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Continued…

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The next morning, I got ready to stroll the town again. I wasn’t the type to be kept indoors. So, getting out of my room was the main goal. But that didn’t mean I wasn’t worried. I was still a stranger in this city. 

Asking the manager of where I could go seemed a good idea. But as I went down to the lobby, I couldn’t find him. The other staff were not sure of his whereabots either. So I went around the back to get breakfast. There I found the manager enjoying some coffee. But the man wasn’t alone. He was joined by some important looking company. The elderly couple from the night before. The ones who saw me at Julie’s apartment. Out of instinct, I snuck further into the background to avoid notice. They were all the way at the other end of the dining hall, so they couldn’t have seen me. 

What would they have been doing here? And they were seated with the hotel manager. When I thought properly about the elderly couple, I remembered when I first saw them. It was during the first time I came to the hotel. The old man was holding his hat politely in his hand. I remembered that. They both still had that old fashioned look to them – quite fitting of the classical hotel, and even of the classical character of the hotel manager. Were they important stakeholders? Relatives maybe? 

While enjoying my breakfast, someone suddenly sat down at my table. I looked up to find the hotel manager sitting across me. What could it have meant? Looking around, there was no one else with him. No elderly couple. No staff. 

“Are you feeling better this morning, Corporal?” The manager had caring eyes. 

“Much better. Thank you.” But what did he want? And I needed some answers myself. “I saw you sitting with an elderly couple just before. Family?” 

“You saw, did you. No. Not family. Just some familiar patrons who have stayed here before. They’re in town to visit their daughter.” 

Their daughter… Was Julie their… 

“Oh that’s nice. Will their daughter be coming to the hotel?” I asked. This was a concern. 

“I’m not sure. They haven’t seemed to have located her yet. Peetsurg is such a busy city. And so, they were hoping I could help them with the aid of my ‘expertise’.” The manager cracked a small grin. “Unfortunately, I have no trace to follow on the matter.” 

Hmmm. Was the manager just saying that to misdirect me? Or was I still just startled about the night before? There was no reason for the manager to withhold such information. I was just an innocent stranger, right? That old couple were just innocent bystanders, right? But wait. They were there outside Julie’s apartment. They couldn’t have ‘not located’ their daughter. Unless they had nothing to do with Julie at all. Maybe I was just feeling paranoia from the scramble of events that night. 

“Tell me,” I wondered. “Do your expertise know of somewhere I can go without the risk of bumping into an angry local?” 

“Were things that bad?” the manager made a slight frowned. 

I had to laugh. “That’s a situation I hope I never find myself in again.” 

“Well, if that’s the case, the docklands seem to attract tourist a lot more than the locals. Nothing there interests anybody who’s lived here long enough.” 

“Docklands. Okay.” 

“Which brings me to why I came.” The manager placed his hands flat on the table. 

So, here it was. 

“There are new office towers around there in need of security” he said. 

Need of security? What did he mean? 

“The activity may not be up to your standards, but it will be a consistent wage you could start with.” He raised his eyebrows in anticipation. 

Oh right. The manager said he’d help find me work. 

“The same places need admin hands as well, but I’m not sure if that interest you as much” the manager mentioned. 

“Anything will be good for now. See where they’d prefer a man of my history.” I was glad this was all he wanted to discuss. I was worried the elderly folks were investigators. Why did I feel that way about them? 

“Okay then.” The manager stood to go. “I’ll let you know once I get more details.” 

That really was all he wanted. Something about that didn’t satisfy me. I felt like there was more I could discover from this peculiar hotel manager. 

“Excuse me, sir.” I stopped him before he left. “Was it your expertise that gave you insight into my service history?” 

“You could say that.” He kept his face blank. 

“Are such expertise common here in Peetsurg?” 

“Could you further explain your curiosities?” His face didn’t change. 

“Would it be easy for other people here in Peetsurg to know who I am? Like the locals or anyone from here?” 

“It shouldn’t be. Not for locals.” He gave me an assuring look. “I am in charge of a business you could say is involved at an international scope. I assure you, you are safe from the local populace.” 

