Freedom

By Roy A Rogers

All Dan wanted was to celebrate his anniversary in the beautiful Freedom Hotel with Judith, his wife of 13 years.

However, upon entering he soon discovered things were not the same as when they had last celebrated their anniversary in that hotel only three years earlier.
From the moment he tried to enter he could feel the hotel pushing him, wanting him to leave while he still could.
Dan didn’t listen.
Then the hallucinations began, if they were hallucinations.
Taunting, tormenting, chasing his sanity and causing him to remember things he didn’t want to remember and perhaps do things he didn’t want to do.
Was he trapped forever in that world he could not see?
And was his future already formed for him by a past he could not remember?
Could Dan ever escape?
Dan could leave the Hotel, but would he ever find his Freedom?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Jul 28, 2024
• ISBN: 9781304156457

Book preview

Copyright 2017 by Roy A. Rogers

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review or scholarly journal.

First Printing 2017

ISBN 978-1-304-15645-7

Dedication

To the dark side

It makes us all feel so superior because we don’t live there.

skin so fair

yet dark as night

my dreams prisoned

inside your breast

so cold

unbidden

still you call my name

and with that word

my soul, my sanity

you hold

i cry out for love, for compassion

for hope that someday

you will unbind

and grant me what i crave

through memories lost

and with the help of god

i’ll find --

FREEDOM

danny the teenager 1969

Author’s Intrusion

There have been many newsworthy events in recent history to capture the imagination of those of us who consider ourselves normal or ordinary. Events that give us average readers the opportunity to feel just a little bit superior above the unfortunates we are reading about.

The types of events that cause us to look at our neighbor and say, This could never happen to us. Yet they do happen.

Each day, it seems, the latest headlines overshadow what was big news yesterday. The newspapers and television milk every significant story for all it is worth.

Yet occasionally, even the most bizarre of stories do not receive the slightest bit of attention from the press. That is one reason I chose this particularly story to report in its fullest. Although parts of this story did make the local news, it did not receive nation wide publicity and the complete story is generally unknown. Why? It had all the earmarks of a good public mind-bending chronicle: violence, greed, sex, lust, betrayal, even hints of the supernatural.

I suppose the whole affair moved too slowly for the public interest, not to mention the fact that no celebrities were involved. It took months for only the basics of the case to come to light. That was another reason it was relegated to small press releases and speculative whispers. Very few facts were known, and those that were could not be taken seriously nor verified.

It was these very things that kept it out of the news, which brings me to write of it. For now, years later, anyone interested in putting in hours of research in obscure places, tracking down vague leads, or interviewing nameless people, will also find these events make a fascinating and unusual study. One which many will continue to refuse to believe.

Well, the research has been done. All the facts that are available have been compiled into this chronicle.

I believe I have brought together as close to a complete telling of this story as can ever be accomplished. I have used eyewitness accounts, sketchy news reports, and personal interviews with the people involved. The ones still with us, I might add. Due to legal actions still pending, not all true names will be used. Also, since it did not make national news I will do my best to let the families retain their anonymity.

I spent many hours with both of the main characters, whom I will call Dan and Judith. Each had their tale to tell, the reconstruction of which I shall try to be true.

The poem at the beginning of this book was given to me by Dan the last time I talked to him. It was scribbled on a worn sheet of a yellow legal pad. He said he found it folded inside his wallet, but could not remember writing it. However, after the things I have learned, I have no doubt that it came from within him.

Where possible I have used actual dialog, or as close as their memory will allow. I tried to let the story flow on its own wave, but when necessary I have added my own comments, which I hope will clarify rather than interrupt that flow. These comments are not taken from my imagination, but are statements of fact which I have included within the story form. I also found it difficult to use the actual chronology and remain true to my instincts as a weaver of tales. Therefore, I will begin near the end.

Picture, if you will, the entrance to a hotel lobby:

The American Freedom Hotel

Houston, Texas

JULY 12,1991

3:05 P.M.

CHAPTER 1

Dan walked briskly toward the lobby entrance, suddenly slowing near the doors. They were automatic sliding doors, and Dan had a long distrust of anything mechanical. As if in response to his anxiousness, the doors began opening, then stopped after separating only a few inches. Even after slowing his stride, he almost banged into the partially open doors.

His impatience grew, and Dan backed up, placing both feet on the mat that was supposed to make the things work. With a sigh, he watched the crazy sideways dance being performed before him as the doors slammed shut, opened, and slammed shut, repeatedly. The doors seemed undecided whether they should open or close. It was almost like they were doing it for his benefit; telling him to slow down, think things over. A warning, perhaps?

Goose bumps popped out on the back of Dan’s neck. Maybe he shouldn’t be here after all. Why this idea came to him, he didn’t know, but he had the feeling that if he left now everything would be all right. And it seemed the action of the doors were telling him that.

