The Ninth Floor Read online

  “That’s not what I mean. I mean its history.”

  Bee frowned and her eyes flickered towards her closet, as if she expected a monster to come out of it. “No.” Her lips pressed into a thin white line.

  “Bee—”

  “I’m really tired, Ryan. I’m going to try to sleep for a little while.” She closed her eyes and turned her head away from me.

  Bee was being evasive. Weird. We always talked about everything. What had changed? I sneaked out of her room and headed for the cafeteria. I needed coffee. I got myself the largest cup available and a fresh fruit bowl. Then I found a table by a window. I stared out and contemplated why no one would talk about the hospital. I had to be able to find out the big secret somehow. I made a mental note to Google it when I got home.

  A chair scraping the floor caught my attention. I looked around the room. It was mostly empty, but the familiar bald guy was just sitting down at a nearby table. I picked up my coffee and fruit and joined him.

  “Hello again.”

  He looked up from his paper but didn’t appear startled. “Hello.”

  I held out my hand. “I’m Ryan. I figured I should introduce myself since we’re always at the same places.”

  He shook my hand with a firm grip. “Aiden.”

  I took a bite of pineapple.

  He sipped his coffee. “Are you visiting family?” he said finally.

  “Yeah, my aunt.”

  “How’s she doing?”

  I shrugged. “Not great. We’re waiting for a transplant. You?”

  “Friend. Cancer.”

  I winced in sympathy.

  We were quiet for a few minutes, and I ate a couple of grapes before mustering my courage. “This is going to sound strange, but have you heard anything about this place being haunted?”

  He shook his head. “Why?”

  “No reason. I thought maybe I heard something about it.”

  “I wouldn’t put too much stock in rumors.”

  “Yeah…”

  “Are you from Goodson Hollow?”

  “Umm, sort of.”

  We chatted for about twenty minutes. Aiden was easy to talk to but not overly chatty about himself. He redirected every question I asked in such a way I didn’t notice until we were already onto another subject. When I finished my breakfast, I stood up.

  “Well, I should go back up. It was nice to meet you.”

  “I’ll come with you.”

  We threw away our trash, and I led him to the entrance to the stairs. I wanted to walk past the ninth floor to get a better look at it. When I opened the door, I heard voices—a lot of them—echoing and bouncing off the walls. I looked over at Aiden. He shrugged. I slowly started climbing up, listening. It sounded like someone, or maybe more than one someone, was crying. A lower door opened, and running feet pounded up the stairs behind us. I moved faster. A man in brown pants and a tan shirt with a badge pinned to it started past me, but then he stopped and looked back at us.

  “What are you two doing in here?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Do you work here?”

  “No?”

  “There’s been an accident. You need to take the elevator.” He pointed back toward the exit. I nodded stiffly and he was gone. I waited a couple beats before looking at Aiden. He nodded his head forward and I smiled. I knew I liked him. We resumed our climb up.

  “Someone needs to block off all the stairwell entrances.” The uniformed man’s voice rang out over the murmur of voices as we reached a crowd of hospital employees.

  “It was Leigh Fielding,” the person in front of me whispered to a tall man next to him. “She fell.”

  “Yeah, right,” the man said.

  “Ah, come on. You don’t really believe the rumors?”

  “What rumors? I saw it with my own eyes. Do you honestly think her neck got turned around like that from falling down a flight of stairs?” He stopped talking as his gaze fell on me. “Can I help you?”

  “Umm, I’m trying to get up to the tenth floor.”

  He shook his head. “You have to take the elevator. Someone fell.”

  “Oh no. Are they okay?”

  He ignored my question. “I’ll walk you two to the elevator.” He took me by the arm and led me away. Aiden followed silently. The man stayed with us until the elevator came and we got on. “I’d stay out of the stairwell if I were you.”

  I nodded and pressed the button for the tenth floor.

  “I knew that nurse that fell—Leigh,” I said after the door had closed.

