Jonty pressed his lips together.
“He’s put a few backs up, you know.”
“Has he? Whose? How? When? Which? What? Where?”
“Mine for a start. He’s changed the coffee. No more chocolate biscuits.”
“Ah, well I…uh…sort of made sure there were always chocolate biscuits for you.”
The major patted his hand and smiled. “I know you did, but the coffee isn’t good. If it wasn’t for the view and the fact that I like to take Dottie for a walk on the beach here, I’d stop coming. The price has gone up too. Almost doubled.”
The major pushed the menu towards him. Jonty glanced at it. Wow! The price of everything had gone up.
“I’ll look into the coffee situation. I don’t know why it would be changed. I did notice the machine I never got to grips with is in Bruce’s office.”
“Yes, interesting that he won’t drink this coffee, isn’t it?”
“I will do something about it.”
The major smiled. “And you’re arranging this Halloween event?”
“The hotel grapevine in full working order, I see. Yes, the tickets are going to be seventy pounds a head, so I have to make a good job of it.”
“I’m sure you will. Not my sort of thing, but I’ll tell people about it.”
“Thank you.”
“Would you like me to take your two for a walk on the beach?”
“That would be great. Sure you can manage?”
“They’re good dogs. I’ve taken them a few times. They’ll be fine.”
Once Jonty had handed over their leads, he went back to his desk and after making a note to check the coffee situation, he set about contacting every guest who was booked to stay over Halloween. He had several goes at composing an email until he was happy.
Dear Mr and Mrs Insert name here and don’t forget to change that!
We’re looking forward to seeing you at The Dunes on the 31st of October, but we wanted to let you know that there will be a Halloween extravaganza that night, a costume party, with a themed buffet, live music and dancing, along with several spooky surprises! The ticket price is seventy pounds a head for non-residents, but we are pleased to offer a special all-inclusive overnight stay for two hundred and fifty pounds per standard room for existing reservations; a saving of fifty pounds. If you should wish to be part of the event, just let us know. If, however, you’d prefer to change your booking or cancel altogether, please inform us as soon as possible.
Thank you for choosing The Dunes
Jonty Bloom
Acting Manager
Fifteen emails later, with the right names inserted, Jonty breathed out.
It felt as if there wasn’t enough managerial stuff to do, which made him wonder what he was missing. He used his laptop to note down everything that had happened so far, and what he’d done. Even when he’d had a coffee or gone to the loo. Just in case. It was always good to have an alibi.
Jonty took another pass around the hotel, checking everything was okay, and chatting to guests and staff. He ended up in the kitchen. Marcus wasn’t in yet, but Wayne was.
“Have we changed the coffee?” Jonty asked him.
“Yes. Vile fucking stuff. Supposed to be top quality, but it isn’t.”
“How’s the no-swearing going?”
Wayne grinned. “I save it for special fucking occasions. I could have funded a trip to Ibiza from what I put in that swear box. You brought out the worst in me. You still fucking do. Aggravating little shit.”
Jonty smiled. “I know you love me really. What about the Halloween food ideas?”
“Wait until I’ve spoken to Marcus. We need to have a chat first and then come up with a menu. I’m looking forward to wearing an apron covered in blood. I’ve got one of those knife-through-the-head sets and I can wander around with a dripping cleaver and a mad look in my eyes.”
“Like you usually do?”
Wayne laughed.
“What’s come over you?” Jonty asked. “What did you do with Wayne the Belligerent?”
“I found someone who could cope with him.”
Jonty widened his eyes. “One in a million chance of finding someone who could see what a sweetheart you are beneath that I‘ll fucking kill you if you breathe funny anywhere near me exterior. Wow! Well done.”
Wayne narrowed his eyes. “The old Wayne is still lurking. Careful.”
Jonty grinned and went back to the office to continue planning the party.
Mike had got back to him with the numbers of teens he thought might want the work and Jonty contacted all of them, including the woman who could do make-up. He needed to know how long it took to turn someone into a zombie because if it took too long, he’d have to resort to masks. Jonty ordered some anyway because if anyone was allergic to face paint, he’d need an alternative.
There was so much cool Halloween stuff online, including yet another costume for himself that he had to order because he couldn’t resist, along with Devan’s cape, fangs, adhesive and fake blood. He wondered about jointed metallic covers for Devan’s fingers, which would look really good but he’d have to take them off if he needed a pee, and if he forgot it might be tricky, so maybe not practical. Jonty couldn’t resist pointed pixie ears and a remote-control hand that skittered not just across the floor but somehow up walls. Ditto with large, hairy spiders.
He bought five bat drones and a bag of large plastic bones. He wanted the bones for the hot tub, along with non-staining dye so he could turn the water red. Then he added green dye to the shopping basket to use in the waterfall in reception. He was fairly certain Devan wouldn’t approve of transforming the hotel pool into a green swamp or a red lava lake, so he set that thought aside, though he still bought two of each colour dye. Foam gravestones went in the basket too and all sorts of decorations, big and small.
Alan’s mention of adding a murder-mystery element to the night was a little more difficult. With so many guests, Jonty couldn’t see how it would work in the conventional way. On the other hand, a little drama or piece of musical theatre played out every fifteen minutes or so before the food was served might be fun. He emailed Mike and Willis, and Tay and Ink to confirm whether they’d be interested in some amateur dramatics or musical performance and if they’d please make it up themselves, then got side tracked writing out a scene for him and Devan. Devan would be the blood-thirsty vampire and Jonty would be a pixie-eared angel, ravished by… Er, on second thought, maybe that wasn’t suitable for public viewing.
Jonty planned to turn the bathrooms on the ground floor into crime scenes, lots of bloody handprints and footprints, and red lipstick on the mirrors. He’d have speakers broadcasting screams and cries and ghostly howls all over the ground floor and outside. He wasn’t short of ideas. It was more of a problem figuring out just how much he should do, how much he could afford to do, and whether he was doing too much.
While he didn’t intend to decorate the guest rooms, he did want the public rooms to be creepy and he fell down the rabbit hole of YouTube as he read how to create special effects with animated figures. Then he became absorbed in researching spooky tableware, skeletal-hands serving spoons, bat-bedecked candelabras, floating candles, dry-ice machines, mysterious lights in the sky, full-size skeletons of humans, birds and animals. Stick-on decals for walls and doors, and—Oh fuck, music! He needed to sort that right now.