freak out at the most random things. “Um. No. I just wanted to find some of my baby pictures. I thought maybe you knew if there were photos kept someplace other than the box.”
“There were a bunch of photos that got ruined when the crawl space flooded when the sewer line broke. I threw out a couple boxes of things. Your baby pictures might have been in there.”
You had to love the symbolism, the entire record of my babyhood flooded with sewage and tossed away.
“Did you talk to Thomas about staying on in the fall?” Mom reached forward and grabbed her pizza slice back. “He should be able to find you something in the hotel.”
“I’m not convinced I’ll be here in the fall.” I couldn’t believe my mom thought I was going to give up that easy. I hadn’t even considered calling Thomas yet, even though I liked him. He had worked at the hotel for something like forty years. Unlike the owner and some of the other managers, he was from the island. He wasn’t the kind of person who figured that because he was your manager he was some sort of god.
“Well, don’t leave it for too long. They’re going to let summer staff go in a few weeks, and everyone will be jockeying for a position. If you aren’t careful, there won’t be anything for you and you’ll be stuck having to get a job over in the city.”
I opened my mouth to tell her that missing out on a position at the hotel wasn’t exactly a great loss, but then something occurred to me. Thomas would have been working at the hotel when Ava was taken. If there was anyone who would have dirt on what had happened behind the scenes, it would be him. Nothing happened in that hotel that he didn’t know about. Nothing.
I stretched over and gave my mom a hug. She looked shocked.
“What was that for?” she asked.
“Because you’re right. I do need to talk to Thomas. I’m going to do it first thing tomorrow.”
chapter ten
T he Keppler Hotel was built in 1922. It was huge, with over three hundred rooms, four ballrooms, two restaurants, a tearoom, a pool, a glassed-in sunporch stuffed with white wicker furniture, and a lobby that stretched over a hundred feet, with clusters of sofas and chairs in red paisley fabric. Each table had a vase with a giant floral arrangement that had to be changed every four days. Entire hothouses must have been dedicated to growing flowers for the Keppler. The front desk was carved, polished cedar, and at the end of the lobby was a fireplace the size of a minivan.
Since there weren’t many places like it, several movies had been filmed at the hotel. There was a horror film, a cheesy love story, and a political thriller. Two years ago they filmed a historical movie, and most people on the island had gotten to beextras. Being in a movie is a lot less fun than you might think. I’d sat on the front porch sipping tea in a peacock green Victorian gown for hours. I’d thought my bladder was going to blow up before they finally gave me a bathroom break. I watched the movie when it came out, but I never saw myself. So much for my big Hollywood break.
I slipped in the side door off the lobby. Mr. Stanbury, the general manager, didn’t like staff to be in the hotel if we weren’t working. I think he was afraid he might not recognize us if we weren’t in uniform and might accidentally be nice to us. The makeup sales convention must have ended, because there were lines of women checking out and clucking about wanting to be sure they made the ten a.m. ferry. Each woman appeared to be traveling with at least six suitcases the size of a small SUV. The porters in their bandleader-styled uniforms were hustling around, working up a sweat. I caught one of them and asked if he knew where to find Thomas. He pointed me toward the tearoom.
I waved to some of the waitstaff setting up for the high tea that afternoon. It didn’t matter how good the scones with cream were, I couldn’t imagine wanting hot tea on a day like this. Thomas sat
“There were a bunch of photos that got ruined when the crawl space flooded when the sewer line broke. I threw out a couple boxes of things. Your baby pictures might have been in there.”
You had to love the symbolism, the entire record of my babyhood flooded with sewage and tossed away.
“Did you talk to Thomas about staying on in the fall?” Mom reached forward and grabbed her pizza slice back. “He should be able to find you something in the hotel.”
“I’m not convinced I’ll be here in the fall.” I couldn’t believe my mom thought I was going to give up that easy. I hadn’t even considered calling Thomas yet, even though I liked him. He had worked at the hotel for something like forty years. Unlike the owner and some of the other managers, he was from the island. He wasn’t the kind of person who figured that because he was your manager he was some sort of god.
“Well, don’t leave it for too long. They’re going to let summer staff go in a few weeks, and everyone will be jockeying for a position. If you aren’t careful, there won’t be anything for you and you’ll be stuck having to get a job over in the city.”
I opened my mouth to tell her that missing out on a position at the hotel wasn’t exactly a great loss, but then something occurred to me. Thomas would have been working at the hotel when Ava was taken. If there was anyone who would have dirt on what had happened behind the scenes, it would be him. Nothing happened in that hotel that he didn’t know about. Nothing.
I stretched over and gave my mom a hug. She looked shocked.
“What was that for?” she asked.
“Because you’re right. I do need to talk to Thomas. I’m going to do it first thing tomorrow.”
chapter ten
T he Keppler Hotel was built in 1922. It was huge, with over three hundred rooms, four ballrooms, two restaurants, a tearoom, a pool, a glassed-in sunporch stuffed with white wicker furniture, and a lobby that stretched over a hundred feet, with clusters of sofas and chairs in red paisley fabric. Each table had a vase with a giant floral arrangement that had to be changed every four days. Entire hothouses must have been dedicated to growing flowers for the Keppler. The front desk was carved, polished cedar, and at the end of the lobby was a fireplace the size of a minivan.
Since there weren’t many places like it, several movies had been filmed at the hotel. There was a horror film, a cheesy love story, and a political thriller. Two years ago they filmed a historical movie, and most people on the island had gotten to beextras. Being in a movie is a lot less fun than you might think. I’d sat on the front porch sipping tea in a peacock green Victorian gown for hours. I’d thought my bladder was going to blow up before they finally gave me a bathroom break. I watched the movie when it came out, but I never saw myself. So much for my big Hollywood break.
I slipped in the side door off the lobby. Mr. Stanbury, the general manager, didn’t like staff to be in the hotel if we weren’t working. I think he was afraid he might not recognize us if we weren’t in uniform and might accidentally be nice to us. The makeup sales convention must have ended, because there were lines of women checking out and clucking about wanting to be sure they made the ten a.m. ferry. Each woman appeared to be traveling with at least six suitcases the size of a small SUV. The porters in their bandleader-styled uniforms were hustling around, working up a sweat. I caught one of them and asked if he knew where to find Thomas. He pointed me toward the tearoom.
I waved to some of the waitstaff setting up for the high tea that afternoon. It didn’t matter how good the scones with cream were, I couldn’t imagine wanting hot tea on a day like this. Thomas sat
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