The building looked charred, dirty, and decrepit. It hardly came as a surprise to learn that a man had burned to death inside of it. "His passing provoked no sorrow." Tanya's companion told her. "That fella had been living on the fringes for a long, long time. Do you know what I mean?" She knew. Places like the Holland Hotel often played host to individuals who, as a result of either their desire or their desperation, had opted out of conventional society. Many were hiding from ugly pasts as they hurtled toward equally brutal destinies. "You check into a place like this and you can do whatever you want to yourself." the old man said as she continued gazing at the dark, grime-covered bricks of the structure. "Ain't nobody gonna stop you." His words hung in the air, sounding very much like an omen. She hoped that he would keep speaking but he just stared at her with his ancient, tragedy-filled, blue eyes. After he vanished Tanya circled the perimeter of the property. Several paper signs taped to street-level windows proclaimed that "The Hotel is now closed for business." How late was she? The following morning she began researching the establishment and quickly discovered that the last known fire at the property had occurred in 1981. An inhabitant of one of the rooms had fallen asleep with a lit cigarette and died in the resulting blaze. His name was Arnold Smith. She kept hunting for more information. After poring over hundreds upon hundreds of mostly irrelevant documents Tanya found that a cold case investigator working on the 35-year-old Black Dahlia murder had considered Mr. Smith a prime suspect in the notorious slaying. As fate would have it Smith perished just days before a scheduled interview with the investigator. With a deep exhalation Tanya shut down the antiquated microfiche machine and let her mind hum with all of these new revelations. Could a nearly indigent drunkard have taken the life of the Dahlia? It seemed eerily appropriate. The misfits of society often gravitate to one another, sometimes with startlingly violent results. Conflagrations involving these types of ravaged souls usually do not garner much notice. To Tanya the most riveting aspect of the Dahlia case was the fact that so many people had become obsessed with the woman in death when no one had cared about her in life. By most accounts the unfortunate lady had drifted from city to city, from address to address, and from man to man without developing any permanent ties to anyone or anything. Tanya could relate. An unexplainable compulsion drew her back to the Holland the very next day. She sensed that someone was still living inside of the place and knew that she would probably attract his attention when she reappeared in the vicinity. Suffused with a familiar combination of fear, exhilaration, and curiosity she parked her car and approached the premises. Two unbidden thoughts popped into her mind just as she reached the threshold of the long-defunct hotel. Firstly, no one would ever report her missing. Secondly, her body would likely never be found. Before she could react to these disturbing premonitions she felt a sharp pain in the back of her head. Her next conscious realization came as she awoke inside of a tiny room. She found herself handcuffed next to a Christmas tree. A reflection of her own stunned, horrified face mocked her as she gazed into the mirror-like, black goggles worn by the man who loomed above her..
See the entire Holland Hotel Christmas gallery at TanyaDanielle.com now.
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