Harvey sighed deeply, one hand reaching up and running through his hair. He seemed older than when I first encountered him - but, at this point, I had begun to realize that further along to each ghosts' story, the more they became how they looked like during their last moments.
Harvey was speaking again, his voice thick with anger and distress, "I took one of the cricket bats and stormed to Jimmy's room while he was out. I destroyed his tv, his gaming console, and other personal effects. I knew at the time that it was wrong to do so, but my anger - that rage - I just couldn't control it."
"Do you think it might have something to do with the fact that there is something in your family bloodline that makes your anger go out of control?" I asked.
Harvey's brow furrowed, "I'm not sure what you're getting at."
"The locals in town seem to believe that the Hall family used to be demon worshippers," I explained, "I heard about it from one of the managers at a diner I visited - that's why no one comes here, why people are afraid of Jimmy in particular."
"I never heard about that," Harvey admitted, "I do know that anger does run in our family though, and not always in the best of ways. My own rage I get from my father, but I had been trying to control it more as I got older.
"Anger and rage eats away energy, energy that I could use for something more productive. But then, I had completely lost it. No doubt Jimmy had seen what I had done and started working on his next little trick."
Harvey was shaking now, his entire body filling with anger.
"Perhaps we should take a break," I stood from my seat, going toward the ghost, "Obviously what followed must've been painful."
"We can't," Harvey turned, his eyes that had been lively now seemed dull, "I only have a bit of time left and much to tell you still. Everything that follows is of the utmost importance. You need to know before I fade back into the walls of this place."
I nodded, understanding.
Harvey started up again, "Jimmy decided to retaliate in the most painful way possible. He took one of two crossbows from the destroyed medieval display cabinet and rigid it to shoot me when I entered my own room for the evening. I was lucky the bow had hit me in the leg and not somewhere else that could have been more fatal.
"I had to go into A&E to get stitches and tetanus shots - staying overnight for observations. When I came back the following afternoon, Jimmy had completely vanished. He knew what he did and had apparently hidden in the basement - based on what Rose told me. I was seeing red again and decided to punish Jimmy for nearly killing me - a second time."
"Don't tell me you locked him in the basement," I groaned, already knowing the answer.
"I did, and I'm not proud of it," Harvey admitted, "I had completely lost it and at the time, I thought he couldn't do any damage down there. I was wrong."
Harvey perched back on the pool table, his voice going quiet, "I take it the locals mentioned a fire, here at the hotel?"
"Yeah," I answered, "it was contained but a lot of stuff was lost."
"We all lost personal effects in that fire," Harvey admitted, "Photos, papers, old clothing - all of it went up in flames. It was the one time that I had seen Jimmy remorseful for something he had done - especially when Rose's old doll that was handed down to her from her grandmother came out destroyed beyond recognition.
"There was a time, following the fire, that he had tried to make it up to both of us. But, it didn't last. Things went sour again - Jimmy had set another trap and had nearly killed his own mother when she walked into the main office. At that point, I had had enough of him. I blamed him for keeping me trapped in the hotel, for all the troubles that had caused our family grief... for the pain that he had inflicted upon us when we had done everything in our power to keep him happy and safe."
"What did you do?" my voice was quaking, shivers ran up my spine as my thoughts ran back to what the manager of the diner told me - an altercation that led to Harvey's death.
"I went to my room," Harvey started, his own face paling, "I had brought my father's old hand gun with me for protection. It was given to be used only in dire need, my father told me. Jimmy had become a threat, thus I was going to chase him out of the hotel or put an end to it. I would make Rose see the truth.
"She had been blinded by the love for her son that she had stopped caring completely about the immoral things he was doing. I had to protect her, and Jimmy. I went looking for him later that night. He hadn't been seen all day - and Rose, too, was starting to show signs of worry. I found him in the hallway, by the auditorium where we had served meals and where my distant cousin had performed before he passed. He led me to the backstage area..."
I watched as Harvey pulled the top two buttons of his shirt loose, the tie following. A large open wound was across his neck, blood slowly appearing onto his shirt and skin. As I clasped my hand to my mouth in horror, Harvey finished his tale, "Jimmy had crept up behind me when I wasn't looking. I should've known that he would win - he always did."
The ghost of Harvey slumped slightly.
His appearance had changed to one that had been tired. His hair had become disheveled, his clothing wrinkled and stained with his lifeline - eyes now completely lifeless. I stood and came toward him, resting a hand on his knee - surprised at the now coldness of his form.
"The last thing I remember before death took me was grasping onto Jimmy's hand," Harvey spoke, "but it wasn't Jimmy that was present - it was Hugo."
"But you didn't know at the time, did you?" I asked.
"No, no I didn't," the spirit admitted, "but I do know now. When I came to, I was livid. I knew that many of the guests had heard my rage and had seen my spirit in the hallways. Nothing could comfort me. Then Maya-"
Harvey shook his head, "It doesn't matter now, anyways."
"What happened to Maya? She didn't die like you or Amy, or even Dr. Bose, did she?"
"No, she was able to get away. Though, I think Hugo still may believe she's hiding around here still. But, I'm not completely sure," Harvey stood then, stretching his broken spirit, "It's time for me to take my leave of you, Miss Martin."
