One Last Time

17

Buck

It was getting to be a routine now. Surely, by the third death, the hotel guests would lose their minds if they hadn't already. Buck knew of a family who'd crafted a padlock on their hotel door. Rumours floated around about a group of men who barricaded the door and hadn't left ever since the killer struck. Some guests left the hotel, braving the storm, even when everyone tried to stop them, they paraded out the front doors into the icy cold. Blizzards couldn't last forever... Right?

    The food situation was limited. No one felt like eating, yet of course, everyone had to. He wondered about Eddie, was he eating enough? They were running dangerously low on groceries. Even some young pre-teens broke into the vending machines for some extra snacks. That was the least of Darrius' worries at this point.

    The furnace wasn't working, yet the fire in the dining room kept the lodge from freezing over. Luckily the hotel had a ridiculous amount of candles, which were later scattered across the hotel in every room for light and heat.

    And, of course, nobody was pleased with the power situation. Everyone's phones were out of battery and each time Buck placed his hand on the light switch, he was reminded of the storm. Buck didn't generally hate the dark, but even he would keep a nightlight next to his bed when he read a horror story. This was a completely different situation.

    He stood in his LAFD T-shirt, his arms folded. They were cramped in the small hotel hallway. Guests were already emerging from their rooms. Bobby was next to him, Darrius on the other side. Athena, Eddie, Hen, Chimney and even Maddie joined, however he wished she didn't. Maddie tended to go without seeing the scenes, she just heard them over the phone. There was a huge difference between being a first responder and a 9-1-1 dispatcher. But, if he dared mention it, she would wave her hand swiftly in front of his face and scoff with a smooth remark like, "I've seen worse."

    A body lay in front of him. It was a beautifully shaped lady with red lipstick in a classy black dress. A pool of blood surrounded her, her wound facing the sky. Chimney knelt next to her, checking for a pulse on her neck.

    "Nothing," he muttered, shaking his head.

    A man with a brown mustache dashed towards the scene. He collapsed onto his knees next to Chimney, tears sprinkling onto the floor.

    "I can't believe it!" he wailed. "Is she.." he inspected the woman, running his fingers across her face.

    Hen took a deep breath with sorrow, "She's gone. I'm sorry."

    "I told her we shouldn't leave the hotel room!" he cried. "She wanted to watch the storm from the dining room!" His fingers traced the outline of her lips. His tears fell onto her dress, staining it with love. "I can't believe... no..."

    Buck fought back tears, seeing the man collapse on the ground, hurt him. Chimney joined the rest of the crew, allowing the man a quiet moment.

    "It wasn't Malik," Chimney whispered. "I got a note, plus Malik is in Darrius' office."

    Athena raised her eyebrow, "What note?"

    Chimney pulled a crumpled paper from his back pocket. He held it out like a treasure map, for all of them to see. Eddie rested his chin on Buck's shoulder, a bold yet comforting gesture.

    Chimney sputtered, "It was tucked into Malik's door. I wanted to tell you but then I heard..." He gestured to the ground.

    Buck read the words silently inside his head.

    Malik didn't do it.

    Then who did? He needed to make a list of suspects, however, he didn't know everyone in the hotel. Whoever left the note on Malik's door did know them. Or was spying on them? Instinctively, Buck checked over his shoulder. Were they being watched?