Echoes (Whisper Trilogy Book 2) (23 page)

The good mood lasted until they passed the first road sign reminding them of where they were heading.

OAKWELL 18 MILES

It was as if they’d breached some barrier, an invisible thing stripping all the good feeling from the journey and undoing the brief hours where they’d been the couple of old. Neither of them spoke much for those last few miles. Soon enough they saw it rise out of the horizon as they approached it. Oakwell. The first treetops of the forest started to appear on their right, and Melody tightening her grip on the steering wheel while switching lanes, leaving the flow of highway traffic and peeling off towards the center of town. The road here was narrower and, although the trees loomed large above them, she knew it would be nothing compared to what was to come when they eventually peeled off the road a few miles up and went back to that awful place.

The last time they had driven through Oakwell, they had been floored by its charm and small-town feel. She remembered it well. Clean, tree-lined streets, quaint, red-bricked buildings with hand-painted signs advertising the goods they sold. It was all part of the charm of the place which had grabbed Melody from the start, almost like a time capsule from the fifties which had somehow survived the years.

Now, all that had gone. The bones were still the same, but the skin was different. Garish neon signs hung above shops selling fast foods and cigarettes. Papers and empty Styrofoam cups skittered across the street in the breeze, collecting at the edges against the curb. Ugly posters had been pasted to the walls and windows of stores long closed, advertising everything from 2 for 1 meals at the new burger bar, to rooms for rent, and cars for sale. The deterioration was shocking.

They drove on in silence. Despite everything that had happened at the house, Melody was incredibly saddened at what had become of the town, so much so it was almost a relief when they were through the town and left it behind. The forest now lined both sides of the road, the tension becoming palpable. They knew what was coming. The turn-off into the forest down the road with the NO ACCESS sign.

Steve turned the radio up. She knew why. It was so they couldn’t hear the sound of the trees. The access road appeared in the distance. The discreet sign now gone. In its place, the foliage at the roadside had been cut back, and a large white sign, illuminated by spotlights, stood in stark contrast against the natural browns and greens.

WELCOME TO RIVERWOOD!

Site of the infamous Hope House!!

The Brand new hotel brought to you by

Marshall-Jones developments.

NOW TAKING BOOKINGS!!

It was the first time Melody understood that it was all real. Everything happening to them now wasn’t some fantasy being played out in a book or on a television screen. It was happening. They were actually going back.

She slowed the car, somehow fighting the urge to stamp on the accelerator and leave Oakwell and the Riverwood hotel far behind. She thought about Isaac, and the look on his face as those men had taken away their possessions. She turned onto the access road, and the car was immediately swallowed in shadows.

They drove down the single track road in silence. Even the radio could no longer help, the signal fading to a static hiss in the bowels of the forest. As much as they didn’t want to, they switched it off, and finally there was just the sound of the trees to accompany them. It was against their every instinct to continue on. Every fiber of their beings told them to turn and get as far away as possible, and yet they knew it wasn’t an option.

“They smoothed the road out,” Steve mumbled.

Melody didn’t answer. The overhanging trees brought on a stifling claustrophobia. She knew the road would soon curve away to the left, after which they would be able to see their destination. The car made the curve, and reality hit them hard. Rather than the further hundred plus feet of road they had been expecting, they were greeted instead by an open expanse of land with the stark rectangular shape of the hotel almost immediately in front of them.

“Jesus,” Steve muttered under his breath.

The natural cut of the forest in which Hope House once sat had been hewn away, the trees culled and removed to make room for the hotel. The Hope House they remembered sat within no more than a couple of hundred feet of land. The Riverwood hotel occupied at least three times that surface area, and had completely destroyed what had been a very natural setting, transforming it into an ugly eyesore. They drove across the threshold, gravel crunching under wheels as they approached the entrance. There, waiting for them at the door, was Henry Marshall. He strode towards the car as they parked.

“Welcome to Riverwood hotel,” he said, thrusting a hand towards Steve as he climbed out of the car.

