Chapter Text
School trips are safer than school.
This was my first mistake.
Not going on the trip.
Believing that sentence.
At school, apparently, there can be hidden service passages, duplicated access cards, fake cleaners, staged evidence, copied uniforms, deliberately misleading CCTV, and at least one Year Nine willing to write MR WILSON EATS GLUE on a corridor wall for reasons unrelated to organised theft.
On a school trip, there are registers.
Registers are objective.
Registers are lists.
Lists do not lie.
People lie.
Cameras mislead.
Witnesses misremember.
But a printed sheet containing forty-eight student names, four staff names, emergency contacts, room allocations, medical notes and tick boxes?
That is civilisation.
At 6:41 a.m. on Monday, I stood in the school car park beside Coach Two and looked at Mrs Parker’s clipboard with genuine affection.
Jamie noticed.
“You’re staring at the register.”
“I’m appreciating it.”
“That is worse.”
“It has timestamps.”
“It has tick boxes.”
“Exactly.”
Mum stood beside me holding my overnight bag.
“You have packed everything?”
“Yes.”
“Toothbrush?”
“Yes.”
“Charger?”
“Yes.”
“Medication?”
“Yes.”
“Notebook?”
“Yes.”
She looked at me.
“Which one?”
“Red.”
“The investigation one?”
“It is not an investigation notebook.”
“It has police evidence numbers written in it.”
“That was temporary.”
“You still use it.”
“I like the paper.”
Jamie said, “Alex now has emotional attachment to stationery.”
“I do not.”
“You kept the original one.”
“That is evidence preservation.”
“The police gave it back.”
“Historical evidence preservation.”
Mum handed me my bag.
“Try to enjoy yourself.”
“I intend to.”
“Without investigating anything.”
“There will be nothing to investigate.”
Jamie made a noise.
I turned.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“You made a sound.”
“It was just air.”
“You disagreed with your lungs.”
“I’m just saying, you said that last time.”
“This is completely different.”
“How?”
I gestured broadly.
“Coach.”
Jamie looked at the coach.
“Yes.”
“Hotel.”
“Eventually.”
“Teachers.”
“We have those at school.”
“Room lists.”
“We also have classrooms.”
“Keycards.”
Jamie paused.
“Keycards are actually less secure than keys.”
I stared at him.
He smiled.
“Fun fact.”
“Do not ruin this for me.”
Mum kissed the top of my head.
“Goodbye.”
“I’m seventeen.”
“And?”
“There are witnesses.”
She kissed my head again.
Jamie said, “I can confirm it happened.”
“I hate everyone.”
Mum left.
At 6:47, Mrs Parker called my name.
“Alex Mercer?”
“Present.”
She ticked the register.
I watched.
Jamie leaned towards me.
“You look like you’ve just been knighted.”
“I have now been officially recorded as present.”
“At the place where you’re visibly standing.”
“Yes.”
“Groundbreaking.”
I opened my notebook.
6:47 — Checked onto Coach Two by Mrs Parker. Jamie present. Approx. forty-six additional witnesses.
Mrs Parker looked over my shoulder.
“Oh no.”
“What?”
“You brought the notebook.”
“Yes.”
“We talked about this.”
“You said I didn’t need to document normal school days anymore.”
“This is a school trip.”
“Exactly.”
“That was not permission.”
Jamie said, “I think you should let this happen.”
“I do not remember asking you.”
“I’m preserving Alex’s emotional stability.”
“By encouraging obsessive timestamps?”
“Correct.”
Mrs Parker looked at me.
I looked at her.
She sighed.
“Fine. But I am not confirming your location every twenty minutes.”
“I would never ask that.”
Jamie coughed.
“Liar.”
“I would ask at reasonable intervals.”
Mrs Parker walked away.
At 6:52, Theo arrived carrying a suitcase nearly as large as he was.
Maya followed behind him.
Ruby followed Maya.
I looked at the suitcase.
“No.”
Theo stopped.
“What?”
“What is in that?”
“Things.”
“What things?”
“Trip things.”
