“Are you sure about this?”
“Yes.”
“And what are you going to be doing?”
“Being conspicuously present.”
“What are you doing here, Baron?” Barbara asked as she passed the entrance to the restaurant.
“I’m on s-staff, now,” Baron said. “I’m ch-checking people in and out. Th-there’s a list. You sh-should go in, m-ma’am.”
“I’m sort of on staff, too,” Barb said. “Anybody going out?”
“S-smokers,” Baron said, gesturing down the hallway. “And s-some of the guests won’t l-leave their r-rooms.”
“Okay,” Barbara said. “I’ll go see if I can round up any strays.”
“You’re a s-stray, ma’am,” Baron pointed out.
“Not hardly,” Barb said. “Can I look at your list?”
“I suppose,” Baron said, handing over the clipboard.
It had a list of all the con-goers and guests with the few “general” guests in the hotel appended to the bottom. She noticed a group of them, third floor end, that she assumed was the “Black Rose” society, whatever that was. Janea still wouldn’t explain but she said they weren’t the problem. And, demonstrably, they had turned up after the first twinge from the necromancer.
Most of the con-goers, guests and dealers were in the restaurant, bar and lobby area according to the list. Some of them had been ticked in and out and she recognized a few names.
“Thanks,” she said, handing it back with a wide smile. “Are you going to get relieved some time?”
“Yes, m-ma’am,” Baron said. “I’m only really filling in for someone.”
“Well, I’m going to go try to pry people out of their rooms,” Barbara said. She walked down the hallway to the outside door and looked out. Outside the door were a couple of kids who looked like gamers or LARPers, smoking, and a gaggle of Wharf Rats doing the same. She decided to brave the cold.
“Hi, Barb,” Sadie said, her hands shaking as she lifted a cigarette. “S… cold!”
“You sound like Baron,” Leo said, smiling. “It’s not that cold! It was colder at the Inchon Reservoir!”
“But you weren’t there, Leo,” Duncan chuckled, waving a cigar. “You were barely born.”
“Okay, it’s colder where I go hunting,” Leo said, shrugging deeper into his jacket. “What are you doing out here, Barb?”
“I’m sort of on staff,” Barbara said, looking at Duncan. “I’m trying to round up strays.”
“Just us out here,” Duncan said, shrugging and nodding at her significantly. “And as soon as we hammer a couple of coffin nails we’re going back in.”
“Okay,” Barb said, nodding back. She still was of two minds about whether he was on the list of suspects or not. She firmly believed he wasn’t a necromancer, but that strange shield bothered her immensely. “Where’s Don?”
“Dunno,” Duncan said, shrugging. “I knocked on his door but he didn’t answer. Probably sleeping it off. Don’t worry, he won’t freeze to death; too much antifreeze in his system.”
“I’ll check on him,” she said, frowning at Duncan. He shouldn’t be so flippant with what he knew. But maybe he was still thinking it was all a silly game or something.
As she walked back the hallway towards the lobby she saw David Krake talking to Baron earnestly. The former was wearing a long, heavy coat and had snow on his legs.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“I can’t find Charlotte,” Krake replied, tightly. “She’s not in her room or in the restaurant. She’s not checked in on the list at all.”
“Can I suggest that you wait in the restaurant, sir?” Barbara said, politely. “I’m one of the people designated to round up strays. I’ll look for her, I really will.”
“You can suggest all you’d like,” Krake replied, tartly. “But I’ll find her myself, thank you. She said she was going to be here.”
Barbara looked at the list again, making some notes as he walked down the hall towards the smoking area. She also noted that Mandy, Larry and Angie were missing from the con-goers. Norm and Eric had been checked in, although both had been in and out, apparently. She hadn’t felt anything from the necromancer, so it was unlikely they’d been killed. But there was something bothering her about the pattern.
“Janea,” Barb said, walking a little bit away from the entrance and keying her radio.
“Go,” Janea said.
“Go pry the Black Rose people out of their rooms, will you?” Barbara asked, politely. “And while you’re up there, use the pass key to check 304. Donald Draxon is missing. See if he’s sleeping it off.”
“Will do,” Janea said. “What are you going to be doing?”
“I’m heading over to the west wing and see if I can find a few more strays,” Barb answered. “Greg?”
“Here,” the FBI agent said. He’d taken up position in the manager’s office. It had exits to the restaurant, the outside and the lobby so he could move in any direction to respond to trouble.
“You got that?”
“Got it,” Greg said, unhappily. “Be careful.”
“Of course,” Barbara said, crossing into the deserted atrium. Perhaps from the rumor of a murderer running around, the con-goers really were huddling together like sheep. And something bothered her about that as well.
She entered the west wing and started to take the stairs, then stopped and pulled out her radio.
“He’s here,” Barb said. “Somewhere in the west wing. Janea, get those Black Rose people out of there. I don’t care how.”
She hit the stairs and pounded to the second floor. She could only tell he was somewhere above her and to the west.
There wasn’t anyone on the second floor and she could tell he was still above her. But as she ran to the top floor the feeling… quit.
She burst out into the third floor corridor and looked to the end but there was nobody there. She did, however, hear the sound of the fire door closing on the far end.
She’d done that one before so she ducked back into the stairs and ran down to the second floor, darting out and looking to the far end. When nobody came out she headed down to the ground floor.
As she burst from the stairwell, she nearly ran down Duncan.
“What the hell are you doing here?” she asked, sharply. He was just coming in the door from the atrium so he clearly hadn’t been on the top floor.
“I was getting another coat,” Duncan said, evenly. “I had a spare in my room.”
“You need to get in with the others, sir,” Barbara said, definitely. “Our friend is somewhere in this wing.”
“Interesting,” Duncan said, looking up at the wing. “But you said that he couldn’t charm me or whatever.”
“I don’t know that he isn’t you,” Barb said, bluntly.
“Well, I do,” Duncan replied, nodding at her. “I’m just going to get my coat, then go back. I’m sure I’ll be around plenty of witnesses if anyone dies.”
“Damnit,” she snapped, shaking her head. He went to the second-floor corridor and, with nothing else to do, she followed.
“Making sure I’m going where I said I was?” Duncan asked.
“Yes,” she replied, tightly.
Duncan stopped at a room and inserted a key, waving for her to enter.
“I’ll stay here,” Barbara replied, suddenly not sure if she was following him or guarding him.
He emerged a moment later with a couple of flannel shirts, a pair of waterproof pants and a Gore-Tex-and-fleece jacket.