  Aiden looked at me with a thoughtful expression but didn’t comment.

  *

  I didn’t see Jack the rest of the afternoon. He was wisely avoiding me. I got home a little after 7:00 p.m. Vivian was waiting for me outside my door with a big smile.

  “What?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.

  “You invited a guy to help us tonight.”

  I’d forgotten I told her about Jack. I shrugged. “If he shows up.”

  She followed me inside. “How do you like the color? You never said.”

  “It’s gorgeous—thank you.” I put my bag down on the counter. “I emptied out the bedroom last night, so I thought we could clean and paint now so we can move the mattress in there when the furniture comes.”

  “Sounds good.”

  Jack texted that he was stuck at the hospital. I couldn’t decide if that was the truth or if he was giving me space. Either way I was happy to have a little breathing room.

  While Vivian and I worked, I started to appreciate the bedroom’s details. It had four large windows, so there’d be plenty of natural light, and a similar archway to the one in the store led into a closet that may have been a sitting room at one time. A stone fireplace took up a full wall. I imagined reading in bed to the glow and crackle of a toasty fire and smiled.

  Vivian eyed the label on the paint I’d purchased—Arabian Nights, a golden tan that had gold flecks in the paint.

  “You have excellent taste,” she said.

  “I let you pick it.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Ha, ha.”

  Vivian smirked, and then we worked in companionable silence until I had to let her in on my obsession. “Viv, do you by any chance remember any stories about the hospital?”

  “What kind of stories?”

  “Ghost stories.”

  Viv paused, brush mid-air. “Are there ghost stories?”

  “Yeah, but no one will tell me exactly what they are.”

  “Do you want me to ask around?”

  “Don’t worry about it. People get funny talking about St. Michaels.”

  “Why?”

  I told her that the ninth floor was closed and about what I’d witnessed—the window washer dying, Mrs. Simpson, the voices, and Bee’s nurse.

  “That is some creepy shit. Do you believe it’s haunted?”

  “I don’t know. Something weird is definitely happening.”

  “Ask this doctor you’re dating.”

  “I have. We were supposed to talk about it tonight, but he didn’t show.” A bad feeling hit me. What if something had happened to him? I tried to talk to Nurse Leigh and then she fell down the stairs. I shook the feeling off as ridiculous and changed the subject, not wanting to think that the nurse getting hurt was my fault. “So why did that woman in the store the other day ask about me?”

  “I have no idea. She was weird. After you left she started texting people like you were famous.”

  I wrinkled my nose. Why would anyone care that I was back? We finished up painting and Vivian went home. I was lying on the mattress, hoping Jack hadn’t taken a tragic fall, when my phone rang. “Hello?”

  “Hey, girl. How are you?”

  “Audra. Hey. Sorry I haven’t called much.”

  “Don’t be silly. I know you’re busy with your aunt. How are you holding up?”

  It was nice to talk to my best friend again. I filled her in on everything, including Jack,
until I could barely keep my eyes open. We said goodbye, and I slept like the dead until a loud banging on my front door woke me up.

  I dragged my tired body off the mattress, fumbled with the lock, and finally managed to open it. Vivian stood outside with coffee and a bag that promised pastries.

  “This better be good.” I stood back to let her in.

  “You have a package.” She nodded at the ground to her left and brushed past me in a sea of perfume. I picked up the box and shut the door behind us.

  She set the coffee and pastries on the only visible chunk of counter. Then she peeked in the bedroom. “Looks good. The color dried perfectly. It would be awesome with this.” She opened the magazine in her hand to a dog-eared page and showed me.

  I nodded as I took a sip, burning my lip. “That is cool.”

  “Good. I already ordered it.” She flashed a Miss America smile at me.

  I pulled out a cherry Danish. “Thanks for breakfast.”

  “I need a favor.”

  My hand stopped an inch from my mouth. “Look at this. There’s a string attached to this Danish.”