Steve and Melody glanced at each other across the roof of the car, then turned equally icy stares towards Marshall.

“Drop the public relations shit,” Steve said as he stared at the building. “We’re only here because we have to be. We’re not your friends and would prefer it if you didn’t try to act like you give a shit. We just want this over with.”

Henry’s smile faltered and he lowered his hand. “I’m afraid we may have gotten off on the wrong foot here.”

“No we haven’t,” Steve fired back. “I just want you to know where we stand. When do we get our money?”

“Upon checkout,” Marshall replied, doing everything to avoid looking at Steve and his injuries.

“It’s okay, you should look at me,” Steve said, taking off his baseball cap. “Take a good long look. This is what this place did to me.”

Marshall looked, and was repulsed and fascinated at the same time. The black thing inside him stirred.

“I understand how coming back here is difficult for you both, however this is a completely different situation to before.”

“I don’t see anything I recognize from before,” Melody said quietly, more to herself than to Henry.

“No, as you can see, quite a lot has changed. Also remember, there will be people here. A full television crew as well as some other guests. I assure you, it’s quite safe.”

“I used to be like you,” Melody said as she walked around the car and linked arms with Steve. “I buried my head in the sand and tried to convince myself this place was perfectly safe. In the end, it almost cost us our lives. There’s something here. Something evil.”

“Do you sense anything now?” Henry asked, stifling his smile.

Melody paused and listened. “No, not right now.”

“Exactly. Whatever you felt here before no longer exists, thanks to the heroic efforts of your husband.”

Melody squeezed Steve’s hand as she looked over the building. “I don’t see anything to connect me to what the place was before. It’s like a completely different location.”

“We cut back quite a lot of the forest to accommodate the new building. If you follow me, I’ll give you a quick tour and show you to your room. I’ll have someone take your things in for you.” He said, holding out a podgy hand for the car keys.

Reluctantly, Melody handed them over. Henry smiled and took a deep breath. “Well, if you just follow me I’ll show you around.”

Henry turned and pushed through the door, holding it open for Steve and Melody. Holding hands, they followed, looking around the lobby which was still a hive of activity as the crew set up.

“Apologies for the mess. We’re still finishing off a few things. We don’t actually open to the public for another month. We have quite a few small jobs still to do I’m afraid, mostly on the upper floors. This, as you can see is our main lobby. Dining room and kitchen off there to the left, staff rooms to the right. We have a bar in the north-east corner, however I’m afraid it’s unfinished and won’t be open much before the official launch day.”

“How many rooms do you have?” Melody asked, feeling less afraid than she’d expected.

“Thirty-two across two floors open right now. None here on the ground level. The upper levels have 16 per floor, or will have when we get them finished.”

“So what exactly do you want us to do? You haven’t told us why we’re here yet.”

“Is either of you aware of the television show Paranormal Truth?”

“Yeah, I know it,” Steve replied.

“My brother, Dane, is the lead investigator. He intends to do a full investigation of the site tomorrow. There will be two teams. One led by Dane, the second by one of his team. Together with the rest of the guests we will investigate the site and attempt to answer once and for all exactly what we’re dealing with.”

“You don’t want to mess with this thing,” Steve said with a shake of the head. “It’s unlike anything you could ever imagine.”

“These teams, how many people will there be in each?” Melody asked.

“We haven’t decided yet. It will be a minimum of four per team. At no point will you be alone or in danger. The camera crews will also be present to record the various investigations.”

“What do you hope to prove here?” Steve said. Melody sensed his irritation. “Why would anyone want to do this? It’s stupid.”

“We have to do something, Mr. Samson,” Henry snapped. “As you’ll have noticed on the drive in, the town has changed for the worst since the two of you went public with what happened here.”

“You’re seriously trying to blame us?” Steve said, taking a half-step towards Henry. “It was because people like you sat on the truth for so long so many people died. You had an obligation to tell us what we were getting into.”

“We did what was best for the town.”

