sent home on a paid vacation. Only the management had to come to work to settle administrative duties.
The manager stood beside the owner and squinted at the bright sky. He could see a group of workers repainting the building's big pink rose emblem. "The hotel is strangely sturdy for an old one. We had the building accessed. We only needed to fill the cracks."
Rhodes assented with a hum, without understanding Giles's words. He focused on remembering anything his mother told him about the hotel. However, it was only about waiting for Vincent Huxley to come home. Rhodes couldn't even remember where he went.
"Rhodes?" Giles noticed that Rhodes wasn't listening to him anymore. "Is everything all right? You haven't been answering clearly lately. Have you finished the proposal?"
"…look." Rhodes's hand gave the proposal to Giles. He didn't even look at Giles.
The manager did a quick skim through the first file. It was the final revision of the proposal, which the directors checked and polished through an online document. Giles made sure the five copies would be left clean. However, he still stared at the distracted owner.
Giles cleared his throat. "Do you remember something? You have been staring at the pink rose for a while now. Is it your mother?"
Rhodes's eyes flickered. He turned to Giles and broke out of his trance. "Didn't you say my mother was an esteemed guest of your boss? Have you met my father? Did he go missing?"
The manager's gaze dimmed. He gestured at Rhodes and walked the owner to a quieter side. "How much can you remember about him? Your father's case was an old talk of the town. He disappeared for more than ten years, only to be seen floating in one of Faded Rose's exclusive pools. His body didn't even bloat. It's perfectly preserved like someone just dropped him off there.
"That was days before your mother was attacked in your house. She died hours after getting rushed to the hospital." Giles watched Rhodes's mood intently. "It's all over the radio in Menorosa. The broadcast was even suddenly cut. I think it's because of the Coles family.
"I wish I didn't have to break it to you like this." The manager wiped his forehead from sweat. "We tried not to bring it up when you came to the Flower House's blessing."
Rhodes chuckled and turned away. "…is that why I said bad things about the hotel? My father was suddenly found dead in here?"
Giles stayed quiet for a few seconds. He pushed up his glasses. "Not just that. You described the hotel as some kind of evil. I didn't believe you at first, but the deaths started happening. The sightings also worsened. They just stopped when the Iveren family made contact around five years ago. We get occasional apparitions, but no more blood or corpses sprouting out of nowhere."
"Madam Iveren mentioned how the hotel is not for civilians." Rhodes looked at the mid-rise hotel. "Bad things might start happening again if we re-open the hotel. But I'm here now. I will deal with any vile entities hoping to meddle with us. Just help me monitor the situation."
"Do you think you can solve your father's mysterious murder? Do the spirits in the hotel respond to your questions?" Giles glanced at the hotel, spotting a few workers moving big boxes out of the hotel. "Regardless, I just want my employees' livelihood back. Hopefully, they have found a better place before the evil you feared creeps back."
Rhodes laughed in self-mockery. "I'm dispensing millions on a building you're planning to vacate. How sad for my investor soul."
Giles lifted his brow. "You can look for a younger workforce to muscle through the ghosts. My employees are old. Who knows when one will have a heart attack while at work?"
Rhodes only shook his head. He turned to the side as if sensing someone. Past the walls, a black car stopped. A tall woman alighted from it. She looked slender and shapely in her red blouse and black pencil skirt. Her blonde hair lightly bounced in her ponytail.
The woman confidently strode past the gates. However, she went for a full stop when she saw the messy front parking spaces. She covered her nose with a handkerchief. "That guy was serious."
"Miss Iveren." Giles spotted the woman when Rhodes turned to the gates. He quickly got someone to clear a path for them. The manager welcomed the visitor. "Please excuse the chaos. We're in the middle of renovations. This way, please. Don't worry. The heavy items are moved through the parking elevators. The guest elevators are clean."
"It's okay. I want to speak with Dr Huxley the soonest." Kathy Iveren quickly moved across the dusty parking spaces with Giles. She didn't even realize Rhodes was following them.
When they entered the reception, Kathy saw how the paint was stripped off the walls. Even the receptionist's desk was pried off the floor. She snorted at the sight. "How confident are you with your speed? I heard you plan to finish on the twentieth. Will all this mess…"
Rhodes left Giles to deal with the arrogant woman. He didn't realize he would deal with such a person. Her mother was so reasonable that nothing was left to this daughter. However, Rhodes's luck didn't seem to reach its most rotten. The 'morning' mechanic ghost stood outside his elevator, seemingly waiting for someone to push the button for him.
The group of three called a different elevator. Rhodes strode toward the other panel. He covered the buttons with his hand. "No need to work today. We're closed for renovation."
"…day off…"
"No, it's at least until the twentieth. Just clock in again when you see the receptionist back at her desk." Rhodes glanced at the mechanic's ghastly face. "Stay home."