“You are gone for four nights.”
“Yes.”
“That suitcase could sustain a family through winter.”
“I like options.”
Maya said, “He packed three hoodies.”
“Four.”
“Why?”
“One might get wet.”
“What happens to the other two?”
“Backup.”
Ruby looked at the suitcase.
“Did you pack books?”
Theo looked offended.
“Obviously not.”
Ruby looked genuinely confused.
“What did you fill it with?”
“Important things.”
Jamie said, “That answer makes me nervous.”
Theo smiled.
“Good.”
Mrs Parker called their names.
Maya answered normally.
Ruby answered normally.
Theo said, “Legally present.”
Mrs Parker looked at me.
I raised both hands.
“I did not teach him that.”
“Yes, you did,” Jamie said.
“Indirectly.”
“Still counts.”
Theo was ticked off.
Maya was ticked off.
Ruby was ticked off.
Five of us.
Documented.
Present.
No tunnels.
No missing laptops.
No anonymous notes.
This trip was going to be fine.
At 7:02, we boarded the coach.
I took the window seat.
Jamie sat beside me.
Maya and Ruby were across the aisle.
Theo sat behind us.
This arrangement lasted approximately thirty seconds.
Then Theo leaned between the seats.
“Do hotels have service tunnels?”
I turned slowly.
“No.”
“You don’t know that.”
“They do not.”
“Some probably do.”
“Do not start.”
“I’m just asking.”
“Why?”
“Architectural curiosity.”
“You did not possess architectural curiosity before September.”
“I was awakened.”
Maya said, “We are not doing tunnels again.”
“There are no tunnels.”
Jamie looked at me.
“Careful.”
“No.”
“You know what happened last time.”
“That was school.”
“This is a hotel.”
“Exactly.”
“That is not the defence you think it is.”
I looked out the window.
At 7:06, Mr Bennett got onto the coach.
I immediately sat straighter.
Jamie noticed.
“Trauma response?”
“Pattern recognition.”
Mr Bennett walked down the aisle with a second clipboard.
I relaxed.
Clipboard.
Good.
He stopped beside us.
“Morning.”
“Are you coming?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
He stared.
“This is a school trip.”
“You’re a deputy head.”
“Deputy heads are allowed outside.”
“I know. I just wasn’t expecting you.”
Jamie said, “Alex assumed you lived behind reception.”
Mr Bennett ignored him.
“We’re doing a second headcount before departure.”
I stared at the clipboard.
He saw.
“No.”
“What?”
“You do not need to write down that there is a second headcount.”
“I wasn’t going to.”
“You were reaching for the notebook.”
“I might have been adjusting it.”
“You were opening it.”
“Coincidence.”
Mr Bennett looked at Jamie.
Jamie said, “I don’t get involved anymore.”
“That is a lie,” I said.
“It’s aspirational.”
Mr Bennett counted us.
Then moved on.
I wrote:
7:08 — Second headcount completed by Mr Bennett. Still present.
Jamie leaned over.
“You wrote ‘still present.’”
“That is correct.”
“You’re sitting on the coach.”
“Exactly.”
At 7:13, we left.
The trip had officially begun.
Nothing went wrong for forty-one minutes.
This is longer than it sounds.
At 7:54, Theo said:
“Did anyone bring a screwdriver?”
Maya turned.
“No.”
Jamie looked over the seat.
“Why?”
“My headphone case is stuck.”
“How does a screwdriver help?”
“I don’t know. I’m brainstorming.”
I said, “You are not dismantling electronics on a moving coach.”
Theo stared at me.
“You sound like Bennett.”
“That is deeply offensive.”
Mr Bennett, three rows ahead, turned around.
“I heard that.”
“Sorry.”
“You should be.”
Theo shook the case.
It opened.
A cable fell into the aisle.
“That solved itself.”
Maya said, “Amazing.”
At 8:07, Ruby was reading.
At 8:12, Maya fell asleep.
At 8:19, Jamie stole one of my crisps.
At 8:20, I documented this.
He objected.
