A Dahlia Amongst the Daisies and Marigolds

Unexpected Visitors

[May 1927]

"Paloma! Could you clear up room sixteen? A guest just checked out and said they left quite a mess in there!" Paloma hears one of the receptionists yell. "Please!"

"My shift ends in ten minutes, how bad is it?" She asks with a tired sigh as she readjusted her headband to make sure her hair stayed out of her face.

"Not sure, but you'll get overtime if you do it."

"Fine, I need it anyways."

With a tired sigh, she quickly grabs her cart with the cleaning supplies and tools before heading to the elevator and pushing one of the buttons. To think she was once a feared gangster, now reduced to cleaning up after rich guests at some swanky hotel she managed to get hired at. But it was better than nothing, and a good chunk of her money was going to aid Mitzi in obtaining more whiskey that apparently tasted like it was collected from the muddy rivers of the Mississippi.

At least we are hanging in there and haven't gone under completely. Paloma assures herself as she pushes a button to take her to the upper floor. This beats having to dig bullets out of my leg and nursing a stab wound at least. Wonder if Rocky was successful in getting what we needed, should have gone with him to make sure he stayed out of trouble - as usual.

Since they were low on gang members, Mitzi had to resort to using the already available staff to get their needed alcohol, and the only person aside from herself willing to do it was Rocky. She still could not believe that this man was related to Calvin and Nina, for one, he was just wild and erratic. There wasn't a single week or month since he became the new errand boy that he didn't come back all banged and bruised, and it was an absolute miracle that he wasn't dead yet.

Once the elevator stopped at her floor, she wheeled her things to the room and knocked loudly. No answer. Paloma then opens the door to find the room in disarray; bed sheets torn to shreds and stained with something on the floor, a broken bottle of wine by the window and what look like stab marks from a knife in the mattress. The whole room smelled awful, and she wasn't going to be surprised if she found a dead body somewhere in here. With an annoyed sigh, she proceeds to collect the ruined sheets, taking note to alert the head maid about them and proceeds to start cleaning up the broken glass and looking for the source of the smell. After some time, the room was now tidy, the bad odor gone and the mattress sewn up. She'd have to alert management about it, but unless the next guest removed the new sheets she placed, no one would know.

"Hey Cara, let management know the guest who slept in here recently should be banned from staying here. The whole room looked like a crime scene!" Paloma says as she exits the room just as another maid is walking down the hall with a pile of folded towels in hand. "And I found a rotting fruit basket in there."

"Gross." The maid gags. "You're leaving already?"

"Yes my shift ended earlier but I had to stay to clean this room out. I'm going home now." Paloma says and lets out a yawn. "I am just going to hibernate until June at this point."

"Management really loves to overwork you, but you clean up the worst messes best."

Because I had to clean up the crime scenes I caused. Paloma thinks with a shake of her head. "Well, see you another day, I'm tired and need to get home."

"Good night then, and be safe."

Once she changed back into her regular clothes and her uniform was tucked away, Paloma headed out of the hotel. The diner was a few blocks away, she could maybe walk there to check in on everyone. Maybe if she was lucky, Rocky hadn't left yet and she could give him a hand in getting the alcohol.