20 May 2026
Wednesday. The chandeliers dipped tonight, as they sometimes do. A grand hotel has moods, like any grande dame.
The lighting in the hotel is arranged for atmosphere, and there may be moments of darkness, and moments when the light flickers. Anyone who is troubled by flashing light should tell the management before booking. I do not care for it myself, but then I spend most of my evenings on a staircase.
A gentleman named Ezekiel asked me, before he went up, what would happen if he needed to leave in the middle of it all. Simple, I said. There are buttons in the suite for that purpose; press one and someone will see you out. Nobody is kept in the hotel against their will. That is my job, and I am very bad at it.
Someone is watching the whole hour on the cameras in any case, which is a great comfort to the suspects and a great annoyance to me, as I would like to know what they say about me when I am not there.
— Insp. A. Brochard, Gendarmerie
