Alice had enlisted the help of Ella in her second hour of searching for Dana, and had her begin to ring every hotel available in London… a very big task, even bigger considering that not many hotels would give out the room details of a famous tennis player to the general public.

“Al neither of us are going to find her this way,” Ella stated simply over the phone as she looked at the almost unending list of hotels in London. “Is there anywhere she has stayed before? Or any place which caters specifically to the people who were playing in her tennis tournament?”

Suddenly the tiny little light bulb in Alice‘s head went off as she remembered that the Meriot Hotel was sponsoring the tournament. And sponsorship, Alice remembered Dana telling her once, meant free accommodation for the players.

“Meriot,” Alice said suddenly over the phone. “Try the Meriot. And ask for Alice Pieszecki, not Dana Fairbanks. She uses my name as her alias.”

“That’s kind of cute in a freaky way,” Ella commented over the phone before hanging up. During the time Ella took to ring the hotel, Alice had driven to the Meriot and had parked the car, waiting for Ella’s confirmation that this was the right place. She jumped in anticipation as her phone began to ring and fumbled with the answer button.

“She’s there Al. Room 145″

“Thank you Ella,” Alice’s whole body was shaking. “I’m going to go now.”

Alice hung up the phone, got out of the car and raced into the Meriot. Her mind was a blur as she got into the elevator and before she knew it she was standing outside of Room 145, knocking frantically on the door, unsure of what she was going to say to Dana when she opened it.

“Hold on, hold on,” Dana’s familiar voice sounded on the other side of the door, causing goose bumps to quickly appear on Alice’s arms. She watched as Dana opened the door, her face full of shock as she realised that Alice was standing before her.

“I… I ah..” Alice took a breath, trying to figure out what she was going to say. Her left hand, which had been forced into the back pocket of her jeans, came across Dana’s locket, and she pulled it out and held it in front of her. “You forgot this.”