The Death of Us: An Alex Harper Mystery Thriller (Alex Harper Mysteries Book 7) by Mark Ayre

Author:Mark Ayre [Ayre, Mark]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: AFS Publishing
Published: 2025-03-06T00:00:00+00:00

42

Xander lay alone in the dark for several minutes before getting out of bed. Worry for her niece and nephew would have prevented Lexi from finding sleep and would eventually have driven her from the room. She needed to pace, and she’d left so as not to wake him. But now he was awake anyway, and he hated to think of her alone with her fears in this dark and unfamiliar building.

Fifteen minutes after waking, Xander was in the corridor, closing the door behind him. His keys were in one pocket, his phone was in the other. He hadn’t tried to phone Lexi because her device remained on charge on the bedside table. He wouldn’t be using technology to find her.

Unlike in a chain hotel, where the lights in communal spaces were always on, and people could be heard at all times of the night, the halls here were dark, and there was only silence. He touched one of those bracketed torches nearest his door, but there was no switch. Presumably, they were on a timer and would come on again tomorrow evening.

The hotel had eight guest rooms. Five of those were occupied by the Wests, Lexi and Xander had a sixth, and George was in a seventh. He had no idea if the eighth was occupied. Whether you turned left or right when leaving a room on the upper floor, you would eventually reach the stairs down to the entrance hall. On your way, you could pass all eight guest rooms, as well as the door leading to the staff sleeping quarters.

Xander left his room and walked the long way toward the stairs. The paintings on the wall were now no more than shapes. Like the rest of the hotel, they were beautiful during the day but became eerie in the dark. Walking through the halls, alone, in the dark and the quiet, it was impossible not to feel he’d fallen into a horror movie.

As he neared the turn that would bring the stairs into sight, he heard a thunk that could only have been the front door closing, and he picked up his pace. At the top of the stairs, he stopped, staring into the darkness below. He could make out the front door in the gloom but could see no movement. If someone had come through the door, they must have run into an adjoining room before Xander arrived at his current spot. If they had, it seemed likely he’d have heard their footsteps. It was hard to keep your movements quiet when moving at speed. Therefore, whoever had closed the door had probably done so after leaving the building.

He heard a click and turned as a face poked out of a nearby guest room.

“Jacob?”

The darkness concealed her features, but the name gave her away.

“Afraid not,” he said.

“Shit.” Then, after a momentary pause, “Wait there.”

She disappeared into her room, and despite her request, he was tempted to descend into the entrance hall. The front doors were locked at night, but every guest and staff member had a key.

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