CHAPTER I
Monday
Jeazel Pete is at it again. The investigation into the death of a local undercover agent continues. Wildfires are ravaging the west. The Vice Presidents ahead in the latest polls. And it looks like its going to be clear for the weekend, the TV announcer said although nobody was really listening as the sound softly filled the almost empty hotel lobby. Well be back in two minutes with the details here on WKYT-27, he continued. I glanced down from the TV perched on the wall as the commercial began.
What channel is that in the room I asked the receptionist as I glanced at her name tag adding Debbie?
Thats channel eight, sir.
OK. I want to catch the weather.
$52.25 is your change and heres your key. Have you ever stayed here before, sir, she asked with a smile. I nodded in the affirmative and she continued. Well good, you’re in room 315, which is in the first building on the right when you come into the parking lot, its the one next to the indoor pool. Check out is 12 noon. Enjoy your stay at the Cumberland Inn.
I counted out my change like a miser and then picked up the key-card from the counter top. Thanks I said as I turned and walked out to the parking lot.
As I glanced around I thought, man, this is a nice place, much nicer than I remembered. Double spiral staircase, baby grand don’t touch the keys, an elegant portrait of the founders, looking stately in their golden years, hung over the fireplace which had a mantle that must’ve been over a hundred and fifty years old. Upon the tables, strategically placed around the lobby, were books which had equally elegant, multi-colored bindings, all with a look of age that said, I’ve been here a while. I don’t know how I missed all this stuff the other times I had been here. But that was work and I was always in a hurry to check in and get to my room.
As I walked through the double set of glass doors I saw a grounds keeper standing by my 85 Nissan pick up. He turned and looked at me and said, Good Afternoon.
Afternoon uh, Doug, I returned, glancing at his nametag.
I was just admiring your bumper stickers, you’re sure getting around, he said motioning to the tailgate of my truck with his eyes and a slight movement of his head. They look kinda new.
On my tailgate were 11 bumper stickers indicating that I was a tourist. Some placed horizontally, some vertically and others at angles. The stickers appear to be placed haphazardly, but there is a grand plan to this madness.
Yeah, I chuckled. I’m doing some sightseeing and I want to see if I can cover the whole tailgate before I head back home. That wasn’t quite the truth, but he would never know.
He chuckled like he understood why I was doing it, but I could tell he didn’t share my enthusiasm for my effort. We’ve got some in the lobby, do you want me to get you one?
Sure, I didn’t even see em in there, I said. I was too taken in by the setting. Man, this is a pretty nice place, especially for being so far in the middle of nowhere. What’s the scoop here anyway?
Well, its actually owned by the college, Cumberland College that is, and one of the main focuses of the college is accommodation and comfort management. Hotel/motel management, you know, he said like I was having trouble understanding his meaning. Most of the people working here are students working through the summer and getting some extra credits to boot.
That’s pretty cool. I said as I nodded my head and looked him in the eye.
Let me get that sticker for you. He turned to walk into the lobby.
I glanced at my watch and I thought about how badly I just wanted to get to my room. After what seemed like an hour Doug came struggling through the heavy glass doors.
That door is tough, he mumbled as he came through and walked up to the back of my truck where I waited for him. We’ve got two of them, take your pick.
Gimme the one the says CUMBERLAND IN