They seemed to ask, Are you sure you want to come in here, Danny? Are you really sure?

Dan knew he wanted to go inside. There was no reason not to. He wanted to be here. It was an important day, a happy day, in fact; he should be here.

At that point, as if resigning themselves to their scheme in the universe of machine letting man have his way, the doors slid smoothly open, and there they remained.

Come on in, Dan. It’s your funeral.

So he did.

DAN AND JUDITH

The first thing Dan noticed, as he walked toward the registration desk was the somberness of the whole lobby. This place wasn’t supposed to be gloomy. It had always been so bright and cheerful. Something wasn’t right.

After looking around, Dan noticed that some form of drapes; not curtains, but a type of tarp or drop cloth, covered most of the windows. Adding to that, quite a number of the ceiling lights appeared to be burned out, or just not functioning.

He glanced back at his wife, Judith, who had followed him through the lobby. She made no response, and he continued toward the desk.

The second thing Dan noticed was the lack of people in the lobby. In the immediate area, there was only himself, Judith, and the desk clerk. This too was very unusual. This hotel used to be brimming with people this time of day. Apparently, the cause of the darkness was the same reason for slow business; some sort of restoration or reconditioning seemed to be going on in the hotel.

Being the only customer, Dan did not have to wait long for service. A cute redhead wearing a short mini-skirt, handed Dan a pad while saying, Hi, welcome to the Freedom.

He filled out the registration and slid it back to the clerk along with his credit card. He unconsciously watched her as she bent over to get the room key. Wearing a low-cut blouse, her position gave Dan a good view of her ample cleavage. Perhaps she was doing it for his benefit because he thought she lingered there for a few extra seconds, but he couldn’t be sure.

Judith had a view of the same scene, including where Dan was focusing his eyes, but apparently not unconsciously, for she gave Dan a quick, yet firm, pinch in the side.

Taking the key, Dan turned around rubbing his side, then smiling picked up one of the suitcases. Judith took the other and they walked toward the elevators.

Together, wordlessly, they walked through the hall, remembering where the elevators were located. There were two elevators; the nearest waited with the open doors. Again, Dan hesitated; he had a momentary feeling that the elevator had been waiting especially for them. This wasn’t a pleasant feeling and he was glad that it passed shortly after they stepped inside.

Dan said, We’re on the third floor.

Judith pressed the button and they waited while the doors closed.

The third thing Dan noticed was the smell. It was not an overpowering smell, but a mild musty smell, slowly invading the senses until its presence could no longer be ignored. Yes, the smell had also been present in the lobby but Dan had not noticed because his mind had been occupied noticing the first two things, plus trying not to notice the clerk’s boobs.

Now, standing in the elevator, the smell became the prominent detail to notice. It left the impression that they were in a much older building than the ten-year-old Freedom. It smelled of abandonment, or even condemnation, if those things can have a smell.

Suddenly, Dan lost count of the uncomfortable things he had been noticing about the time he noticed that the elevator failed to stop at the third floor.

Didn’t you push three?

I thought I did, said Judith. I may have brushed my hand against another one.

Judith looked at the panel of control buttons before her. The only one illuminated was fifteen, the top floor.

Before they had a chance to research their situation any further, the elevator came to a jerky halt. They both looked up as the doors began to part, then slammed shut. They weren’t moving, and there was no sound except Dan and Judith’s breathing. To cap things off, the lights inside the car flickered, but only once, and then remained illuminated.

Dan knew they had not ridden long enough to be on the fifteenth floor. Looking up, above the door he saw the number eight was lit. Dan and Judith looked at each other, but neither said anything.

Dan reached in front of Judith and pushed the third-floor button again.

They felt the lurch of the elevator.

Oh crap, Dan said, feeling the elevator again rising, instead of descending.

The fifteenth-floor light remained illuminated on the panel.

Press the stop button, Dan said.

Judith reached for the button, then paused with a slight smile, No, wait. It seems to want to take us to the fifteenth floor. Remember the fifteenth floor? Let’s go on up and have a look.

Have a look?

Come on Dan. Aren’t you the least bit romantic?

Of course I am, but I am also tired and ready for a drink.

It won’t take long.

He sighed, No, I suppose not.

Dan stood with his hands clasped in front of him; Judith did likewise, both staring at the closed doors. Dan noticed the lights above the doors did not flash as they climbed past each floor. But the top button on the panel continued to glow, showing their destination remained the fifteenth floor.

A few seconds later the elevator stopped. This time the last light above the door did illuminate, confirming they were, in fact, on the fifteenth floor. With a chime the doors slid smoothly open.

Remaining inside the car, they looked out into the deserted hallway.