“You cannot put theft in the official record.”
“You took food without permission.”
“You offered me one earlier.”
“I offered you one at 7:30.”
“The invitation was ongoing.”
“It was not.”
“You did not specify expiry.”
“I hate you.”
“Document that.”
I did not.
At 8:43, we stopped at a service station.
Mrs Parker stood at the front.
“Nobody leaves until your name has been called.”
Perfect.
Jamie looked at me.
“Don’t.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“Your face is excited.”
“This is good procedure.”
“It’s a toilet stop.”
“It is still good procedure.”
Names were called.
Students exited.
We were told to stay in groups of at least three.
We had twenty-five minutes.
We were to return by 9:08.
Mrs Parker said:
“If you are not back by 9:08, we leave you here.”
Theo raised his hand.
“You wouldn’t.”
“No.”
“So that was an empty threat.”
“It was motivational.”
“What if someone is in the toilet?”
“We will check.”
“What if they hide?”
“Why would anyone hide?”
Theo thought.
Mrs Parker pointed.
“Do not answer.”
We got off.
I wrote:
8:46 — Service station. Group: me, Jamie, Maya, Ruby, Theo. Return deadline 9:08.
Jamie said, “Five witnesses.”
“Yes.”
“This is your dream.”
“It is efficient.”
We went inside.
Theo immediately vanished.
I stopped walking.
“Where did he go?”
Maya looked around.
“He was literally behind us.”
Ruby pointed.
Theo was at a claw machine.
Of course.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“There’s a frog.”
“I can see that.”
“I want it.”
“You have twenty-two minutes.”
“That is enough time.”
“You will spend fifteen pounds.”
“I have five.”
“You will spend five pounds.”
“That is acceptable.”
It was not.
At 8:52, Theo had spent three pounds.
No frog.
At 8:55, Jamie bought a drink.
At 8:57, Maya bought coffee.
At 8:59, Ruby bought nothing.
At 9:00, Theo won the frog.
He held it up.
Everyone stared.
Jamie said, “No way.”
Theo looked smug.
“I am chosen.”
“You spent four pounds.”
“The frog was worth it.”
It was a green plush frog wearing a tiny crown.
Ruby looked at it.
“What’s his name?”
Theo thought.
“Bennett.”
I nearly dropped my phone.
“No.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Authority.”
Maya laughed into her coffee.
Jamie said, “You have to show him.”
“I intend to.”
“Do not,” I said.
“Coward.”
We returned to the coach at 9:05.
Three minutes early.
Perfect.
Mrs Parker checked our group.
“All five?”
“Yes,” Maya said.
Theo held up the frog.
“Six.”
Mrs Parker stared.
“What is that?”
“Bennett.”
Silence.
Mr Bennett, standing beside the coach door, looked over.
“What?”
Theo held up the frog.
“I named him after you.”
Mr Bennett looked at the frog.
Then at Theo.
Then at me.
“Why are you looking at me?”
“This feels like your influence.”
“I actively objected.”
“Good.”
Theo boarded.
At 9:08 exactly, Mrs Parker checked the register again.
Everyone present.
At 9:10, the coach left.
See?
Registers.
Procedures.
Witnesses.
Everything worked.
At 10:36, we arrived at the museum.
I will not name the museum.
Not because anything illegal happened there.
Because I do not want future readers showing up and asking staff whether they remember us.
Also, the museum was not responsible for what happened later.
At the time, it was entirely innocent.
Probably.
We were divided into activity groups.
My group:
Me.
Jamie.
Maya.
Ruby.
Theo.
And six other students.
Supervised by Mr Bennett.
This felt excessive.
Jamie whispered, “You’re being monitored.”
“I am being supervised.”
“Same thing.”
“No.”
“At least he can verify your whereabouts.”
I looked at him.
He grinned.
“I know you liked that.”
I did.
At 10:51, Mr Bennett handed out lanyards.
Temporary visitor passes.
I stared at mine.
Jamie saw.
“Oh no.”
“What?”
“You hate lanyards now.”
“I do not hate lanyards.”
