The Secret Manuscript (Complete)

Chapter Forty-One

Ben and Vanessa arrived in Cold Lake past midnight on Wednesday night. They were worn out from the day and needed a place to crash. They drove through town and found a hotel.  

"Good evening," the lady at the front desk greeted them. 

"Hi, we're looking for a room," Ben said. 

"Certainly, sir. For how many nights?"  

"Indefinitely."  

"Okay, and what size bed would you like?" 

"A king please." 

"Unfortunately, the closest thing available is two queens." 

"Okay, that's fine, we'll take it." 

"Great, I just need your credit card for an authorization, please." 

"I don't actually have my credit card with me - my wallet was stolen this afternoon." 

The lady had noticed Ben's bruised face and swollen lip, but did not address it. "I'm so sorry to hear that, sir." 

"Vanessa, do you have your credit card on you?" Ben asked. 

"Yeah, but there's not much room on it," she said. "Actually, I think it might even be over its limit," she said, being slightly embarrassed. "Sorry, I'm a student, remember?" 

"That's fine," he replied. "How else can we do this?" Ben asked, turning back to the lady. "Can I just pay you in cash?" 

"Sure, it'll be one hundred for the room and two hundred for the deposit." 

Ben took all the money from his pocket and laid it out on the counter. He had exactly enough. 

"Perfect," the lady said. She counted out the money and put it in the register. "I'll just print your receipt and give you your key." 

"Thanks." 

With nothing more than a backpack between them, the couple went to their room. The receptionist was not quite sure what to make of the late-night arrivals, but it was a bit strange to say the least. They seemed to be on the run from something and were not surprised they did not want to use their credit cards.  

The next morning, Ben was first to rise. After years of waking up early for work, he had grown accustomed to it. By the time Vanessa opened her eyes, Ben was just getting out of the shower.  

"Good morning," he said, drying his hair was a hand towel. 

"Morning," she moaned, still not fully awake yet.  

"I'm opening the curtains," Ben said, retracting the curtains to allow the morning sun to light up the room. 

"It looks like it's going to be a beautiful day, what should we do?" Ben asked. 

"What can we do? We don't have any money." 

"It's okay, the bank will be open soon so I can make a withdrawal." 

"How will you be able to take money out? You don't have your wallet or ID." 

"It's okay, they know me here. It shouldn't be a problem." 

"You haven't lived here in a year, are you sure they'll remember you?" 

"I'm pretty sure they will. If not, I'll just explain what happened and show them my face. There has to be a procedure in place for situations like this." 

"For people who get mugged and then leave town?" 

"No, for people who have their wallet lost or stolen. I'll probably just have to sign some documents and answer a few security questions."