Chapter 1 — “Who Kept Going Into This Room?”
Robert was pushing his luggage through the lobby of the beachfront Seabrook Resort when he suddenly stopped.
Something was wrong.
He opened the small front pocket of his suitcase.
Checked it.
Then checked again.
“No.”
His late wife’s brass compass was missing.
Robert had carried it for eleven years.
It wasn’t especially valuable.
The brass was scratched.
The glass was slightly cloudy.
But Linda had carried it on every trip they took together.
On their final vacation, she jokingly told Robert:
“If you ever get lost without me, at least take the compass.”
He never traveled without it after she died.
Robert turned his luggage around and walked straight back to reception.
“Something is missing from Room 412.”
The front-desk employee looked up.
His name was Jason Cole.
“What item?”
“A brass compass.”
Jason typed something into the computer.
“Did you check the safe?”
“It wasn’t in the safe.”
“Your luggage?”
“Twice.”
Jason shook his head.
“No staff member entered without permission.”
Robert frowned.
“How can you know that?”
“Housekeeping only entered during scheduled service.”
A woman approaching from behind the desk stopped when she heard him.
Her name was Claire Morgan.
Housekeeping supervisor.
“That’s not exactly true.”
Jason’s face changed slightly.
Claire looked toward Robert.
“There’s a manual access log.”
“For my room?”
“For any staff entry outside normal housekeeping service.”
The resort manager, William Grant, overheard the conversation.
“Bring the notebook.”
Claire returned carrying a thick black binder.
William opened it on the front desk.
Each page contained:
Room number.
Employee initials.
Entry time.
Reason for access.
William found Room 412.
Then frowned.
One entry.
Then another.
Then another.
412 — 2:14 PM.
412 — 5:42 PM.
412 — 8:06 AM.
412 — 11:31 AM.
Robert stepped closer.
“Four times?”
William turned another page.
There was a fifth entry.
All carried the same initials.
J.C.
Everyone looked toward Jason Cole.
His face went pale.
William pointed toward the notebook.
“Who kept going into this room?”
Jason said nothing.
Claire stared at him.
Robert stepped closer.
“You just told me nobody entered.”
Jason swallowed.
“I can explain.”
William closed the binder.
“Start.”
Jason looked toward Robert.
“I went into your room.”
Robert’s expression hardened.
“Five times?”
“Yes.”
“Did you take my compass?”
Jason shook his head immediately.
“No.”
“Then what were you doing?”
Jason looked toward the elevators.
Then whispered:
“I wasn’t looking through your belongings. I was looking inside the wall.”