The safes were intriguing, but would take time to study; and since this was her suite she would have all the time she wanted later. In the meantime the suite consisted of a living room, a dining room and kitchen, two bedrooms and two bathrooms, as well as sunroom balcony. She already knew that the living room was a gaudy monstrosity, and her bedroom looked even worse.
The canopy bed had crystal beaded curtains draped around it. The sheets were a baby pink, but they were soft. Definitely the highest thread count money could buy. Nesia knew that this bed was one of her favorite places, so long as she threw the ornately beaded quilt on the floor. She did not like showy opulence. Having money was fine, but flaunting it was just excessive.
Humming to herself, Nesia sorted through the bedside tables and dressers, dumping everything she thought interesting onto the bed for sorting. The small number of items was a little disappointing, so Nesia tried under the bed for more information. It was sadly just as disappointing.
“They better get rid of those hairballs when they redo the room,” Nesia said. “And why am I talking to myself?”
She sighed and started to get off the floor when something caught her eye. It was not that she could see something, but that she knew something was there. Wedged between the mattresses was a slip of paper. No, not between, in the mattress. There was a small cut along the edge of the mattress that she could not see until she poked it.
The paper was folded up several times, and she recognized her handwriting as she opened it up. Normally, people kept notes on their phones. Phones did everything, after all. It was not that paper was obsolete, it just took up more space. Unless you wanted it near, hidden, and nearly undetectable. Nesia flattened it out and tried to decipher it.
Mark Tu10 slip shirt
Cam eom plan time
Vince bfcam security
Preston 19 (izen comp) scrt
Those were the initial notes. A few extra things had been scribbled, including the last line. The first line had the words return every week next to it. Cam had a note that said will be later TBD. Vince’s note was not coming, make do w/Pres.
She could figure out half the note. Tu10 meant Tuesday at ten, and tomorrow was Tuesday. Eom was either end of message or end of month. Bf meant before, and scrt was secret. The 19th of this month was Izen’s competition, which the teenager had reminded Nesia of several times in the hospital.
Deciphering the note was one thing, but figuring out the meaning was something else entirely. All she currently had was a list of names and a headache. Nesia sighed and found the medication the doctor had given her, checking the times and doses before taking which ones she could.
“You have guests,” the doorbell chimed, causing Nesia to almost choke on her pills.
She answered it and was treated to gourmet food. It was a nice salad and pasta, but Nesia felt it was a little too healthy. She still thanked the chef and shooed him out, forgoing all manners as she wolfed down her food. Overly healthy, but delicious.
The doorbell rang again and Nesia found herself remeeting the stylist-shopper. Upon announcing that Kate Algernon wanted a new wardrobe and style, the stylist looked like she had just won a prize. After that Nesia quickly lost control of the giddy stylist and just let her do her job, occasionally stressing that she wanted comfortable and casual rather than her current look of uptight and frilly.
The stylist did not leave until the hotel manager arrived to discuss the remodeling. Mr. Kensing was practically falling over himself to please her. The entire suite was going to be completely redone to have a simple and elegant relaxing theme to it.
“I’ll be out most of the day tomorrow,” Nesia said as she escorted Mr. Kensing back to the door. “I expect it to be done when I return.”
“Of course, madam,” Mr. Kensing bowed. “We shall take care of it and the in-house designer will be on hand if you find anything wrong with it at all.”
“Thank you,” Nesia replied as she shut the door. She walked back into the living room and sat onto the couch. “Why did all of that have to happen at once and take that long?”
“It’s just our luck to attract the inopportune.”
Nesia jerked up and looked around. No one was there. No one was in any of the other rooms. She finally sighed and put a hand to her head. It was a memory then. She had heard it clearly and strongly and found it. Doctor Grainger had said it. Or at least something close to it.
“How did I end up being the one to get the broken nose?” she cried out through the blood soaked tissue.
“It’s not broken,” the doctor sighed. “Bruised, but you somehow avoided breaking anything entirely.”
“It feels broken,” she pouted. This scene, it had only happened a year ago.
“I’m surprised you went with Vince, knowing how rough it could get,” the doctor said as he directed her toward the kitchen sink.
“Well, he did ask,” she sighed. “And I just couldn’t say no when he had that look on has face. And before you ask, I don’t regret it and I would do it again. I think I’m addicted to the adrenaline rush.”
“And you always have to get yourself injured right when I need to catch a flight,” the doctor sighed. “You guys have the most inopportune timing.”
“My nose agrees,” she said with a smile.
Nesia frowned as the memory stopped and her head felt like it was tap dancing. There was no sense in trying to force it right now. She would probably make herself sick, and she could ask Doctor Grainger for more information when she checked up with him in a week. For now, she would just get some sleep and see what she could figure out tomorrow.
Tomorrow was Tuesday. Tomorrow was also the seventeenth. Two days until Izen’s competition. She needed to come up with something to do tomorrow while her suite was being overhauled.
*************
Well now, what should she do?
1 – Go to the Asuraeson Estate first thing in the morning and see what she finds there?
2 – Try to figure where she was supposed to meet Mark Tuesday at 10 and go there first?
3 – Try to meet Mark and forgo the Asuaeson Estate entirely?
Also, on a side note, I am going to give her a little bit of a dream in the next post. If you care what it is she dreams, please make a comment. I had Nightmare, Action, and Introspective, but I’ll take other suggestions. If no one cares for a little bit of a dream, then I’ll just skip it entirely for now. Anyway, have a great week.
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