The air was warm, without air conditioning, and filled with a much stronger musty smell than Dan had noticed earlier in the lobby. One dim bulb in the ceiling gave enough illumination for them to look down the hall. The only sign that humans had even been there recently was a pail in the middle of the hallway. A drop of water fell from the ceiling into the pail every few seconds. There had been no rain, Dan assumed a water pipe must be leaking in the ceiling somewhere.

As they stood staring at the warm empty hallway, the water falling into the pail broke the silence that accommodated the emptiness. A wet spot surrounded the pail, stretching out a few feet, attesting to the fact that the drip had been there long before the pail.

Dan sniffed the air, So this is where the smell comes from.

Dan stepped out of the elevator and Judith followed, leaving their bags. They walked down the hall past the pail and stood before the doors of the suite.

Judith grabbed Dan’s arm, smiling. She did not seem to notice, nor care, that this part of the hotel was no longer in use. She remembered how much fun it had been, and showed her excitement.

With a combination of substantial reality and memory, they stared at the suite doors. Things were the same; red carpet, although faded, covered the hall floors. Large double oak doors led into the suite, and mirrored glass letters were attached to the doors spelling out FREEDOM SUITE.

Then there were the differences, predominately the damp smell and emptiness. Dust coated the doors and mirrored letters, and one of the doors hung at a slight angle revealing a half-inch gap between the two doors leading into the suite.

Judith put her hand along the gap between the doors saying, I wonder why they would let things get in this bad of shape? Gosh, anyone could walk by and look into the room.

You mean like we are doing now? Dan asked.

You know what I mean, like if this part of the hotel was in use and someone were staying in the room. She said.

Well, I’m sure they will repair the doors before they rent out these rooms again.

But look at it now. It’s nothing like before. She said.

Dan turned toward the elevator, wanting to leave. This floor isn’t in use any more. No one stays up here. Come on Judith, let’s go.

Judith put her eyes to the crack between the doors. Just a minute.

Looking into the room through the crack she noticed the windows appeared uncovered and there was enough ambient light for her to see the interior of the suite. Still in place, as she remembered, stood the Western style furniture. Dust covered what she could see of the luxury chaise lounge and tufted leather sofa. The rest of her view was limited by the doors. Somewhere in front of the couch had been a large screen television. Trying to put the layout of the room in her mind, she could visualize a door on the right leading to a bathroom.

A wet bar stood to the left. Also, farther left was a door leading to the bedroom, which contained a modern king size bed, another television, a vanity, and another larger bathroom complete with a Jacuzzi.

Other than the two pieces of furniture directly in front, Judith saw the rest of the suite only through her memory.

Judith’s mind, remembering that room as it had been, impressed upon her a warm comfortable feeling; it seemed to be waiting for them. If they should enter it would magically be clean and fresh as before and they would be younger, celebrating their 6th anniversary.

Dan had come back, standing beside Judith.

He looked through the crack, seeing the same room, yet to him the room was waiting, but not for its excited occupants. It was waiting patiently for the end that would surely come. It was telling him the honeymoon was over. It was telling Dan that the good times this room signified would never be experienced again. His associations with this room were in the past. If he ever dared come in again he would not be welcome. This had been their room one time, but not tonight.

Let’s go, Judith.

Reluctantly, she turned from the doors and followed Dan toward the elevator.

Stepping inside the elevator, Dan and Judith quietly took their same places facing the doors.

Judith pressed a button.

As the doors closed, Dan looked back down the hallway. The carpet was a dull red, slightly faded and unimpressive, except where the wet spot spread out around the bucket. There, the wet carpet was a deep red, like a blood red. Symbolizing the dying of the glorious Freedom Hotel?

The elevator began to descend. They stood facing the doors, waiting silently which seems to be the custom inside an elevator, even though it was only the two of them.

Dan remembered the first time they stayed in the Freedom. It had been so beautiful, even inside the elevator. The brass rails, beveled mirrors surrounding the interior, the tile floor ---.

Everything was still there. The tiles were not cracked, the mirrors were not broken, no paint was chipped or peeling. Even so, there was a dullness, a loneliness that seemed to pull away any feelings of excitement he may have had at returning, leaving him with an emptiness which seemed to match the vacant floors.

Why would he have these feelings? You could not erase your memories, could you? The memories should have kept him happy.

*  *  *  *

Dan remembered sitting beside Judith in the lobby years earlier, admiring and feeling the plush upholstery covering the high backed chairs they were enjoying. Everything about the hotel had been impressive.

The lobby had been full of adornment, including a glass case containing a replica of the Declaration of Independence. The walls had been studded with muskets and rifles attesting to the theme and name of the hotel, which was American Freedom. The full name was only used on the stationary. Everyone just called it the Freedom.

Distributed among the replica artifacts, and somehow illogically blending with and complementing the whole of the decor, were modern additions. A large number of mirrors, bright colors, contemporary art and other items combined the old with the new. The arrangement proved successful in stating that the hotel offered all these luxuries available to anyone in this free country. A country bought and paid for with blood.

