The Spirit of The Old Hotel

By Vicki Smart Penhall

In the second book of the series, The Spirit of The Old Hotel, Jenna and Gash Peavy dubiously team up again to investigate the notorious haunting of the historic Adolphus Hotel in downtown Dallas.
After twenty-eight days in an exclusive Dallas rehab clinic, Gash moves into a private apartment on the Glynn family's beautiful Highland Park estate. Jenna has personally refurnished and redecorated, and has lovingly staged his cherished guitars in his new place, hoping that the former rock legend will become creatively inspired toward restarting his musical career.
Predictably, Gash adamantly refuses to get involved in the new episode of the celebrity ghosthunter TV show that Jenna has been contracted to create. But Biography Channel execs are demanding his participation, and expecting to exploit his past rockstar notoriety to promote the series. Jenna finally manages to persuade Gash that his resurgent career could benefit from the anticipated media buzz. Then they receive shocking news that his rehab roommate was found dead, just hours after warning Gash to stay away from the old section of the Adolphus Hotel.
The production crew endures their constant bickering and sexual tension, in addition to mysterious equipment malfunctions, while scrambling to meet their new deadline. Suddenly the pair is overwhelmed by paranormal forces and phantom entities. They are confronted with the horrifying truth behind the strange noises coming from the old 19th floor ballroom: a jilted bride hanging from clanging pipes had appeared to be a suicide in 1938. With Glenn Miller's big band music providing the soundtrack, they witness sinister scenes of a Nazi conspiracy and her vicious murder. "Tuxedo Junction" plays in a loop while the ghostly faces of Holocaust victims terrorize the duo, who desperately struggle to escape with their lives and their sanity.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penhall Publishing
• Release date: Aug 27, 2011
• ISBN: 9780983633754

Vicki Smart Penhall

Vicki Smart Penhall is a truly engaging and readable author of short fiction novels. As a performing artist, she is an actor, comedian, director and a Texas singer/songwriter. She hails from Houston; was mostly educated at Texas Tech University, and holds B.S. and M.S. degrees from Texas A&M University. As an educator, she has taught high school and college writing and theater, and regularly serves as an adjudicator for UIL academic and theater competitions.

Book preview

The Spirit of

The Old Hotel

Jenna Glynn Ghost Stories

2

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Vicki Smart Penhall

The Spirit of the Old Hotel:

Jenna Glynn Ghost Stories - Book 2

Penhall Publishing

Smashwords Edition

Copyright © 2011 by Vicki Smart Penhall

Edited by Lindsay Penhall Haley

Front cover photographs and inside photographs by

Lindsay Penhall Haley (InterStellar Graphics)

Contact: Cathy Wiggs Harper - [e-mail]

ISBN 978-0-9836337-5-4

Fiction-Suspense

Fiction-Short Story

This book is also available in print edition at several independent bookstores and online retailers, and at the author's website. Discover other titles by Vicki Smart Penhall at vickismartpenhall.com

Smashwords Edition License Notes

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Dedication

To my hero, Bob.

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Table of Contents

Foreword

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Epilogue

About the Author

Foreword

The Adolphus Hotel was and still remains a premier showplace of beauty and accommodation to travelers and businesses from around the world. It is as grand as it always was.

Nevertheless, strange residual hauntings from the hotel’s glorious past continue to be reported by guests and staff members: specters, and sounds from the Big Band era and lavish, but tragic, weddings.

The hotel’s famous 19th Floor Ballroom has been sealed off for decades, its space divided into more guest rooms. And yet, the bride still walks the hall, and guests are continually awakened by the impossible sound of the loud orchestrated music blasting in the wee hours of the morning.

The details are not available of the bride who reportedly hung herself after being left at the altar by her groom, perhaps because of the stigma attached to spinsters and suicide in the 1930s.

The lack of verifiable names and dates of the tragic event give flexibility to known facts about that time in history and the poetic license to speculate on the cause of the abandonment.

Enjoy this tale and the next…

(back to top)

Chapter One

…am looking forward to seeing you again. Jenna

Carefully folding the dog-eared letter for the hundredth time, Gash Peavy looked out across the landscaped terrace of the private recovery clinic Jenna’s father, Dr. Angus Glynn, had arranged for him. He heaved a sigh. In spite of his strong recovery from alcohol and heroin addiction at this posh and triumphant Dallas clinic, and in spite of his overall optimism at living in the real-world soon, Clarence Gash Peavy, was anxious.

Yo, Clare, called a frail and twitchy inmate.

Hey, what’s up, Fran?

The two roommates stood and regarded one another as a thick awkwardness began to form. Finally, Francis Marcelo Nora chuckled nervously.

It is funny—Clare and Fran. We both know how a squirrely name can mess you up… heh heh… my brother, too. I’m going to miss you, homey.

Well, you will be well soon. We can get together, you know, outside.

Gash regarded the handsome dark-haired Latino who whispered as he stared down at his soft shoes.

Shoot, man. You know I ain’t ever leaving here. As long as I can pay—and the hotel makes sure I can pay—they can’t make me leave.

Don’t you want to be free?

Free? I will never be free. I saw what I saw at that old posada. Hallucinations? I don’t think so, man. You be careful out there, yo. You stay away from that Casa Del Diablo. Stay away!

A capable and kindly orderly approached the duo and spoke definitively to Francis, Mr. Nora, it is time for your group session. Will you come with me?

Francis Nora became docile and compliant.

Of course, he answered, but as he left the room, his eyes looked beseechingly at Gash in a final warning.

Gash Peavy turned away from the retreating inmate. He knew what it felt like to be absolutely terrified of events that were unexplainable as well as undeniable. He swallowed hard to gain his equilibrium. He couldn’t let the horror of the night spent in City Tavern with the ghost of Jack Ruby and the captivating ghostbuster, Jenna Glynn, set his recovery back. That had only been thirty days ago, and he was just getting back to firm footing with regard to his bad habits and his bad night.

Gash shook his head and rubbed his eyes to get back to his rehab-leaving mentality. He had managed to mine his nightmarish thoughts of the scary night with Jenna for golden nuggets of pleasurable memories, such as the touch of her fingers in his unruly mane or his arms around her narrow waist for support… her smile, her strength, her generosity.

Soon, in both the spirit and the letter of her generosity, a car would arrive to take him to a residence Jenna had arranged for him. It was a garage apartment behind her family’s Highland Park home. Jenna herself lived in the main house which sat on two full acres of beautifully landscaped