“You’re looking at it like it committed a crime.”
“Lanyards are neutral.”
“That sounded rehearsed.”
“Lanyards do not create identity. People create assumptions around lanyards.”
Theo leaned over.
“Is that on a poster?”
“No.”
“It should be.”
Mr Bennett said, “Can everyone please just put them on?”
We did.
Mine said:
SCHOOL GROUP — VISITOR
No name.
Good.
I wrote that down.
Mr Bennett noticed.
“Why?”
“Because visitor identification was relevant last time.”
“We are in a museum.”
“I am aware.”
“Stop preparing for crimes.”
“I am preparing for accuracy.”
“That sentence is haunting me.”
The morning passed normally.
Actually normally.
We looked at exhibits.
Theo tried to touch something behind a barrier.
Maya stopped him.
Jamie misread an information panel and spent ten minutes insisting a historical figure had died in 188 years.
Ruby corrected him.
I took three photos.
Nothing was stolen.
Nobody disappeared.
No hidden passages.
At 12:14, we went to lunch.
Packed lunches.
Assigned meeting point.
Staff headcount.
Mrs Parker read names.
I answered.
Again.
I was present.
Again.
At 12:19, Jamie said:
“You know what’s weird?”
“Yes.”
“What?”
“You.”
“That was not a question.”
He smiled.
“No. I mean, nothing’s happened.”
“That is not weird.”
“For us?”
“That is an unfair statistical assumption.”
Theo said, “I found a door marked STAFF ONLY.”
“No.”
“I didn’t open it.”
“Good.”
“I thought about it.”
“No.”
Maya said, “Can we please go one day without restricted-access infrastructure?”
Theo looked thoughtful.
“No promises.”
Ruby said, “Don’t say that.”
“Why?”
“Because then something will happen.”
I pointed at her.
“Thank you.”
Jamie laughed.
At 12:31, Mr Bennett’s phone rang.
He stepped away.
This was not interesting.
Adults receive phone calls.
At 12:33, Mrs Parker came over.
“Has anyone lost anything?”
My entire body reacted before my brain.
Jamie saw.
“Relax.”
“I am relaxed.”
“No, you just sat upright like a meerkat.”
Mrs Parker looked at me.
“This isn’t about you.”
“That sentence is dangerous.”
“It genuinely isn’t.”
“What’s missing?”
“A rooming envelope.”
Maya frowned.
“What’s that?”
“The hotel sent us the room keycard allocations in sealed envelopes. We brought them with the trip paperwork.”
Jamie said, “Why?”
“So we can distribute them when we arrive.”
“And one’s missing?”
Mrs Parker nodded.
“Probably misplaced.”
I asked, “Which room?”
She looked at me.
“Alex.”
“That seems relevant.”
“It is not an investigation.”
“I know.”
“It is almost certainly in one of the staff bags.”
“Okay.”
She paused.
“Room 214.”
I stared.
Jamie stared at me.
Theo said:
“That’s your room.”
Nobody spoke.
Mrs Parker immediately looked annoyed.
“With Jamie and Theo.”
I slowly turned.
Theo smiled.
Jamie said, “Well.”
“No.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“You were about to.”
Maya asked, “When was it last seen?”
Mrs Parker closed her eyes.
“I knew telling you the room number was a mistake.”
“I’m only asking.”
“This morning.”
“Where?”
“School.”
“Before departure?”
“Yes.”
“Was the envelope open?”
“No.”
“Could the hotel have sent a duplicate?”
“It isn’t a physical keycard yet.”
I frowned.
“What?”
Mrs Parker sighed.
“The envelope contains allocation paperwork. Actual cards are activated at the hotel.”
“Oh.”
Relief.
So nobody had a working room key.
Just paperwork.
Much less interesting.
Theo looked disappointed.
Jamie said, “So someone stole a piece of paper saying Room 214.”
“Probably nobody stole anything.”
“Misplaced.”
“Yes.”
“Fine.”
Mrs Parker walked away.
I opened my notebook.
Jamie said, “Do not.”