“At what cost? We all know how many people died here. We were almost added to the list. Why can’t you acknowledge there’s something here and it shouldn’t be fucked around with?”

“We hid it because of this, because we feared what our town would become,” Henry said, also now growing angry. “We knew what would happen if word got out. We were right. The town is a mess, and it’s all because of this place. Why shouldn’t we take advantage of the situation and bring in some much needed local revenue?”

“The town seems to be doing fine. We saw plenty of new stores open on the drive through.”

“None of them are run by locals anymore. They’re franchises from the city. Do you know how it is to live in a town which is thriving and yet its own residents – long term residents I might add – who are good people, starve and are forced to move away to start new lives elsewhere? I know you don’t agree with what I’m doing here, and trust me, you’re not alone. What else could I do but embrace the chaos and try to make it work for us instead of against us?”

He noticed people were watching his outburst, and cleared his throat.

“Anyway, the point is, we had to do something. I know you don’t approve, and after this weekend you will never have to hear of it again. Now let me show you to your room.”

“You know, maybe this isn’t such a good idea. Money or no money.”

“Let’s not make any hasty decisions here, Mr. Samson,” Henry said, switching on his elastic smile. “We’re all adults here. I’m sure we can come to some kind of an arrangement.”

“Forget it. Keep the money. Some things you just can’t buy, Mr. Marshall.”

Steve and Melody turned to leave, and had almost reached the doors when Henry spoke again.

“We all do things in times of need, Mr. Samson. Even you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Steve said over his shoulder.

“I mean all of us take desperate measures to do what we think is right. I think the only difference between good and bad is perception, wouldn’t you agree?”

“If you have something to say to me, you’d better spit it out.”

“All I’m saying is, sometimes the end justifies the means. Be it building a hotel to profit on a surge of unwanted popularity, or telling a white lie or two, even to something as extreme as blaming murder on a dead man.”

Steve started to walk towards Marshall, balling his fists. “What do you mean?”

“Nothing at all,” he replied, stretching the oozing grin further across his face. “It’s just that I have a friend who says there are certain… inconsistencies with your version of events. Some might say to the extent that you had something to hide.”

“I don’t know what you’re trying to imply,” Melody said. “Whatever it is, you’re wrong. We gave full statements to the police after the fire about what happened.”

“Still, you have to admit, there are certain skeletons better left buried.”

“I don’t believe this,” Steve said, shaking his head. “Are you trying to blackmail me?”

“Absolutely not. I wouldn’t dream of ever doing anything of the kind. All I’m saying is certain other people might be inclined to look closer into what happened. Of course, it would be next to impossible right now, as the case files are all locked away in the town archives. Some might say they’d be almost impossible to find unless someone really wanted to find them.”

Melody glanced at Steve, and in that one innocent gesture, Henry knew he had them. He lowered his voice to a near whisper.

“Two days is all I need. As far as blackmail goes, it’s quite the opposite. If you stay until after the investigation tomorrow night, I’ll throw in a little bonus payment which will be enough to send that sweet little boy of yours through college. However, if you still want to leave, there’s nothing I can do to stop you.”

The trio stood there, all knowing Henry Marshall had trapped them, even if they were reluctant to admit it. Steve searched Melody’s face, and saw she was as lost as he was.

“Which room are we staying in?” Steve grunted.

“Room 11. First floor.” Henry said, holding out the key card to Steve. “I can walk you there if you like?”

“Don’t bother,” Steve said, snatching the card. “We’ll be fine on our own.”

“Understood. Enjoy your stay,” Henry beamed, watching as they pushed through the door to the stairs. Satisfied, he stepped behind the lobby desk and leaned on the counter, taking a moment to breathe in the atmosphere and then grabbed his car keys, the smile melting from his face. He had one other piece of business yet to take care of, one more loose end to tie up before the rest of the guests arrived. Whistling to himself, he exited the hotel and climbed into his car, pulling away smoothly and making for Goodson’s apartment. There were certain questions he wanted answers to, and the black thing bubbling inside him wouldn’t wait to get them.