  “Just a little favor.”

  “What?”

  “Let me move in.”

  I sat the cherry deliciousness down in the box where it came from. “You have your own giant house. Why would you want to stay in my apartment?”

  “Well, it’s close to work for one.”

  I frowned and shook my head.

  “Two, I’m bored out of my mind there. I don’t have anyone to talk to or anything to do. You didn’t want to move in with me, and I can see why you like it here. There’s a busy street, lots going on all the time. And the apartment is going to look amazing. You have three bedrooms once we get them all cleaned out. The place is plenty big for two of us.”

  “There’s only one bathroom.”

  “I promise I won’t hog it.”

  “You always hog the bathroom.”

  “Please.”

  How could I say no after all she’d done for me? “Okay, but I don’t have another room cleared yet.”

  She clapped and threw her arms around me.

  “First rule, no hugging.”

  Vivian laughed. “Blair said he’d help me move the rest of the boxes out of the bedrooms and kitchen so you don’t have to worry about a thing.”

  “You’ve been hanging out with my baby brother a lot.” I narrowed my eyes at her.

  “Does that bother you?”

  “Just remember he’s young and should be dating girls his own age.”

  She laughed. “I’m not dating your brother.”

  “Does he know that?”

  She gave me a weird look.

  I picked the Danish back up. “I hope you like dogs.”

  “Sorry, I don’t think I heard you. Did you say something about dogs?” Her eyes darted around like she was looking for them now.

  “Two German Shepherds. They should be here on Tuesday.”

  “Are you joking?”

  “Afraid not.”

  He chin tilted at a determined angle. “I can handle dogs.” She tapped a pink nail against the box I brought in. “So who’s the secret admirer? The doctor?”

  “No, I don’t think so. I honestly don’t know who’s leaving these. I think maybe my brother Ashley—”

  “These? As in more than one surprise present, and you didn’t tell me?”

  “Don’t get too excited. They’re weirdo gifts. The first two were really strange. A creepy doll and a broken picture of our family.” I smiled. “Still want to move in?”

  She made a face. “Open it.”

  I got a knife and obeyed. As always, there was a note on top.

  I’ve been waiting so long to see your face, hear your voice. The wheels are in motion. Soon you’ll understand.

  Chills made me shudder as I handed Vivian the note, pulled back the tissue paper, and uncovered out the latest offering. It was a heavy leather-bound book with old, swollen pages. I flipped through it. It was a scrapbook of some sort. A bunch of old newspaper articles. I glanced at my watch. I didn’t really have time to look at it now. I had to get ready. I handed the book to Vivian. “See, it’s weird. I’ve got to get ready to go. Thanks for breakfast, roomie.” I chuckled on my way to the bathroom. When I came back out, Vivian was still sipping coffee and flipping through the book.

  “Ryan, I don’t think this is from your brother.”

  “Who else would it be from?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know, but I think you should definitely ask him. This book’s filled with articles about people who have died at St. Michaels.”

  *

  In the lobby of the hospital, I ran into the same police officer who passed me on the stairs. He was waiting for the elevator.

  I licked my lips. “What happened yesterday?”

  His expression was hard to read. “Somebody fell.”

  “Is she okay?”

  He raised an eyebrow. “How do you know it was a she?”

  I shifted my feet. “I didn’t go back down. I was curious.”

  We got on the elevator. “You here visiting?” he asked.

  I nodded. “My aunt is ill.”

  “What floor?”

  I frowned and almost didn’t tell him until I saw his fingers hovering over the buttons. “Oh. Ten.” I folded my hands together behind my back. “So she fell?”

  He gave me a level look that I met unflinchingly. “Cause of death is still under investigation.”

  I nodded. “This hospital is so strange.”

  The deputy cracked the slightest of smiles. “That’s St. Michael’s for you.”

  “You don’t believe in ghosts, do you?” I wasn’t so much teasing him as genuinely curious. I knew what I saw and heard and what had been happening to Bee, but my mind was still grasping for a more plausible explanation.

