Murder at the Wolds Hotel Page #3

I wrote this story because I love a good mystery and especially like to solve one.

• Mystery

								

  
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	Emma flopped down onto the room’s king sized bed. She carefully unfolded a piece of paper from her pocket. It was an old photograph of her mother. Robert had given it to her.
	Her finger traced around the border of her mother’s face. She looked similar to Emma. Emma whispered, “Where are you?” 
	She was interrupted by a large knock on the door. She threw the photograph onto the dresser and twisted the door open. Robert stood in the doorframe.
	“Emma, come down to the restaurant, your sister is there.”
Emma contemplated her sister’s reaction. She pictured an angry face and screaming. 
	Emma smiled. “Of course I’ll come,” she told him. She left the photograph on the bed and hurried out the door.

	Long later, the sisters left the restaurant and made their way up the stairs still angry at each other but groggy.
	Jenny stuck the key into the door and pushed it forward. Emma sat down on the bed, and looked at the bedside table. 
	Resting on top of it was a burnt match and the ashes of a paper. The photograph of her mother was nowhere to be seen. Jenny looked at her sister’s face and then looked at the pile of paper bits. 
	“Jenny, that was all I had of my mother? What is wrong with you?” 
	Jenny’s lips quivered and her eyes darted back and forth across the room. She opened the closet door and peered inside. She peered into the bathroom. The room was empty.
	“Emma,” she paused, “I never entered the room. I was at the restaurant the entire time.”
	“Then who was it?” Emma screamed.
	Jenny’s eyes widened and she whispered, “I have no clue, but someone knows a lot about us, and that person has a key to our room.”
	Jenny rushed out of the room and down the stairs to the reception desk yet another time. A different woman was standing there.
	“What happened to the other person?” Jenny asked. 
	“She flew to Tahiti.” The woman answered. “She wanted a vacation. What do you need?”
	“We would like to request another room. Someone has a key to ours and has been in it. We don’t know who.”
	The woman’s face narrowed, “Someone has a key to your room? That’s impossible.” 
	“I don’t care if you think it’s possible or not, I want another room.”
The woman looked at the logbook, “We have many open rooms.” She replied. “Yet they are all suites. You would have to pay a thousand pounds for the upgrade. Is that okay?”
	The two sulked to their rooms knowing that no matter how bad they wanted to get out of that room, they could not afford to switch it. After all, it was only one night.

	The following day Jenny woke up to the blinding sun pouring through the window. She rubbed her eyes open, and sat up on her bed. She stared out at the window once more, shielding her eyes from the sun’s glare. The ground was blanketed with about four feet of snow, and she could see a dilapidated power line, lying on the ground, almost completely concealed by snow that had piled upon it. 
	Immediately Jenny reached over to her bedside table and pulled a cord on her lamp. No light flickered on. The blizzard had wiped the power out. The black dial phone that rested next to the lamp wouldn’t work either. And no one could leave the building.
Jenny and Emma spent the rest of the day apart.



“Are you ready yet?” Emma asked.
Jenny strolled out from the bathroom. She was wearing a velvet, black dress. She had silver earrings that hung down to the top of her neck. 
	Emma had a black-and-white checkered dress that hung down just below her knees, and white espadrilles. 
“Let’s go.” Emma said, grabbing Jenny’s arm and pulling her towards the door. 
“Your earrings.” Jenny said. 
“Oh thank you!” Emma said, grabbing her earrings from off the dresser. One was white and one was black. 
“Let’s go. Again.” Said Emma. The two of them then turned the corner and fled down the steps. Emma began to place her black earring into her ear. 
	“Ouch!” Emma said.  Jenny looked at her bleeding right ear. 
She rushed back into the room and grabbed a bandage, which she used to cover the cut. 
“Thanks!” Said Emma. 
 They then entered the ballroom. 



The grandeur ballroom stood before them. Its walls were divided into high arched bays that bordered elegant windows covered in white drapes. A sanguine portrait of a swan resided in a central tondo, which was surrounded by ornamental woodworking, covered in gold paint. The walls and pillars were covered with gilt, and gold, ornamental flourishes. Surrounding the room were white, solomonic columns that supported the delicate ceiling. Gold linings were spread across the room and the dome-shaped roof that was coffered with gold woodworking. The parquet floor was spotless, and hanging just above it was a massive chandelier that dangled scintillating swarovski crystals. 

	Emma gazed in awe at the elegant room. She scanned around, looking for Robert. She spotted him and scowled; Jenny had already found him.
	“Robert, so pleased to see you again.” Jenny said. She stretched out her hand.
	He shook it and smiled, “I’m so glad you made it here. Have you met Mr. Fuller yet?”
	Jenny shook her head. 
	Robert gazed off along the table next to him, finding Easton standing there.
	“Mr. Fuller, this is Jenny.” He said.
	Emma came in from behind. “And I’m Emma, nice to meet you.”
	Mr. Fuller nodded and smiled. “Wonderful, he answered.” Robert explained that Jenny and Emma were the twins looking for their parents.  
	While Jenny and Mr. Fuller talked, Emma couldn’t help but notice Arthur who she had bumped into earlier glaring back at her. She quickly brought back her focus.
	“When can we meet our parents?” Jenny asked. 
	“Yes. Your parents. You must come into the hall while I talk about them. I’m awfully sorry about dragging you two out here but I cannot share any information to people unless they are direct members of the family and I must meet in person to insure this. I am also a very busy man. Please come separately into the hall.”
	Emma went first. Arthur was still casting a watchful eye. Jenny watched as Emma and Mr. Fuller went into the hallway. 
	“In the meantime, would you like a glass of wine?” Robert asked.
	Jenny smiled, “Of course.”
	She made her way towards the door and waited while Robert brought her a glass of wine. She sipped it slowly. .
	“It’s fine wine, isn’t it?” Robert asked.
	Jenny nodded.
	“From Italy,” he added.
	Jenny couldn’t help but listen in to the conversation with Emma and Mr. Fuller. Through the wall, she heard the passing of money and many words including inheritance.
	At the end, Jenny’s face reddened with anger. Arthur was watching her in the corner of his eye, sipping his glass of red wine in the process.
Robert looked at Jenny. “Is everything okay?” 
Jenny swallowed and looked him directly in the eye. She had not heard the full conversation and neither did she want to. Arthur looked all the more intently.
“Yes,” Jenny replied. 

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