the ecstasy of the moment. “See? She wants to stay.”
“This penthouse apartment isn’t quite as grand as the one your parents have,” continued Hildegard. “But I have strict orders not to touch theirs while they’re gone. When they get back from their trip, they’ll have to decide if they want to continue to live here, or move somewhere else.”
Sophie couldn’t imagine her parents living anywhere but the Maxfield. Besides, if they wanted to continue to be world travelers, this would provide the perfect home base.
“The rest of the apartments are already rented.”
“How many apartments are there?” asked Bram.
“Four in die north tower, and three in the south. The rest are regular hotel rooms and suites. Not many hotels offer apartment living anymore. It’s more or less a thing of the past”
Sophie walked over to the front door, opened it, and then looked both ways down the hall. All was quiet. The guest suite at the opposite end of the hall was the same one she’d seen Howell Purdis enter from the balcony last night. She’d checked the hotel computer this morning just to make sure. Sure enough, Purdis was registered. Hugh and Adelle were in the connecting suite.
It was so incredibly strange, seeing Howell Purdis again after all these years. They’d stared at each other across the expanse that divided the towers until the rain had driven them indoors. Had he recognized her? It seemed unlikely he’d remember a student from so long ago. After doing a little further checking, she’d found that the Church of the Firstborn was holding its annual Tabernacles Week services downstairs in the Lindbergh Room. It was quite a coincidence when combined with the fact that this was the same weekend she and three other friends from Purdis Bible College had planned a reunion. Sophie hadn’t stayed in regular contact with any of them. She’d kept all reminders of her onetime association with the church to a minimum. Yet now, since Rudy had returned to her life, she felt she’d be able to approach her old friends with some kind of equanimity. A little reminiscing might even be fun.
Closing the door, Sophie could see that Hildegard and Bram were now in one of the bedrooms, discussing the recent removal of the Maxfield Plaza’s last Murphy bed. Stepping over to the doorway, she asked, “Hildegard, do you know who booked the Church of the Firstborn in here this weekend?”
Hildegard gave an involuntary shudder. “Alan Bergman. He’s the banquet manager. But since he was ill yesterday, I ended up talking to the head of the group myself. Just between the three of us, that elderly man is a first-class nutcase. He wanted me to give him the room free of charge!”
This was a new one, thought Sophie. She never remembered Howell Purdis demanding charity before.
“And then,” continued Hildegard, “when I said no, he started quoting scripture. Before he left, he cursed the hotel. Can you believe it?”
“He did what?” exclaimed Bram, easing his foot out from under the dog. “Isn’t this just our luck? We inherit a perfectly normal hotel and now we find out someone’s placed a curse on it.”
Sophie could tell he was joking, but something about the story left her feeling uneasy. Surely she didn’t put any stock in that old man’s ravings anymore. Did she?
Hildegard continued, “Believe me, I told that man in no uncertain terms what he could do with his threats. I was ready to cancel the entire event when I got a call from a fellow named Knox.”
“Isaac
Knox?” asked Sophie.
“Yes. Late yesterday afternoon. He apologized so profusely, what could I do? And,” she added, touching the pearls at her neck, “since I could tell this fellow had both his oars in the water — pardon my language — I told him I’d let it go, as long as it never happened again. My feeling is, another scene like that and he and his church can find another
“This penthouse apartment isn’t quite as grand as the one your parents have,” continued Hildegard. “But I have strict orders not to touch theirs while they’re gone. When they get back from their trip, they’ll have to decide if they want to continue to live here, or move somewhere else.”
Sophie couldn’t imagine her parents living anywhere but the Maxfield. Besides, if they wanted to continue to be world travelers, this would provide the perfect home base.
“The rest of the apartments are already rented.”
“How many apartments are there?” asked Bram.
“Four in die north tower, and three in the south. The rest are regular hotel rooms and suites. Not many hotels offer apartment living anymore. It’s more or less a thing of the past”
Sophie walked over to the front door, opened it, and then looked both ways down the hall. All was quiet. The guest suite at the opposite end of the hall was the same one she’d seen Howell Purdis enter from the balcony last night. She’d checked the hotel computer this morning just to make sure. Sure enough, Purdis was registered. Hugh and Adelle were in the connecting suite.
It was so incredibly strange, seeing Howell Purdis again after all these years. They’d stared at each other across the expanse that divided the towers until the rain had driven them indoors. Had he recognized her? It seemed unlikely he’d remember a student from so long ago. After doing a little further checking, she’d found that the Church of the Firstborn was holding its annual Tabernacles Week services downstairs in the Lindbergh Room. It was quite a coincidence when combined with the fact that this was the same weekend she and three other friends from Purdis Bible College had planned a reunion. Sophie hadn’t stayed in regular contact with any of them. She’d kept all reminders of her onetime association with the church to a minimum. Yet now, since Rudy had returned to her life, she felt she’d be able to approach her old friends with some kind of equanimity. A little reminiscing might even be fun.
Closing the door, Sophie could see that Hildegard and Bram were now in one of the bedrooms, discussing the recent removal of the Maxfield Plaza’s last Murphy bed. Stepping over to the doorway, she asked, “Hildegard, do you know who booked the Church of the Firstborn in here this weekend?”
Hildegard gave an involuntary shudder. “Alan Bergman. He’s the banquet manager. But since he was ill yesterday, I ended up talking to the head of the group myself. Just between the three of us, that elderly man is a first-class nutcase. He wanted me to give him the room free of charge!”
This was a new one, thought Sophie. She never remembered Howell Purdis demanding charity before.
“And then,” continued Hildegard, “when I said no, he started quoting scripture. Before he left, he cursed the hotel. Can you believe it?”
“He did what?” exclaimed Bram, easing his foot out from under the dog. “Isn’t this just our luck? We inherit a perfectly normal hotel and now we find out someone’s placed a curse on it.”
Sophie could tell he was joking, but something about the story left her feeling uneasy. Surely she didn’t put any stock in that old man’s ravings anymore. Did she?
Hildegard continued, “Believe me, I told that man in no uncertain terms what he could do with his threats. I was ready to cancel the entire event when I got a call from a fellow named Knox.”
“Isaac
Knox?” asked Sophie.
“Yes. Late yesterday afternoon. He apologized so profusely, what could I do? And,” she added, touching the pearls at her neck, “since I could tell this fellow had both his oars in the water — pardon my language — I told him I’d let it go, as long as it never happened again. My feeling is, another scene like that and he and his church can find another
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