“Hmmm.” I sighed a little too loudly. 

“What is it?” The sigh got his attention. “Is there something the matter, good man? These are quite the curiosities you have.” 

“Is there a way that someone I didn’t know, know who I am?” 

“Someone you don’t know… knows who you are? Unless you are some sort of celebrity, it shouldn’t be a worry. Did this happen last night?” 

“Sort of.” 

“The woman?” 

I nodded. I didn’t know why I was so open with him. But he felt like the right person to talk to. 

“What happened?” he asked. 

“I bumped into this woman at the market yesterday. I didn’t know who she was, but she knew me. It was so strange.” 

“Strange?” 

“Yeah. She knew my name, and she knew very particular details about me. And I don’t understand how, but I started helping her with her shopping.” 

“Helping her with her shopping?” the manager smiled. “She must have been quite the beauty.” 

“She was. She really was.” I remembered that warming smile and those kind eyes of Julie’s. There was no denying the wonder of her beauty. Julie was the gentle and soft sort of girl any man would be happy to have. But then I remembered the thought of her with my ring. And suddenly, all her beauty seemed wicked – an evil tool best to disarm any man. 

“You said she knew your name?” the manager woke me from another one of Julie’s mind twisting spells. 

“Yes.” I nodded. “My complete name.” 

“Hmmm” the manager nodded. 

“She knew all about my deployment at war. My rank. Even people I served with.” 

“Maybe you had met her long ago and didn’t remember” he suggested. 

“Yes. That was a possibility.” I had to take a deep breath. “But she claimed to be more than just someone I’ve met.” 

“Hmmm?” The manager raised an eyebrow. 

“She acted like she really knew me. Intimately.” 

The manager watched me. 

“Apparently, she was my fiancé. Apparently, I had proposed to her in the past.” 

I thought the manager would laugh at that, but the man kept his careful gaze upon me. 

“It was strange” I continued. “It felt like she had a complete story of how we were together, of how we were in love. About how the war had affected my memory. I would have believed her, to be honest. She showed me a photo of me and her together. I’ll be honest. I’m not even sure if I actually forgot all about her or not. The photo she showed me was really a picture of me and her together. When we were younger. There was no mistaking the photo. But the thing is, I don’t even remember taking the photo, let alone her. I can’t even remember… 

“How did she show you this photo?” the manager interrupted. “Was she just carrying it with her?” 

“No. We were at her home and…” 

“Her home?” he questioned. 

“I know it sounds odd, but I somehow ended up…” 

“You said she knew a lot of details about you.” The manager sat back down, facing me. “Can you remember if you had made any physical contact with her before she mentioned your name? Any sort of touch? A bump? The brush of the hand? A small pat on the arm?” 

“Ummm. She came and hugged me before we even spoke.” I remembered. “I thought she was some lost child at the market at first. It felt like she was holding on to me for safety. Why? What does…” 

The manager stood up again, carefully watching me. Then he stepped closer to me. Slowly. Eyes examining me. The man then raised both his hands before me. He seemed nervous about something. Then he carefully placed his hands upon my shoulders. Just like the night before, his hands jerked back at the first touch until finally settling down. Just like the night before. 

The manager began nodding to himself. 

“What is it?” I could tell he’d come to some sort of conclusion. 

“You truly don’t remember having a relationship with this woman? This woman who had a photo of you both?” 

“No. I remember most of my past clearly. Well, at least I remember my time at the war, when she claimed to have known me.” 

“Time at the war…” the manager let go of me, still nodding to himself. “You were at her home. Do you remember where it was located?” 

“Yes. Nearby the market.” 

“Near the market… Okay. Just hold on.” The manager made to walk off. 

“Wait!” I was confused. “What is going on?” 

“Please. Just wait right here. I will explain everything very soon.” And with that, the manager hurried off. 

He was clearly concerned with something. Was it about Julie? Why would a man like the hotel manager have any concerns with the likes of Julie? Was she a spy? Was he aware of her activity? Time here in Peetsurg just grew more and more puzzling. 

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To be continued…

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(Part 07-20) Hotel Mysteria 016 – Forgotten