Chapter 14

Our arrival in the Maltese capital of Valetta came late at night, and in my sleep-deprived, anxious state, I could barely manage to stagger from the plane and into the taxi to our hotel. Luckily, Edmund took care of getting all the members of our group registered and safely off to our rooms. Maggie tried to convince Edmund that she and I should bunk together but Leo artfully ran interference for me and sent her off on her own way, alone.

Malta is a beautiful country, steeped with history. Unfortunately, I didn’t see much of it for the first couple of days. Exhausted by my recent adventures, all I wanted to do was flop into bed and sleep.

Sometime in the afternoon on the second day, Maggie came knocking at my door, asking me to let her in. I didn’t want to answer the door, but she was so insistent that I finally had no choice but to open it a crack, with the chain-lock on, and politely decline.

For a second, I thought she was going to explode into tears. But she drew in a long breath and said, “OK” before skulking off again. She seemed lonely and needier than ever but I didn’t have the energy to deal with her.

I sighed and shut the door firmly, grateful for a reprieve from her whining. Since I was still quite tired, I climbed back into bed and soon fell back into a deep slumber.

The following day, I awoke somewhat refreshed and thoroughly famished. I picked up the phone and called room service.

A few minutes later, there was a knock at my door. Quite surprised, I leapt up and opened the door, expecting to see a waiter with my club sandwich. Instead, I found myself facing Maggie.

“Oh, thank God you’re awake at last,” she gasped, practically breathless as she peered into my room. “Are you Ok? Do you need some company?”

She was trying to make it sound as though she was concerned about me but her cloying neediness gave her away. I could tell she was the one who wanted company. Still, the door was open and I didn’t want to argue.

“Come on in Maggie,” I said. “I’m waiting for room service.”

She sat and watched me eat my sandwich, her eyes darting about in a reptilian manner that I found rather unsettling. When I finished at last, she was eager to get us out and about.

“Hey, let’s go see the sights,” she suggested, adding that the islands were chock-full of wonders.

Feeling the need for some fresh air and sunshine, I acquiesced. I grabbed my shoulder bag and we made our way downstairs to the hotel lobby, where we were waylaid by a rather overzealous concierge, who introduced herself as Mercedes.

“You must see the sights, Ms. Montgomery,” she enthused, pumping my hand madly. “Malta has everything, from ancient tunnels and catacombs, to beautiful seaside hiking trails, to the most modern entertainment and nightlife. You’ll find our restaurants to be top-notch, as well.”

I smiled and nodded as she continued for a good 10 minutes, sprinkling my name repeatedly throughout her monologue. Finally she finished, pushing several tour books into my hand and sending us off with an admonition to try out the café in the nearby courtyard. We both smiled and walked out the front doors, grateful to be free at last.

It was a beautiful day, and we had a nice walk along the seaside. Later, we stopped at a café and enjoyed watching the boats in the harbour. There were lots of other tourists milling about and I was content just to sit and watch the world go by. Maggie suggested we check out the some historic sites nearby but I still wasn’t feeling very energetic. My shoulder bag was quite heavy and I didn’t relish the idea of lugging it around. Maggie seemed petulant at my lack of adventure but eventually gave up trying to change my mind and we returned to the hotel.

Looking forward to some peace and quiet back at the hotel, I was hoping to ditch Maggie as soon as possible. But as soon as we got off the elevator, my brain registered that something was wrong.

Seconds later, I realized what it was. Grabbing Maggie’s arm impulsively, I yanked her backwards, away from the door to my room, and whispered my urgent warning.

“Oh my God! Get back!”