“I’m noting it.”
“Why?”
“Because something went missing.”
“It is hotel paperwork.”
“Connected to our room.”
“Coincidence.”
“Probably.”
“You just said probably.”
“I am capable of uncertainty.”
“You hate uncertainty.”
“That is unrelated.”
I wrote:
12:34 — Staff unable to locate sealed hotel allocation envelope for Room 214 (me/Jamie/Theo). Envelope reportedly contains paperwork only, NOT active keycard. Likely misplaced.
Then underlined:
NOT ACTIVE KEYCARD.
Maya read it.
“Reasonable.”
Jamie stared at her.
“Do not encourage this.”
“I didn’t.”
“You called it reasonable.”
“It is technically reasonable.”
Ruby said, “The trip hasn’t even reached the hotel yet.”
Theo looked at the plush frog Bennett sitting beside his bag.
“Maybe Frog Bennett stole it.”
“No,” I said.
“You can’t prove he didn’t.”
“He has no hands.”
“He has emotional hands.”
“That means nothing.”
The envelope was found thirteen minutes later.
Inside Mrs Parker’s folder.
Exactly where she said it probably was.
She brought it over and held it in front of me.
“Found.”
“Good.”
“Crisis over.”
“There was no crisis.”
“You wrote it down.”
“That does not make something a crisis.”
Jamie said, “Can confirm. Alex writes down crisp theft.”
Mrs Parker walked away muttering something.
I crossed out nothing.
The fact remained accurate.
Envelope temporarily misplaced.
Then found.
Normal.
At 3:47, we left the museum.
At 4:02, Coach Two departed.
At 5:31, we reached the hotel.
This is where I became overconfident.
The hotel had:
CCTV.
Electronic keycards.
Reception staff.
Door logs.
Room allocations.
Teachers on each floor.
Night security.
A curfew.
Regular headcounts.
And approximately fifty people who knew where everyone was supposed to be.
I stood in the lobby while Mrs Parker held up the rooming list.
I looked around.
Cameras in two corners.
Reception directly ahead.
Lift to the right.
Stairs beside it.
No visible maintenance doors.
No suspicious walls.
No Theo-accessible tunnels.
Excellent.
Jamie leaned close.
“You’re doing it again.”
“What?”
“Looking at security cameras like they’re emotional support animals.”
“I am assessing.”
“You are comforted.”
“Modern hotels have excellent access records.”
Jamie stared.
“You learned literally nothing.”
“I learned to verify records.”
“That is not what I meant.”
Mrs Parker called:
“Room 214. Alex Mercer, Jamie Cole, Theo Grant.”
Theo raised Frog Bennett.
“Four occupants.”
“No,” Mrs Parker said.
“Discrimination.”
She handed Jamie the envelope.
Sealed.
The same one from earlier.
He opened it.
Three active keycards.
One for each of us.
Mr Bennett said, “Do not swap cards.”
“We won’t,” I said.
“Do not lend them.”
“We won’t.”
“Do not prop doors open.”
“We won’t.”
Theo said, “What if—”
“No.”
“You don’t know what I was asking.”
“I’m willing to risk it.”
Each card had a small sticker.
A.
J.
T.
Mine.
Jamie’s.
Theo’s.
Excellent.
Separate cards.
Electronic logs.
If anyone opened the door, the system would record which card did it.
Objective.
Reliable.
Jamie looked at me.
“Stop smiling at the keycard.”
“I’m not.”
“You are.”
“It has access logging.”
“You need help.”
“I have a lawyer.”
“That is not the same kind.”
We took the stairs.
Not because I distrust lifts.
Because Theo pressed every button last time we used one together.
At 5:43, we reached the second floor.
Room 214 was near the end of the corridor.
Camera above the lift lobby.
Another near the stairwell.
Good coverage.
I noticed immediately.
Jamie noticed me noticing.
“Don’t say it.”
“I wasn’t going to.”
“You were going to say ‘good coverage.’”
“No.”
“You mouthed the words.”
“I did not.”