The old and new, the reason and the result. And it was all done without the dominance of red white and blue.

The red white and blue were there, but concealed as such. Three of the fifteen floors represented these colors. The fifteenth-floor hall had been red, with red carpets and red wallpaper. Another floor was white and a third, blue. It seemed to be a statement of the architect’s, which the average patron would never notice, because they rarely ventured on a floor other than their own.

In that respect, Dan and Judith were not the average patron. Judith had been so impressed with the hotel, that first time, that she spent almost an hour in the lobby, looking at the artifacts and talking to the concierge. There, she found out about the colors on the floors.

They had ridden the elevators up and down, exploring the hotel. The eighth floor was the White floor. The first floor was the Blue floor. The remaining floors were brown and various shades of beige and greens.

Judith had thought the colors should be reversed, with the blue on the top floor representing the blue sky and red on the lower floor representing the blood that was spilled in battles.

Through her questions, and reading some brochures, she learned the meaning of the colors as they were intended for the hotel: blue is a cool color. The first floor was light blue, not harsh or bright. People live on the first floor of the earth, so to speak. As blue is symbolic of being cool, so also does cool have different meanings. In this case, it was the cooling off of violence and wars. People should be able to live peacefully on the earth without fear for themselves or their fellow man. The blue floor was the peace floor.

White was the sky. The white eighth floor was halfway between the first and the top floors. It was the transition between heaven and earth. Or, as the hotel’s architect had intended, the changeover point from past to future. According to physics, white is the combination of all colors. It is up to the people to decide what the colors will be, and to paint it the color they choose to live in. Symbolically, of course.

The red on the fifteenth floor did symbolize blood, as Judith had guessed. The difference was that this blood was not lost and wasted in the dirt. It was sacrificial blood continually being offered to the heavens for all free people. Therefore, it was on the top floor.

The remainder of the floors were the earth tones, with the browns between the first and eighth floors, and the greens between the eighth and fifteenth. As the majority of Americans live freely because of the sacrifice of a few, so were the majority of the floors surrounded by the three principal givers of this freedom; the red, white, and blue.

Yes, a lot of thought had been put into the Freedom Hotel. It was ironic that most of the people who stayed there, just as most people who were free to live as they chose, did not take the time to appreciate the work or the sacrifice which had been put into the luxury they enjoyed.

Only someone who had no freedom could truly appreciate it.

*  *  *  *

Dan had been staring at the doors of the elevator while he remembered their earlier stay. He noticed, then, a small sign he had not seen before. It read, Please excuse the inconvenience while we rebuild the hotel under new management.

As if adding an exclamation point to the sign, the elevator stopped. Dan and Judith both reached for their bags as the doors opened. They straightened up to see a long dark hall. Neither moved. This hall was a mess. It looked like it had been trashed by vandals. Upon closer inspection, the trash wasn’t really from destruction. There were pieces of lumber that had been sawed, not broken. Small chunks of carpet lay in rolls, and bits of furniture rested, stacked up next to the wall. This was orderly chaos, signs of the rebuilding.

Dan turned to Judith. Why would they put us on a floor where they are working?

She looked above the door and said, Because this isn’t our floor. We are back on the eighth floor. There must be a short, a loose wire or something that makes the elevator stop every time it goes past the eighth floor.

Then she grinned mischievously at him, Or maybe we subconsciously pressed eight.

He gave her a confused look. Why would we do that?

You don’t remember room 811 either?

A momentary chill touched his spine. It quickly disappeared when he saw Judith’s smile. Yes, as a matter of fact, he did remember.

Suddenly Dan had a curious urge to see this room. Wait here, I want to look around. He stepped out of the elevator.

Where are you going? Judith asked.

I just want to see what they are doing to the rooms.

Dan! You shouldn’t go down there. It’s dark.

He did not look at her, but Judith heard him say quietly, I’ve been in the dark before. Then he walked into the shadowed hall.

She did not know what he meant, but she said, Be careful, try not to trip over something.

Dan continued walking.

Room 811, if Judith’s memory was correct, was the room where they had stayed the first time they were in the Freedom Hotel. That had been in 1981 ten years ago, three years before their stay in the suite.

It had been their third anniversary. They had just moved to Southeast Texas where Dan had taken a new job. Compared to their first three years of marriage, he was making a good income. They decided to take part of his week off and finally have a nice celebration of their anniversary.

The American Freedom Hotel had been completed in 1980. The latest oil boom was in full swing and Houston, like many oil related cities, was reaping the benefits. The major oil companies were getting richer with the price of oil going up seemingly every minute.

When money is being made, money is also being spent. High rises were constructed; malls and shopping centers were