The Hooker Hotel(Annie England) THE HOOKER HOTEL

I turned 12 years old last month in June 1946 and was enjoying lazy days of summer. My house looked over our lake, which shimmered in the early morning sun, waking and inviting me to go swimming, boating, or fishing. After taking another snooze, I decided it was time to get up and get ready for Natalie, my girlfriend, who was coming to spend the afternoon with me.

Mother called and said, “Annie, I’ve ordered Chinese food from Hotel Hooker’s restaurant. Please get ready to take the eleven-thirty bus to Willimantic to pick it up."

“But Natalie is coming, and we plan to go swimming in our lake.”

With her beautiful smile, Mother said, “Call her and tell her to come later this afternoon. After the bus drops you off, pick up our food, and take the return bus back home. You should be back here around one o’clock, which will give you a whole afternoon to spend with Natalie. Honey, I really have a craving for Chinese. But first, come downstairs and have some breakfast.”

We lived in a small country farming area in Franklin, Connecticut. The closest town was Willimantic, about ten miles away. We did not have restaurants in Franklin.

The aroma of pancakes and bacon beckoned me to the kitchen, where I consumed them with gusto while looking out at the lake.

Mother said, “Almost time to go.” She gave me two dollars to pay for food and twenty cents for a two-way bus fare.

I picked up my purse and walked out the front door to wait for the bus. I always looked forward to bus rides. I knew most of the passengers and liked to hear neighborhood gossip.

Nosy Mrs. Manning sat at the front of the bus. She said, “Good morning Annie. What are you going to do in Willimantic?”

I had to be polite. I smiled and said, “I’m going to pick up some Chinese food for my mother at the Hooker Hotel restaurant.”

She shook a finger at me and said, “You shouldn’t go near that place. There are all sorts of hoodlums hanging out there, and you might get in trouble.”

Everyone called her the town gossip. We were on a three-way telephone party line with her. She frequently interrupted our conversations to say she wanted the line.

“I’ll be careful and come back home on the return bus.” I took a book from my purse and started to read it, hoping she would stop talking to me. I became engrossed in ‘A Tree Grows in Brooklyn,' and Mrs. Manning left me alone.

After a twenty-minute drive, the bus driver let me off at the old Hooker Hotel. While I waited for the Chef to prepare and wrap our food, I heard sounds of sirens and the beat of footsteps running through the hotel lobby. Policemen with pistols and nightsticks raced up the stairs to the rooms above. I froze with fright and hugged the wall.

An older waitress took my hand and said, “Young lady, come with me. I want you to be safe." She led me into the restaurant and seated me in a booth.

I trembled and wanted to run out of the hotel or hide behind a table or a drape. I remembered what Mrs. Manning said about hoodlums and worried I might get attacked.

I said, “My mother expects me to come home on the next bus, and she will be worried if I don’t show up.”

"Give me your phone number, and I'll call her. My name is Vickie. I'll take care of you.”

After she called Mother, she returned with a soda and sat down with me. I heard a lot of commotion in the hotel and asked her, “What happened?”

“Someone murdered a man in room 52, which is a very unlucky room. There have been other fights in this room, usually between people who have been drinking too much. And we have the third murder in that room. An ambulance just arrived to take him away.”

I started to tremble and cry, saying, "I just want to go home. But I need to pick up Chinese food for my Mother and catch the next bus. Can you help me?” I handed her two dollars to pay for the food.

Vickie took my hand, and we picked up food at the restaurant counter. She walked me through the crowded lobby where the police and firemen were talking with other hotel employees.

A guest said, “The next bus should be here in 15 minutes. You’ll be home soon.”

When the bus dropped me off at my house, I ran inside to Mother and put the food on the table. She opened her arms wide as I fell into them, sobbing with relief to be home.

“Mother, there was a murder at that hotel.”

Holding me, she said, "I know, my dear. Vicki called and told me what happened, and she would care for you. Now forget about that, and let’s have some good Chinese food. Oh, I called Natalie and told her not to come today.”

I became sick to my stomach. The smell of the food reminded me of Hotel Hooker. I said, “I can’t eat right now. I‘m going to my room to rest.”

When Daddy came home from work, I told him what happened.

He pulled me into his arms and shouted, “That’s the last time you are going there." His eyes flashed with anger as he said, "I’ve heard there are always fights at that sorry place. The town needs to shut it down before there are more murders. That old hotel is run down. Sleazy people stay there and hang around at the bar. I plan to talk to the Mayor and request that the place be shut down.”

Mother put her arms around Daddy and said, "Now calm down, Gus. Annie is fine." Mother always tried to be a peacemaker. She continued, "Why don't you tell her about the history of that old place?"

I sat on his lap as he composed himself, took a deep breath, and said, “Let’s see. Built by Seth Hooker around 1887 and considered the finest hotel between New York and Boston. The first hotel in Connecticut to have electricity, and it featured 100 luxurious rooms. It has deteriorated due to lack of care, and I hear illegal activities go on in there."

There was a knock on the door. Our Polish neighbor, Mr. Karl Kowalski, came in with fresh corn from his garden.

"Welcome, Karl,” Daddy said. “Thank you for the beautiful yellow corn. Annie, I think you should go upstairs to your room and have a little nap.”

I knew he wanted to talk alone with Mr. Kowalski, but I hid behind a stairwell door and listened.

“You're welcome, Gus.”

“There was another murder at Hooker Hotel today. Annie was there when they discovered a man’s body."

Karl shook his head and replied, “My sister is a cook at their restaurant. I already heard all about it. You know that hotel is well-known for its prostitutes. Apparently, one of them was with the murdered man when the man's wife entered his room.”

“How did she know about his affair?”

“She hired a private detective to follow him, and I guess he had been meeting several prostitutes. The detective let her know that her husband could be found in room 52 at the Hooker today, drinking with one of those girls. Evidently, she couldn’t take his cheating anymore, so she took a pair of garden shears from her garage and marched into his hotel room. The girl was passed out, and the husband lay naked, spread-eagled across the bed, obviously drunk. She used her shears to cut off his manhood as he awoke screaming. He bled a terrible death.”

Although I was only twelve years old, I understood what had happened. I would tell Natalie all about it.

I heard Daddy moan and say, "Oh my God, I can imagine the pain and the knowledge that his life was ending. Hell hath no fury......do we know who this man is?"

Karl said, “He lived in town and dealt in drugs, specializing in heroin. His name was Harry Hughes.”

“Good riddance! That’s it! Lena and I will pick up the food from now on.”

I decided to take that nap and crept up the stairs to my room. I vowed I would never eat Chinese food again.

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