Chapter 41
The next day, the whole day’s shifts were taken over by Jianmen and Dave, so both Jason and Caroline were completely free for the whole day. Jason had a plan and intended to go with it, and without even having to ask, Caroline joined in.
“Okay, do you still have the key card?” on their train to San Francisco, Caroline asked.
“I do, I intentionally did not return the card since we found the body.” Jason said, showing the same hotel key card they used last time they sneaked in: “I had a feeling that we may need to go back.”
“Nice.” Caroline laid back on her chair: “What do you want to do when you get there?”
“I don’t know. Maybe just try to sense something? Or try and see if I can find anything different.” Jason sighed, as he did not think this through: “Yeah, one session on fighting ghosts and dealing with limbo and I think I can deal with ghosts.”
“Well. We should just be more careful this time.” Caroline chuckled, “Worth a try right?”
“Hey, you didn’t have to come. So I want to say thanks.” Jason looked at Caroline: “But I gotta ask why. You don’t wanna hang out with your friends today? Seems like something bothered you this time.”
“Can’t you just appreciate the gesture?” Caroline rolled her eyes, but while she noticed that Jason was still looking at her, she gave up and explained: “Okay, okay you win. You know Olivia? Her boyfriend’s in town, and he came to hang out with us. We like Olivia, you know? I like Olivia. It’s just that her boyfriend is ... such a douche! So I just need some time off from them.”
“That was harsh, and very very vague. But do go on.” Jason grinned.
“That’s about as juicy of a detail as you are ever gonna get. And if you want any of my girls’ numbers you’re gonna have to try harder.” Caroline patted on Jason’s arm: “And why aren’t you hanging out with your buddies?”
“Because I’m a little worried about the thing in the hotel.” Jason sighed, “Donovan and Elaine woke up and they don’t have the hand marks anymore. But I didn’t have a chance to check all of the people at the wedding, so checking the hotel where it happened seemed like the next best thing.”
“Did you tell Boss?”
“I left him a note because he went into the basement and apparently we are not supposed to disturb him when he’s in there...”
“Ew.” Caroline rolled her eyes as Jason realized how that came off.
It wasn’t long before both of them arrived at the side door of the Prime Royals Hotel through which they sneaked in last time. But now, this side door had yellow tapes on it, an additional lock that didn’t look easy to pick.
“Crap. I thought this one was the fire escape?” Jason frustratedly kicked an empty soft drink can off the road, but he quickly recovered: “Let’s try the front door.”
“I am sorry, but you are not allowed to enter the premises.” as they went into the lounge, a tall and buff security guard stopped them: “Please leave.”
“What for? Someone banned us?” Caroline asked the security guard.
“The management don’t have to explain to you. And they didn’t explain to me either. I just know that you are not allowed on the premises.” the security guard shook his head: “Please leave, we don’t have to make a scene here. There are plenty of hotels in the city.”
“Yeah, but none other is haunted and has a corpse in the wall.” Jason pointed upstairs and did not keep his voice down, which caught the attention of several guests.
“Get out man. Get out, now!” the security guard got closer to them and sort of towered over them with his height.
“I bet you and I could just take him down.” Jason told Caroline as he and she got out of the front door.
“Yeah.” Caroline agreed, but right before she was about to say anything, a young couple approached them with great enthusiasm.
“Hi, are you Caroline and Jason from Branston’s stream?” the boy from the couple asked.
“Yes. I didn’t know people watched that stream. Whatsup? ” Caroline put on a friendly and smiley face and asked.
“OH, MY, GOD, are you kidding!? The stream went super viral!” the girl from the couple practically screamed in excitement: “Can I take a picture with you? You know, for my socials.”
“Sure. But before that, can we take a look at the stream? We didn’t get a chance to.” Jason said, half embarrassed: “We’ve been kinda… busy.”
“Of course, I saved up the best part!” the girl shoved her phone with a big screen in front of Caroline and Jason, then pulled it back at her so that Caroline and Jason would watch it with her on her side, while her boyfriend took pictures of all three of them.
The video started off with Adam explaining the context of their intrusion into the hotel at the forefront of the screen, while Branston and Brian were activating excitedly and making faces at the camera: “... newly wed groom almost jumped out of the window here. And if he did, he would have impaled himself on the fences down below ...”
Then all three on the screen stopped where they were, with all expressions gone.
“Holy shit, I got goosebumps every time.” the girl chuckled: “You’d think the stream froze, but no, look at their eyes!”
Jason and Caroline did not need the pointer, and they also noticed their slow movements of the influencers’ mouths. The eyes of all three young men on the screen started rolling up when they froze in places. Their mouths started slowly opening as well, it was as if they were going into a shock in slow motion.
“Looks like they are also getting pale?” Jason asked.
“Exactly! They are!” the boyfriend said excitedly: “Great eyes! At first no one notices until some guy did a frame by frame breakdown on it.”
“We’re not in it. But I doubt we’d be looking any different.” Caroline’s facial expression turned more concerned and more serious, “Jason, I think I know where we should head to next.”
“Yeah. I will contact him.” Jason pulled out his phone and started searching for Branston’s information: “He’s not that famous yet, so he might be living in one of those influencer apartments.”
“You wanna find Branston? I think he’s having a meet and greet this afternoon in the city.” the girlfriend said in a high pitched voice: “Do you want to go together?”
“Of course!” Caroline turned into her valley girl mode and answered in a high pitched voice and a fake and forced smile.
On the girlfriend’s screen, Adam, Branston and Brian’s eyes turned completely white due to their rolling back so much, and their jaws opened so wide like they could drop on the floor at any minute.
A few seconds before the video ended, smoke came out from somewhere behind Branston.
“This is where the stream cuts off. When they reconnected the stream, you guys were already tearing up the wall and found the corpse.” when the video stopped, the boyfriend said to both Jason and Caroline: “Also please forgive me but I am dying to ask: are you guys psychic? ”
“Well… yes!” Jason hesitated for a while then happily admitted it: “And we are looking to collaborate with the Branston team some more. And we would definitely appreciate it if you could help make this happen!”
“Yay! Of course! Of course!” both members of the couple cheered.