Chapter 18

                                    

                                          
            
                          
Like Minos judge of the dead, William watched from the shadows while the girl in a maid's uniform searched his bags.  
                          
            He had been enjoying the view of city from the penthouse floor when there was a soft knock at the door.  Ignoring it, he went back to his thoughts and the drink he was nursing.  A slither of light penetrated the black hole and illuminated the nightstand and bed of the suite he had secluded himself in sense receiving a call from his sister-in-law.  
                          
A silhouetted head peaked through the door and announced "Room service."  Once again he ignored it in hopes that she would go away.  
                          
During check in he had made it clear to the front desk that he was not to be disturbed.  An inability to following simple instructions was a plague eating away at the heart of our country.  Take his nephew and cousins for example.  Their insubordinate behavior causing him to traipse all over the country.  
                          
The silhouette became a full body as she turned on a light in the restrooms and began exploring his room.  Her behavior was odd for a maid and he realized that she had not noticed him as he sit the dark corner.  From the reflection in the window, he watched thinking she may be a thief.  But when she bypassed the cash on the nightstand and took time to examine papers in his briefcase, he changed his mind. 
                          
He had himself a pretty little spy.  The wingback chair and the dark corner provided a perfect hiding place for him to observe and plan for his perfect time to strike.  
                          
Once she had the contents of his briefcase scattered across the bed and was picking through it like a child on a typewriter, he cleared his throat.  
                          
"Anything I can help you find?"  He watched her image in the window as she nearly jumped out of her skin.  
                          
His back still to her, she didn't know where the question came from. She turned franticly and began to explain.  
                          
"I am sorry...I...I...was cleaning and this fell out of the bag."
                          
He pushed himself from the chair and towered to his full height.  William read the fear on her face as she cowered away from him.  
                          
"Do you usually clean in the dark?"  He came around the chair and table and slowly strolled to the mini bar near the door.  Refilling his glass with the amber drink, he leaned against the frame and slowly sipped at the whiskey relishing the burn of the rum as it slid down his throat and warmed its way to his stomach.  
                          
The maid watched him with alerted eyes that still took the intervallic time to dart around the room looking an escape.  She reminded him of a rabbit that has been cornered by a wolf.  Her hands covered her heart as if she was keeping it in place.  Her eyes were the size of a billiard eight ball. 
                          
"You are either a very bad thief or a spy.  The question is who you are spying for.  A member of the media?  Perhaps?"
                          
William moved closer to his prey.  He tugged at her name tag until it ripped off her uniform.  A small yelp escaped her throat and she stepped back only to have her retreat blocked by the mattress.  
                          
"Maybe you work for one of my rivals, but it is unlikely that they know where to locate me." 
                          
He pushed her on the bed and she flipped to the other side.   Fight flared in her eyes and she looked around for something to use as a weapon.  
                          
"Or maybe you are working with the witches."
                          
She looked away as if she didn't want him to see the truth in her eyes, but it was too late.  He caught the slight tell just before she looked away.  He rubbed the name tag between his fingers.