  “Not when I’m working. How about you, Ms. Sterling?”

  “How do you know my name?”

  “You didn’t answer my question.”

  “No. Yes. Maybe. I don’t know.” The elevator opened, but I didn’t move. I stared at him. “Your turn.”

  He put his hand out to hold the door open. “You’re the mayor’s sister. He asked us to keep an eye on your aunt’s store. I’ve seen you around a couple times.”

  “Ashley asked you to check on me? Why?”

  He gave me a withering look. “Just a shot in the dark, but maybe to make sure you’re safe?”

  I took a couple steps to leave but turned back. “Why would I be in danger?” The deputy didn’t say anything so I continued on in the direction of Bee’s room. The packages that had been left for me, coupled with this, were harder to ignore. What exactly did Ashley think was happening?

  When I finally heard the elevator door close again, I did a covert shoulder check to make sure the officer had actually left and then turned around and headed for the staircase. I trotted down to the ninth floor and stood in front of the chained double doors.

  They didn’t match the fireproof steel doors on the other floors. They were badly dented, wooden things that looked like they hadn’t been painted in forty years. It was like this floor was not only closed off, it was sealed in time. The chains strung through the handles were thick, the padlocks heavy—and in addition to those measures, three iron bars were bolted across the doors from wall to wall. What were they hiding in there? I pressed my palm against the door, and I could almost feel it sigh. I had to get in. I softly drummed my fingers against the door, trying to think of how to gain entry. Something rapped back from the other side, mimicking my rhythm. I snatched my hand away. The tapping sound repeated. I raced up the rest of the stairs two at a time.

  By the time I made it to Bee’s room, I had missed Jack. I didn’t mind. For the most part it was a relaxing day. Bee was in good spirits and nothing too peculiar happened. When she fell asleep, I snuck out of the room and went to the waiting room to call Ashley.

  “Have you been leaving b
oxes at my door?” I asked when he answered.

  “Ryan?”

  “Yeah.”

  He was quiet for a moment. “Someone’s left you boxes? What’s in them?”

  “So it isn’t you?”

  “No.”

  Huh. Not knowing who sent them was even more unsettling than receiving them. “Why do you have the police checking on me?”

  He sighed. “We should probably talk.”

  “We are talking.”

  “In person.”

  “Okay, when?”

  “Can you meet me for lunch?”

  A one-on-one visit with Ashley wasn’t high on my priority list, but I wanted to know what he was keeping from me. “Sure.”

  He told me to meet him at “the club” and gave me a time. I turned around to leave and Aiden was sitting behind me. He nodded at me.

  I forced a smile, too creeped out by everything going on to be glad to see him.

  “You doing okay? You look stressed,” he said.

  “Oh, you know, just family stuff.”

  His phone rang and he gave an apologetic grimace as he answered it. I pretended to inspect the vending machines while listening to his side of the conversation, but he said all of ten words that told me nothing—a lot of “Yes” and “No” and “I understand.” Before I left, I turned back to him. “Who are you visiting here?”

  “A sick friend.”

  I nodded and looked at my feet. “What room?”

  He blinked. “1009. Any other questions?”

  I shook my head. “Sorry,” I mumbled as I left. I thought he’d just said 1009. Was I going crazy or had I heard that room number before?

  Chapter 10

  Ashley was already at a table when I got to the country club. I followed the host through the sea of the tables draped with white linen tablecloths. He held my chair out for me.

  “Thank you,” I told him and smiled at Ashley. “Okay, talk.”

  “How much do you know?”

  I leaned forward, resting my elbows on the table even though it was bad manners. “Let’s start with what you know. Why do you have the police checking on me? Why is everyone in town staring at me and acting crazy around me? Who is leaving me presents?”

  “You don’t need to worry about any of this, Ryan. We’ve taken care of everything. You’re perfectly safe.”