Theo tapped his keycard.
Red light.
He tapped again.
Red.
“Broken.”
“Try mine,” Jamie said.
“No swapping cards,” I said.
“We’re standing together.”
“Mr Bennett specifically said—”
Theo tapped again.
Green.
Door opened.
“There.”
We entered.
Three single beds.
Small desk.
Television.
Bathroom.
Window.
No balcony.
One wardrobe.
Theo opened it.
Empty.
“No secret passage.”
“Do not.”
“I’m reassuring you.”
“You are provoking me.”
Jamie dropped his bag onto the middle bed.
“I claim this.”
“No.”
“What?”
“I want middle.”
“You got window on the coach.”
“That is unrelated.”
“You can’t monopolise premium positioning.”
“How is middle premium?”
“Equal access to both witnesses.”
Jamie stared.
“You are choosing a bed based on alibi coverage.”
“No.”
Theo said, “That’s actually smart.”
“It was a joke.”
Jamie smiled.
“No, it wasn’t.”
I took the bed nearest the window.
At 5:49, I tested my keycard.
Door shut.
Tap.
Green.
Open.
Jamie watched.
“You really trust that thing.”
“I trust that it records access.”
“How romantic.”
Theo tested his.
Then Jamie.
All three worked.
I wrote:
5:50 — Room 214. Three issued keycards tested successfully. A = mine, J = Jamie, T = Theo. All present.
Theo looked over.
“Add Frog Bennett.”
“No.”
“He entered the room.”
“He is an object.”
“That is offensive.”
“Good.”
At 6:07, we were called downstairs for dinner.
I put my keycard in the zipped inside pocket of my wallet.
Wallet into front pocket.
Phone other pocket.
Notebook in hand.
Jamie saw.
“Where are you putting your keycard?”
“Inside wallet.”
“That is excessive.”
“It is secure.”
“I put mine behind my phone case.”
Theo held his up.
“Mine is here.”
He had put it in his lanyard sleeve.
I stared.
“What?”
“You’re wearing a hotel keycard around your neck.”
“Yes.”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Convenient.”
“Anyone can see your room number.”
“The card doesn’t show room number.”
I checked.
He was right.
Just hotel logo.
Initial sticker.
Fine.
“I withdraw objection.”
Jamie gasped.
“You admitted being wrong.”
“I do that when evidence changes.”
“Someone write down the date.”
“I already have.”
At dinner, nothing happened.
At 7:31, we had an evening briefing.
Curfew:
10:30.
Everyone in assigned rooms.
Teachers would do corridor checks.
Nobody leaves after curfew unless they call a staff member.
No visiting other rooms after 10:00.
No ordering food deliveries.
No opening windows beyond safety limit.
No leaving the hotel.
No setting fire alarms off.
Every student looked at me.
I stared back.
“That was not me.”
Mrs Parker said, “Nobody said it was.”
“Everyone looked at me.”
Jamie whispered, “History.”
“I did not start the fire.”
“We know.”
Mr Bennett said, “Could we please finish one briefing without discussing arson?”
Yes.
Apparently.
At 8:02, we were released.
We spent the next two hours moving between the common room and our floor.
Always groups.
Always visible.
At 9:54, Maya and Ruby returned to their room across the corridor.
214 opposite 217.
Theo brushed his teeth.
Jamie complained about the shower pressure.
I wrote final notes.
At 10:17, there was a knock.
Mrs Parker.
Room check.
Three students.
All present.
Theo held up Frog Bennett.
Mrs Parker ignored him.
“Curfew in thirteen minutes.”
“We know.”
“Stay in the room.”
“We will.”
She looked at me.
“And you do not need to document that.”
I looked down at the notebook.
I had already written:
10:17 — Mrs Parker room check. All three present.
She sighed.
“Of course.”
Door shut.
At 10:24, Jamie was in bed.
At 10:26, Theo was scrolling on his phone.
At 10:28, I checked my keycard.
Wallet.
Still there.
At 10:30, curfew.
