McGrave's Hotel Read Online Free PDF Page A

uncommon—but the well tended to dry as the reviews darkened and the audiences shriveled.
    The actor himself could barely contain his surprise at the height of the suite’s vaulted sitting room. The dim light from the table lamps failed to reach the ceiling, so the upper limits lay in shadow.
    “Good gravy,” he said. “How high does this thing go?”
    “Three stories, I believe,” said James. “At least that’s our best estimate.”
    The other bellhops nodded in agreement. As all the staff knew, some of the suites at McGrave’s were horizontal, some vertical.
    The lower reaches of the chamber supported oversized posters advertising the most popular Broadway shows of the past few years. There was George and Ira Gershwin’s Strike Up the Band and Girl Crazy and Porgy and Bess . There was Rodgers and Hart’s Jumbo at the Hippodrome, starring Jimmy Durante and a live elephant. The Broadway Suite indeed.
    Victor Lesley turned a full circle as he admired the display, no doubt envisioning a new poster featuring himself as Transylvanian royalty by day, bloodsucking fiend by night.
    “Where do you want this , sir?” said James.
    James was still carrying the Mystery Box and extremely curious as to its contents. He continued to wonder if it contained something alive. Why else would there be air holes? What was Victor Lesley’s “biggest secret”? If only James could have a few moments with it in private.
    “Put it in there,” Mr. Lesley said, indicating the bedroom. He turned his attention to the other bellhops who awaited his gratitude.
    As James entered the bedroom, where the rest of the luggage had been piled, he could hear Mr. Lesley conversing with the other boys, dropping the names of the other stars working in Broadway theater. “Ginger Rogers is such a dear friend” and “I recommended that new girl, Ethel Merman, for Girl Crazy .”
    Alone in the bedroom, James’s thoughts returned to his training.
    “You can learn a lot about a person, kiddo, going through his mail,” his mom had said. It was the week she had taught him how to steam open envelopes. “If the opportunity arises, don’t hesitate. You might never get another chance.”
    James didn’t hesitate. Quickly, he sat the box on the bed and removed his jackknife. It had two blades: a large one for the heavy-duty slicing and a tiny one for such tasks as cleaning fingernails. James flipped this smaller one open and inserted it into the keyhole of the padlock. Applying pressure just so, as his mom had taught him the week she gave him his first set of lock picks, James negotiated the lock. The simple pin-and-tumbler design was a challenge of mere seconds for a boy of his expertise. The little blade rotated, the lock snapped open, and James removed it from its hasp. Keeping a wary eye on the door, he lifted the lid barely enough to slip his hand inside.
    “Aargh!” he yelled. He had touched something hairy that, while clearly not a spider, could have been something worse: a rat. It seemed to have had muscles . He held his breath as his eyes flashed toward the door, and he wished he could stop his heart from thumping in his chest. All was well: Mr. Lesley had apparently not heard him scream. The actor was still enlightening the other bellhops as to his accomplishments and acquaintances.
    James tried again, this time opening the lid wider. He grasped the hairy creature and lifted it for inspection.
    He smiled as Mr. Lesley’s biggest secret revealed itself.
    It wasn’t a rat. It was a toupee. Victor Lesley was bald!
    James hurriedly stuffed the wig back into its box, snapped the lock back in place, and returned to the sitting room to find that things were wrapping up. The other bellhops left happily, each with his newfound five-spot. Finally, only James and Mr. Lesley remained.
    “Something wrong in there?” Mr. Lesley said. The actor took a brief peek into the bedroom but apparently noticed nothing amiss.
    “No, sir. I’ll be going now,