Knight Casefiles Book 1: Revelations

Revelations [Chapter 22]

Chapter 22

It was provident that I ran into Alfred again when I left Margaret’s room because I honestly had no idea where else I could go. I knew, of course, who I wanted to talk to, but I had no idea where to find any of them. Alfred was just about to go in, carrying a silver tray with a cloth draped over it, when I opened the door.

“Ah, Mr. Pierce,” he said brightly, shouldering his way in. “Thank you kindly.”

“Um, yeah, no problem,” I replied, feigning courtesy and pretending that I’d been fully aware of his presence. “What’s under the tray?”

“Medicine for Ms. Wright,” he answered, placing the tray on the nearby coffee and pulling off the cover to reveal a plate bearing a couple of colored capsules and a glass of water. There was a teapot and teacup to the side and several choices of teabags. Gee, I wondered what those could be for.

“I think you missed your chance,” I told him. “She just fell asleep again.”

He waved a hand in dismissal of the thought. “No matter. I can wait.” He pulled out a small paperback and settled on a chair.

“Um, are you sure you should be doing that during work hours?”

Alfred flashed me a playful grin. “I’m old. None of the others will question my need for rest. Besides that, the rest of the guests won’t be due for another few hours. In fact, you’d best settle in as well. Get as much rest you can. The master assures us that tonight will be another entertaining one.”

I wanted to remind him that the previous “entertaining” night had resulted in the hospitalization of several of the guests and the assurance that the Lodge would be a flop, but I couldn’t find it in my heart. I was honestly starting to like Alfred. He reminded me a lot of myself what with the laziness and…that’s really it. Ah, kinship.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” I said, returning his grin. “Hey, um, Alfred. You wouldn’t happen to know where the other guests are right now, do you? It gets lonely up in my room.”

“I know every nook and cranny of the Lodge, Mr. Pierce,” he said, as if indignant at a non-existent accusation. “Of course I’d know where they are.”

After he gave me the directions I so gravely needed, I thanked the kind and aged butler and went on my way to do some more detective stuff. Sherlock Holmes, eat your heart out. Before going to my next interviewee (or maybe it was witness? Informant? Interrogant?), I passed through my room to pick something up that I was hoping would help foster an alibi.

The next room I visited was the Lodge’s attic. It wasn’t the musty old repository of all things ancient that the word connoted but was rather, a function room that acted as a second den. Alfred told me that Mr. Whistler had wanted to remodel the thing to make it more accommodating; maybe turn it into another high class suite that people would buy into thanks to the spectacular view it allowed. If I’d been allowed to choose a room, I would’ve chosen that one because damn, the view really was spectacular. The attic had opened up into a terrace directly above where Elaine and I had had our talk. Who knew a few floors would make such a difference? Compared to the one at the attic, the balcony below was like the Star Wars prequels – inadequate and made you wish the architect just quit when he was ahead.

“Can I help you?”

My poetic-ness was rudely interrupted by thin and sickly-looking young woman who had her frizzy black hair tied back in a bushy bun. A highlighted strip of pink hair that was inexplicably straight ran down the front of her grim, no-nonsense face. I recognized her to be one of the fanatics from before and she didn’t look happy to see me at all.