Split Second

Michelle put both index cards in her bag and went to the Stonewall Jackson Room. There she looked at the doorway from where Loretta Baldwin witnessed the first assassination of a politician campaigning for the U.S. presidency in almost thirty years. She stood where Loretta had and closed the door. It was again so quiet in here that she could hear her own pounding heartbeat.

As soon as she left the room and went back into the lobby, this sensation stopped. Normal sounds returned, and she could no longer hear the jarring thumps of her heart. She was beginning to wonder if the Stonewall Jackson Room was haunted, perhaps by a very upset Clyde Ritter. She went down the hallway and found the supply closet where Loretta said she'd hidden. It was fairly large and had shelves lining three of the walls.

Michelle went up the stairs to the third floor, shining her light around in wide arcs. She reached room 302 and went in. She tried to envision Joan Dillinger knocking softly on the door to King's room and being admitted. Maybe after a few drinks and some Secret Service gossip, Joan's panties had hit the overhead light, and they'd created their own personal highlight reel.

She went out into the hall and walked back toward the stairwell. She stopped and looked at the large garbage chute that was set up at one window. Obviously somebody had started doing some work here and then just as obviously stopped. She leaned out the window, her eyes adjusting to the daylight. Down below, the chute ended in a Dumpster. It was filled with debris, mostly old mattresses, curtains and carpeting, all of which looked thoroughly rotted.

She walked back to the lobby level and then paused. The stairs kept going down to the basement level. There couldn't be anything down there of interest, and as those low-budget horror films teach, you never, ever venture into the basement. Well, unless you were an armed Secret Service agent. She took out her pistol and made herway down. Here the hallway carpet was torn up and the air filled with mildew and rot. She passed a spot and came back. She pushed open the small door and shone her light in. It was a dumbwaiter, a large one. She couldn't tell if it connected to all eight floors or not. The Fairmount, she'd learned, was a very old hotel, and this might have been the way laundry or other bulky items were moved up and down. There were buttons on the wall next to the dumbwaiter to turn it on and off, so it had been powered by electricity, and a rope on pulleys inside the shaft was doubtless used as a backup in case the power supply was interrupted.

She kept going down the hall until it stopped at a wall of debris that had collapsed from the floor above. The place was literally falling apart. They better hurry up with the wrecking ball, or else they wouldn't need it.

Michelle needed fresh air and sunlight. She jogged up the stairs. The light hit her right in the eyes. The voice barked in her ear.

"Freeze. Hotel security. I'm armed and prepared to use my weapon."

Michelle held up her gun and flashlight. "I'm a Secret Service agent." She said this so automatically that she forgot she didn't have the badge or creds anymore.

"Secret Service? Right, and I'm Marshal Matt Dillon."

"Can you take the flashlight out of my eyes?" she asked.

"Put your gun on the floor," said the voice. "Nice and easy."

"I'm doing it," said Michelle. "Just don't accidentally pull the trigger and shoot me in the process."

As she straightened back up, the light moved away from her eyes.

"What are you doing here? This is private property."

"It is?" she said innocently.

"There's a fence and signs up, lady."

"Well, I guess I came in another way."

"What's the Secret Service doing down here? You got something to show that to be true, by the way?"

"Can we go outside in the light? I feel like I've been spelunking on dry land for about six hours."

"Okay, but don't pick up your gun. I'll get it."

They walked outside, where Michelle got a better look at the man. He was middle-aged with short grayish hair, medium height and trim, and wearing a rent-a-cop uniform.

He stared at her while he held his pistol in his left hand and slid her pistol into his waistband with his other. "Okay, you were going to show me your badge. But even if you are Secret Service, you still got no business here."

"Do you remember about eight years ago a politician named Clyde Ritter was killed at this hotel?"

"Remember? Lady, I've lived here my whole life. It's the only exciting thing that's ever happened in this damn place."

"Well, I came down to check it out. I'm relatively new to the Service, and this is one of the scenarios we study at the training center-things to avoid, of course. I guess I was just curious, wanted to see for myself. I came all the way from Washington, and I saw that it was closed up, but I didn't think a quick peek would hurt."

"I guess I can see that. Now, your badge?"