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To not appear too strange just standing there looking at the place, Luke tried to come up with a lie to visit the front office as a starting point. He recited the lie to himself on the way.
Across some scraggly brush and cracked asphalt, paper notices covered the glass front door. He focused on one about some security cameras. Above his head, there appeared to be a box for a security camera, but it was hard to identify the model, and if it was even on.
Good to know. He changed his lie appropriately for any excuse that would get him into the security room and headed in.
No one was in the lobby. There wasn’t even a doorbell to alert that someone had arrived. There was a desk to the right, and further in, a corner counter area where there were newspapers stacked haphazardly, some fruit, an open donut box, although empty—a shame—and a coffee making station with some packets of oatmeal. The continental breakfast options were unimpressive.
With such meager offerings, it was surprising they still offered anything.
Do dogs like oatmeal?
There was a short hallway on the other side of the room. Luke tiptoed across the utility carpet, peeking around corners and into doors before proceeding. A door marked manager’s office was closed. There was another room that was unmarked, but the door was locked. Since it was right next to the breakfast nook area, he assumed that was storage for coffee and other front desk items. He’d have to check on it later if he was wrong.
He took his time at the breakfast nook area, waiting for management, or anyone else, to come in. No one did. To occupy himself, he emptied the coffee pot into a small sink, filled it with water and let it heat in the coffee station—without coffee—to get it warm enough for oatmeal. Sure, he could use the microwave, but he was here to waste time for a while. Getting to know the layout and the people were part of what his job usually entailed. Blend in, find your way into places you weren’t supposed to be, pretend to be some dumb kid who didn’t know any better.
After some oatmeal, some water, and a banana, it was time to explore the rest of the front area out of view of the empty front desk.
Further down the hallway, there was a door that was open, and while there was a glow inside, it was still dark, the overhead lights remained off.
Luke crept to the door and looked in.
It was an office area. There was a short conference table in the center with only two plastic chairs. A whiteboard hung against the wall, stained with a few grotesque penis and breast depictions that never really wiped clean.
On the offset, the room seemed empty, quiet and void of any life. It wasn’t until Luke, mapping the motel square footage and layout in his mind, leaned far in and as silently as he could, that he discovered the room was much longer than anticipated.
The locked door...wasn’t a store room. Or maybe they changed the configuration sometime over the years. The locked door was the first door to this office room.
At the far end of the room, a desk sat, with an executive rolling chair positioned at one of the computer stations.
Someone was in the chair, with their legs barely outlined in the shadow underneath the chair. From what Luke could tell, they were using both computers, and they positioned the two monitors for the different computers as if they were exclusively for him.
The screens blinked and moved a lot faster than he imagined a rundown motel with a wimpy breakfast offering would ever move. Watching for only a couple of minutes, the screens blazed as code sped by and a loading bar to one side moved quickly.
It wasn’t the type of place to keep up with upgrading computers.
Uploading, downloading...
The rest of the room had unused equipment stashed around. The conference table sat cluttered with library books and computer manuals.
Luke couldn’t stay in the hallway, and he didn’t want to spook whoever it was at the computers. Clearly, whoever it was wanted to appear like he wasn’t there at all, until you leaned in very far to see the room was occupied.
He’d likely found who they were looking for. It was highly unusual activity in a place like this. He’d have to wait to find out if it was someone their own age or older. He couldn’t get a good view without scaring the person.
It was better if the person never knew they were being watched.
Luke could make a few assumptions about their mystery friend: this person took advantage of the likelihood other people would not be interested in a rundown motel’s computer office. They did code-things. Things Luke didn’t know.
He needed Victor. They’d have to be very careful. Whoever it was wouldn’t like what they were doing to be noticed.
Luke moved on, checking the rest of the hallway first, finding the housekeeping area with laundry machines running and stacks of neatly folded sheets and towels. There was a slight smell of tobacco smoke and bleach that made him want to hold his breath. The combination left a burning taste in the back of his throat.
Not much else in the area except an ice machine with a handwritten sign letting people know it was broken, and a soda machine, with half of the options appearing to be empty.
Luke kept looking at the machine, and as an excuse to be in the area, he reached into his pocket for some coins and got a cola. The can’s surface Christmas design seemed odd, despite it being summer. Likely that’s how old the soda was.
Luke’s phone suddenly came to life.
North: What’s taking so long?
Luke poked his head out of the motel lobby quickly, meaning to signal to Silas and North he was okay, but there was another car near the Jeep. Looked like Victor’s BMW. Or Mr. Blackbourne.
Luke sent a quick text, letting North know he’d be back in a minute and everything was fine. Nothing much to report except there was possibly some mischief going on. Nothing to do but keep an eye on it and possibly get Victor to poke around the computer when whoever it was went to bed.
Now on to another checkmark off the to do list. Time to take care of the dog.