Helen called me shortly after four.
I was sitting in the pickup.
She sounded more serious than before.
"We've completed the first review."
I sat up.
"What did you find?"
"The local system contains several additional package codes."
I asked whether those codes had been approved.
"Some were approved as optional services. The way they're being applied is another matter."
I looked toward the hotel.
"Are guests being told they're mandatory?"
"In several cases, yes."
I closed my eyes.
That confirmed what I had seen.
I asked about the preservation fee.
Helen explained that the original charge had been removed.
However, a local package had continued to carry the same amount under a different description.
I looked at the receipt.
Two hundred forty dollars.
The same number.
Different wording in some records.
Same result.
"Who authorized the local package?"
"We're still reviewing the approval history."
"Does Sterling's name appear?"
"His confirmation appears on several property records."
I thanked her.
Then I asked for the original documents.
She agreed to send them through the appropriate internal channel.
I ended the call.
For several minutes, I sat without moving.
I had expected an accounting error.
I had expected a forgotten setting.
I had not expected the same charge to continue appearing through a different package after its removal.
I looked at my phone.
Then I looked at the hotel.
I decided it was time to speak with Sterling again.
I entered through the main doors.
The lobby was busy.
A family was checking out.
Two guests were waiting near the elevator.
Kendall was at the desk.
Sterling stood behind her.
He noticed me immediately.
"Can I help you?"
"I'd like a few minutes of your time."
He glanced at the guests.
"Not right now."
"I'll wait."
He looked annoyed.
Then he pointed toward his office.
"Come with me."
I followed him.
His office was smaller than I expected.
There was a large desk near the window.
A computer sat beside a stack of folders.
The walls were decorated with framed photographs of the hotel.
Sterling closed the door.
"What is this about?"
I placed my receipt on the desk.
"I'd like an explanation for these charges."
He barely looked at it.
"We've discussed this already."
"Then let's discuss it again."
He leaned back.
"Sir, I don't understand why you're making this so difficult."
I looked at him.
"Because the charges aren't listed in the published policy."
"They're part of our local packages."
"Are those packages optional?"
He hesitated.
"Depending on the reservation."
"Did the guests agree to them?"
"Most guests understand the terms."
"That's not what I asked."
He looked irritated.
"We're a premium property. We have operating expenses."
I pointed to the preservation fee.
"This charge was removed four months ago."
He looked at the receipt more carefully.
"That fee was replaced by a different package structure."
I stared at him.
"Who approved that?"
"Management."
"Which management?"
He folded his arms.
"Corporate knows how these things work."
I looked at him.
"I've spoken with corporate."
His expression changed.
Only slightly.
But I saw it.
"What did they say?"
"They're reviewing the billing structure."
He stood up.
"There's no need for that."
"Why?"
"Because everything is properly documented."
I remained seated.
"Then you shouldn't have anything to worry about."
He walked toward the window.
For a few seconds, he said nothing.
Then he turned.
"Look, we have to maintain standards here. Not everyone understands how a property like this operates."
I remembered his comment about my budget.
I remembered the wet boots.
The old jacket.
The truck.
"Do you believe a guest's appearance should determine what they pay?"
He frowned.
"Of course not."
"Then why did you quote different prices to people requesting the same room?"
He didn't answer.
I stood up.
"I'll leave you to your work."
He looked relieved.
I picked up the receipt.
Then I stopped near the door.
"One more thing."
He looked at me.
"Every charge on a guest's bill should be something the guest can understand before agreeing to pay it."
He gave a short nod.
I left the office.
Outside, Kendall was working.
She looked toward me.
I didn't say anything.
I simply walked past the desk.
As I approached the entrance, I saw Mason standing near the security station.
He nodded.
I returned the gesture.
Then I stepped outside.
My phone vibrated.
It was Helen.
She had sent the first set of documents.
I opened the message.
The records showed that the local packages had been modified after the original removal instruction.
There were approval entries.
There were timestamps.
And there were confirmations.
I read the first page.
Then the second.
I stopped at a familiar name.
Sterling Vain.
I had spent years believing that a manager's signature meant he accepted responsibility.
Now I had to find out exactly what responsibility he had accepted.
Click here to continue reading: PART 16: I Finally Had the Records I Needed, but Before I Could Decide What to Do, Someone Inside the Hotel Came Forward With a Different Kind of Evidence
I Returned to the Mountain Hotel After Years Away, But the First Person I Met Made Me Question Everything We Had Built
Part 15 of 20