I wrote:
10:30 — Curfew. All three in Room 214. Door locked. My keycard in wallet. Jamie’s behind phone case. Theo’s in lanyard on desk.
Then:
This is significantly easier than school.
Jamie read it.
“You’ve done it now.”
“What?”
“That sentence.”
“There is nothing wrong with that sentence.”
“It’s cursed.”
“It is observational.”
Theo said from his bed:
“Should we check for tunnels?”
“No.”
“Staff staircase?”
“No.”
“Laundry chute?”
“No.”
“Air vents?”
“No.”
“Secret adjoining—”
“There is no secret passage.”
Jamie sat up.
“Do not say that.”
“I refuse to live in fear of architecture.”
“That sentence is going to kill us.”
“It is a hotel.”
Theo grinned.
“Hotels have weird doors.”
“Goodnight.”
At 10:46, lights out.
At 11:03, Jamie was asleep.
I know because he snores slightly.
He denies this.
He is wrong.
At 11:11, Theo stopped moving.
Probably asleep.
At 11:18, I checked the time.
At 11:19, I put my phone down.
At 11:20, I closed my eyes.
Everything was normal.
We were in Room 214.
Three people.
Three keycards.
Locked door.
CCTV outside.
Teachers down the corridor.
Electronic access logs.
There was absolutely no realistic way for anyone to claim I had been somewhere else.
At 6:42 the next morning, someone hammered on our door.
I woke up immediately.
Jamie made a noise that sounded like an injured goose.
Theo sat upright.
“What?”
Another knock.
“Room 214?”
Mr Bennett.
I checked the time.
6:42.
Too early.
Never good.
Jamie stumbled out of bed.
I opened the door.
Mr Bennett stood outside.
Mrs Parker beside him.
Both fully dressed.
Both awake.
Both looking serious.
My stomach dropped.
“What happened?”
Mr Bennett looked at me.
“Were you downstairs last night?”
“No.”
“What time?”
“Around 11:40.”
“No.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yes.”
“You didn’t leave the room?”
“No.”
Jamie sat up straighter.
“No one left.”
Theo said, “I was asleep.”
Mr Bennett looked at me.
“Hotel staff saw someone they believe was you near reception.”
I stared.
“No.”
Mrs Parker said, “We’re not accusing you.”
“I was asleep.”
“We know.”
“No, you apparently don’t.”
“Alex—”
“My keycard is here.”
I grabbed my wallet.
Opened it.
Pulled out—
Nothing.
I stopped.
My keycard was not there.
Jamie stood.
“What?”
I checked again.
Wallet.
Front pocket.
Inside slot.
Nothing.
“No.”
Mrs Parker looked at Mr Bennett.
I searched the bed.
Floor.
Bag.
Desk.
Nothing.
“My card is gone.”
Theo grabbed his lanyard.
His card was still there.
Jamie pulled his from behind his phone case.
Still there.
Mine.
Gone.
Mr Bennett said carefully:
“The hotel checked the door log.”
I stopped searching.
“What?”
“Our room door was opened at 11:37.”
Silence.
“With which card?”
He looked at me.
I already knew.
“Yours.”
Nobody moved.
Jamie said:
“That’s impossible.”
Mr Bennett nodded.
“That’s why we’re here.”
I looked at the locked door.
Then at my empty wallet.
Then at the camera visible down the corridor.
Registers.
CCTV.
Keycards.
Witnesses.
Objective records.
My perfect system.
And somewhere around 11:37 p.m., according to the hotel, my card had opened this door.
According to a staff member, I had been downstairs three minutes later.
According to me, I had never left the bed.
I opened my notebook.
My hands were already moving.
6:47 — My keycard missing. Hotel door log reportedly records my card opening Room 214 at 11:37 p.m. Staff report seeing person believed to be me near reception approx. 11:40.
Then, in capitals:
I DID NOT LEAVE THIS ROOM.
Jamie leaned over my shoulder.
“You know what?”
“What?”
“I take back everything I said yesterday.”
“Which part?”
He looked towards the corridor camera.
“The hotel is absolutely worse.”