Sudden Vacancies Read Online Free Page A

unusual about the person when he checked into the hotel. Then again, he checked in about five hours prior to the reported time of his death, and he was sober at the time. It was clear to her that he had left the safety of the hotel, looking to get drunk and for someone-a woman-to share the experience with. It’s weird how something like that can happen right out of the blue,” Sally had remarked to Sandra when she first heard about the death. Suggestions were made: Could try to keep track having guests sign out and surreptitiously inquiring as to where they might be headed, for example.
    Sally had initially thought it might be a good idea, that way they could possibly prevent similar circumstances in the future. However, she went back to her traditional way of thinking soon enough.
    “I honestly think that nothing else is going to happen. Just don’t think about it,” Sally told Sandra upon hearing her comment on needing to change their protocols. “We can’t let one isolated thing get in the way of how we do things.”
     
    *****
     
    As for Andrew James, his responsibility for security at the hotel was very strong and he’d taken steps to ensure the hotel and its guests would be safe and sound at all times. He personally believed that the man who died was clearly drunk and stupid, and what had probably befallen him was what he deserved.
    Andrew had been working as the head of security for the hotel for nearly a decade before the incident. He was a simple man with a desire to protect those who stayed at the hotel, but he also had very strong feelings in regards to protecting the guest’s civil liberties.
    “If I were to tell you there were security cameras placed inside your hotel room as well as in the bathrooms and even in the changing area outside the pool, would you want to stay there?” he asked Sandra. “I bet you’d say no.”
    Sandra nodded, but before she could comment, Andrew continued. “The thing is, while security is important, everyone has the right to privacy. I mean, you have people doing all sorts of things here that they’d want to keep private. People are taking their clothes off and showering, lying naked around the beds at night, and even beating off to porn every now and then.
    “And let’s not forget some of the perversions that people might have...”
    Sandra hurried to get a word in edgewise, “I agree with you…”
    But Andrew was on a roll. “And let’s not forget some of those fetish things that some people are into. I don’t think people will want to stay at a hotel where they know that every single thing is being spied upon. I mean, think about that kinky group that holds their toy convention here every year. I don’t want to know what happens in those people’s rooms each night and I don’t think we should have to force our security personnel to monitor it either.
    While Sandra agreed with everything Andrew was saying, the death had somehow changed everything. If they did nothing, what might happen next? Was there even anything the hotel staff could have done to prevent Mr. Brandon’s death? These, and other questions, had been plaguing her thoughts since the police report had been released.
    “Come on, it’s not like these type of problems happen all the time,” Andrew said. “I’m certain it’s a one-time occurrence and to completely change our protocols on ‘what ifs’ doesn’t make much sense.”
    “Andrew, you saw the police report, right? Didn’t it seem like their investigation finished rather quickly? I mean, what if they missed something important and it really was foul play and we have a murderer running loose in the hotel.”
    Sandra considered Andrew a man of rare intelligence, which is not the same as someone with a high IQ. He always managed to stay focused on the task or issue at hand, and was very observant and a good judge of people. She had sought his advice on hotel issues frequently in her time as owner of the hotel. His motto, had he