"Is there any way you can tell me where I might find Rose?" I asked.
"Rose will come when she is ready," Harvey admitted, "Just remember to keep your eyes peeled and ears open. Her story, I'm afraid, is much worse than mine..."
Then, he was gone - leaving me alone in the arcade room as if he had never appeared.
***
I took the staircase up to the second floor, Mrs. Cesari's shoes in one hand and an ice pack in another.
My mind was whirling with everything that Harvey told me - from how he came to live at the hotel to the very end of his life. Hugo had caused the man's death and, no doubt, the other problems within the hotel. But it was strange to learn - not only from Dr. Bose, but from Harvey as well - that Jimmy's other side didn't make an appearance until he was about five or six years of age.
But now, I had a few new tasks to worry about.
One being the location of Rose's spirit. Two, making sure that Jimmy didn't have any brain damage from the blow that I gave him earlier. And finally - and probably the most dreadful - making sure that Hugo didn't try anything funny, specifically involving me getting beaten by a cricket bat again.
I stopped outside of Jimmy's room - 223 - hearing shuffling within. I knocked cautiously, unsure if I was going to get Jimmy or Hugo.
"Yes?" Jimmy's voice was heavy and groggy, like he had woken up.
"It's me, Kylie," I called out, "I brought an ice pack for your head."
"Come on in Kylie," Jimmy's voice beckoned me in.
Entering, Jimmy was perched on the side of his bed, hand grasping the side of his head. The bruise had grown darker, now turning a deep blue and purple. I winced slightly, hoping that it wouldn't turn black.
I came forward slowly, handing the ice pack off to the proprietor as he pressed it to his forehead.
"What happened?" he asked.
I sighed, preparing to tell him the truth - or a semblance of it, "I couldn't sleep, so I went for a walk and heard yelling on the third floor. I found a cricket bat in one of the trunks up there and brought it with me, afraid that there may have been someone up there attacking Mrs. Cesari. You came around the corner, and I didn't recognize you because it was dark, and... well, I hit you."
Jimmy's jaw dropped as I continued, "I'm really sorry, I just... I wasn't thinking."
I bowed my head, very nervous. My mind was yelling at me internally for telling a white lie, but would he even believe me? I was too afraid of what would happen if I tried to explain myself. I had been called crazy by my peers for expressing my beliefs before, after all.
Then, there came a soft chuckle.
I lifted my head in shock as Jimmy Hall was laughing!
"Oh, don't worry about it Kylie!" he chuckled a bit more, "I probably would've done the same! We must've crossed paths on the way upstairs to Mrs. Cesari's room - you on the lift and I on the stairwell. We crossed in the hallways up there, and both of us thought the other as the perpetrator. Though, I am glad it was you who hit me and not the other way around - imagine the trouble that would happen..."
I swallowed, my hand clutching the fabric of the dress I still wore and pretending not to think back to the bruise on my own forehead.
Jimmy stood then, looking into a mirror on his wall, "But I will say you did quite a number on me. You've never played cricket, I assume?"
"Just once," I admitted, "I was kind of surprised that I left that big of a bruise."
"Well, I never thought you would be someone who could hit hard," Jimmy replied, "No offense. I think, however, if someone comes in with a knife, I'll let you do the hitting on the head."
"I'm really sorry, Mr. Hall. Please understand that..."
"It's quite alright," Jimmy smiled in my direction, his face much softer than it had been before, "trust me, I'll be alright. A little headache and a bruise is all - but are you alright? It must've been a scare to see me knocked out on the floor. And how did you get me all the way down here? Or even know where my room was?"
I gulped, fiddling with the dress, "Um... Well, I-I picked you up and brought you down here. I took a guess due to the fact the other doors were locked and this room wasn't."
Jimmy shook his head, muttering about how stupid he was for forgetting to lock his door before turning back to me, "Well, I appreciate it. But are you alright? You didn't answer that question."
"Yes, I'm fine," I nodded, feeling myself relax a bit, "Just shaken up a little."
"I think we both are. Why don't you head off to bed, you look like you're going to fall over."
I snickered, "You do the same. Keep the ice pack on to keep the swelling down."
Jimmy laughed in agreement before I turned and left the room, closing the door behind me. I sighed in relief.
'That was too close for my taste,' my mind grumbled.
"Same," I answered, "but now we can rest. After everything this morning, I don't know if we'll get much sleep tonight though."
As I headed down the hallway and back toward the lift - far too tired to take the stairs even though I still had the keys - I felt eyes watching me. I looked around, a little weary about what was going to happen next.
The lights on the second floor began to flicker when I reached the main lobby.
"Rose?" I called out softly, "Rose Hall?"
"Harvey was going to shoot Jimmy!" a familiar voice called, causing me to turn around.
A dark haired woman was standing before another figure, a man in a police uniform, who was holding what looked like a dagger.
"This is just a letter opener, it was self defense!" Rose was arguing before she and the officer vanished into the darkness.
I dropped to the ground, borrowed shoes beside me, as I clutched my chest - my heart now racing beyond imagination.
'Rose is still protecting Jimmy,' my mind thought, 'even after he killed Harvey.'
"Yes, and she may still be protecting him - even after death."