Chapter 11:
Drawer of Secrets
I felt like I was doing something illegal. AJ
and I crept through the halls of the hotel like we were robbing the place. We
decided to lose our bodyguards and just walk in as regular folk. We didn't want
to bring any attention to ourselves. I pulled my baseball cap down and AJ did
the same and we walked briskly through the lobby and jumped on the elevator.
"This is so much fun Rok. What a great idea this was!" He looked like
he was enjoying himself. Maybe this was his form of tension release. I actually
laughed.
"Well, easy there buddy because if we are caught, the fun will stop!"
"Do you think we will really find anything? I mean IF Trish is involved,
which I seriously doubt, don't you think she would've hidden the
evidence?"
"Maybe she doesn't know it's there! J I know I'm being silly we probably
won't find anything but I have to at least check it out" He nodded at me
and we walked out of the elevator and approached Nick's room.
"How the heck are we gonna get in there?" I started to panic
realizing we didn't have a key to his room. AJ pushed me aside and took out a
credit card.
"Move aside and watch a seasoned pro" He took the card and slipped it
in the crack of the door jiggled and it opened.
"How the hell...wait don't tell me..I don't even want to know!" He
laughed as we entered the room.
The room was just as we had left it when Trish shooed us out of there. AJ went
into the bathroom to see if he could find anything. I noticed one of Nick's
favorite shirts lying on the floor next to his bed. I picked it up, sat down
and started to fold it. I was overcome with emotions when I got a whiff of it.
Nick had a unique smell..has a unique smell. Not in a bad way either, don't get
me wrong sometimes he could stink especially after a performance. His normal
smell was defined by two things, Soapy water and mints. That's how I best can
describe his smell. Howie used to tease Nick and say he still has that
"BABY" smell. that is what it kind of smells like. I hugged the
shirt. God Nick please be safe!
I laid the shirt on his pillow and opened the drawer of the nightstand that
stood beside the bed. It was packed with what looked like fan mail. I pulled it
out and was horrified at the threats I was reading.
"AJ!!! COME IN HERE I FOUND SOMETHING!!!" J came running and just
stood and watched as I picked up letter after letter of threats. He squinted to
try and read the words crawled along most of the papers.
"Does that say what I think it says?" He asked me not believing it
anymore than I was. I just nodded.
"Mizpah" He said as he sat next to me.
*********************************************
I frantically ran around the large room I found myself in trying to find an
exit. It was a huge room with a sofa that looked like it had survived a world
war. Dust was flying all over the place and the house smelled like rotten food.
Finding the door I pulled on it and found another flight of steps. I ran up
into what had to be the main body of the house. I must have been in a sub
basement or something. I turned on the light to the kitchen and immediately
started to look for a phone. There it was right around the corner in the dining
room. I picked it up and slammed it back down when there was no dial tone.
DAMMIT!!!! I continued on through the dining room into the living area. Another
phone lying next to the TV remote. I picked it up only to again see that the
phone wasn't working.
friggin assholes probably never paid the phone bill!
I took a minute to take in my surroundings. The living room was immaculately
clean. Not a speck of dust anywhere. There was a huge family portrait above the
fireplace next to the television. The Mom and Dad seemed normal enough. Joe was
standing behind the Mom who was sitting with a kid I can only guess is Jacob on
her lap. Trish was off to the side wearing braces with this big stupid grin on
her face. Is this what an insane family looks like I wonder?
I didn't stay around to finish my thought when I noticed the front door was
within my grasp.
*********************************************************
"Jesus Brian, why didn't he tell us about this?" AJ seemed so
dejected. Well, mad and dejected.
"We could have saved him. Prevented this entire thing from
happening!" I didn't have any answers. I was mad too. The newspaper
articles were the scariest. The missing people discovered dead. I found my arms
breaking out in goosebumps.
"He probably thought we wouldn't care" I said feeling sorry for
myself.
"Do you think he told anybody about this? I mean if I was afraid my life
was in danger? I know I would mention it to somebody!"
"Yeah good point J but Nick isn't like us sometimes he is not big on the
use of common sense"
"True, but still Brian don't you think he would have said something to
someone?"
"If he did they would have definitely called the police. I would have no
matter what he said. Hell I made you call the police when we thought the guy
was after you!" AJ pulled out a picture frame that hosted a picture of
Nick and Howie.
"I mean look at this, why wouldn't he tell anyone about this?" AJ was
in shock saying the same thing over and over.
I had no idea why Nick would keep this a secret. Then I remembered his weird
phone call to me that night claiming he dialed the wrong number. Maybe he
wanted to tell me then. I rushed him off the phone. Nick could be so hard to
read sometimes it was maddening. I gave up a long time ago trying to figure him
out. It would give me stress headaches.
"Well, we need to bring this to the police!" I said collecting all of
the evidence we found into a plastic bag.
"Shouldn't we just leave it here? I mean Trish said they were going to
come and examine the place right?"
"Yes, she did but what if she is in on it?" AJ rolled his eyes.
"Oh God tell me you're not going down that road again!"
"AJ who does all the fan mail we get go through?" He was knew, but he
didn't want to say it out loud.
"Okay so it goes through our personal assistants so, maybe he put it
directly in this room. She has worked for us for four years Rok!"
"Well, then I'm gonna go ask her myself!"
"What?"
"I'm gonna go talk to her again."
"Don't you think the police should handle that Brian?"
"But you said yourself she is innocent Bone so what harm would it
do?"
"I don't like that idea."
"So admit then, you have your doubts too right?"
"Yes a little but..."
"But nothing I am going to talk to her again. You coming?" I started
to walk out the door.
"Yeah wait up!" AJ said running behind me with the bag of evidence.
***