By Tracy Clark
Another nice author event is under my belt. I had the pleasure of having a nice conversation about books and writing with best-selling author David Ellis, judge by day, writer by night. Nice person. Wonderful writer. Good stories.
The event was the Totally Criminal Cocktail Hour, a longstanding gathering of crime and mystery lovers. The attendees were welcoming and engaged. I love readers.
The venue, though. Let’s talk about it.
The event was at the Lowell Inn in Stillwater, Minnesota, which required that I stay overnight in the land of 10,000 lakes. Stillwater was founded on the lumber business. It’s right by the river. It’s small, but mighty with lots of history to toss around.
Keeping things simple, I made a reservation at the Lowell. I figured, one stop, in and out. Easy-peasy lemon squeezy.
It wasn’t until after I booked that I came across an account of the Lowell that pegged it for being one of the most haunted hotels in Stillwater. And, apparently, there are other hotels in Stillwater with this colorful reputation. I had a moment of pause. How easy did I need this quick trip to be?
Fine. Whatever. Every place has got its thing, right? On a scale that ranged from uniquely quirky to full-on Stanley spooked, the Lowell appeared to be fairly tame, so I let the reservation stand.
It turned out the Lowell did have a vibe, but a comfy feel. Quaint. Historic. Antique furniture. Creaky floors, old-fashioned door keys, lot of things to look at, friendly hosts. It’s a cool place for the living and, perhaps, any dead person who might have stuck around after their funeral.
The Lowell’s a calm, quiet spot for a weekend getaway, so if you’re ever up there, check it out. The Lowell folks are very friendly.
Did I get freaked out at their haunted reputation? Moi? Chicago-hardened, a skeptic even in the cradle? Maybe a little. I did check under the bed; in case Casper had gotten the wrong room. Better safe than sorry, right?
But the Lowell was great. The event was great. David was great. The readers were great. The pizza I ordered for dinner while I worked on my latest revisions (not deep-dish. Whaaa?) was good.
However.
I don’t think I imagined the three knocks at my door at 9:13 p.m.
Three knocks. Just three, no follow-ups, and then nothing else the rest of the evening.
Ghosts are hilarious, aren’t they? They have nothing else to do for all of eternity but mess with the living. What cutups. Hahaha. Regular Totie Fields, they are.
I’m dropping a couple photos. Check out that hallway to my room and that wooden thing that sat at the end of the hall. Zoom in. Yeah, that.
Nice touch, Lowell, nice touch.
Would you ever stay in a potentially haunted hotel?
Tracy Clark, a native Chicagoan, is the author of the Cass Raines Chicago Mystery series and the Det. Harriet Foster series. A multi-nominated Anthony, Lefty, Edgar, Macavity, and Shamus Award finalist, Tracy is also the 2020 and 2022 winner of the G.P. Putnam’s Sons Sue Grafton Memorial Award. She is a member of Crime Writers of Color, Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime.
So, Tracey, what were you “afraid” to find if you had opened the door when you heard those 3 knocks? No wonder that hotel has a haunted reputation. Did any of the other mystery writers experience a similar episode? Just wondered.
I was not about to find out. If any ghosts were going to get me, I was going to make them work for it. I wasn’t just going to open the door and let them in. Nah, nobody else copped to being squeamish about the potential for visits from long-ago guests who checked in and then failed to check out. I’m chalking this up to a singular experience … and an active imagination.
I thought our supposedly haunted hotel in New Orleans had a ghost in the room when the TV turned on by itself two days in a row. Turned out that while looking for closed captions I had accidentally turned on a timer of sorts!