Deadly Reservation

by CeeCee James

  “Shh,” I told the dog, “It’s just the pizza guy.” I hovered over the peephole and saw a guy with a baseball cap holding a pizza box. Excited for food, I opened the door. The smell of melted cheese and tomato sauce greeted me.

  “Hi!” I said, reaching for the box.

  I paused. Something about his appearance startled me.

  The guy wasn’t wearing a pizza uniform. Just a plain white t-shirt and jeans clad his lean, youthful frame.

  “Your pizza, ma’am.” His eyes were hidden by the brim of his cap.

  “Okay …” Suddenly, I didn’t want to invite him in. Paranoid or not, my warning bells were ringing. “Just let me get my purse.”

  I stepped back and nearly tripped over Bingo, who’d crowded behind me to meet his new friend bringing this delectable treat.

  “That’ll be twelve fifty-eight,” he said, his voice sounding like he was in his early twenties. My mind was taking inventory.

  He glanced up with a quick smile before ducking his head again shyly.

  Oh, for crying out loud. Not everything is a mystery, Maisie!

  Yeah, well, I could argue with myself about that all night.

  “Just one second!” I said, closing the door slightly. I didn't care if it was rude. This dude was creepy. “Scoot, Bingo,” I scolded the dog, before hurrying to my purse on the kitchen table. The hair prickled on the back of my neck. I didn’t like being that far away from the door, and grabbed my purse rather than rummaging for the money.

  What was that? Did I just hear the door open more?

  Apprehension made my heart speed up as I rounded the corner. Sure enough, the door was opened, and he was in my front hall, bent over to pet Bingo, who was sniffing his shoes.

  Cold chills washed over me. Holding my purse between us, I walked up.

  He glanced at me. “Your dog is real sweet.”

  “Thanks.”

  He stood and held out the pizza box. I continued to search through my purse, cursing myself for having such an enormous bag. Can’t find anything in here.

  Finally, I fished out a twenty. “Here,” I passed it over. “Keep the change.” I just wanted him out.

  “Thanks,” he said, passing me the box. “You eating this all by yourself?”

  “No, my boyfriend is in the shower.” I felt my cheeks flush with the lie.

  “Really?” He arched an eyebrow like he knew I was lying. I was starting to feel very uncomfortable.

  “Okay, well, have a pleasant night and thank you again.” I walked toward him intending to back him out the door. Bingo again became tangled in my feet.

  “Bingo, go lie down!”

  In a blur, the front door was slammed, and I was pushed against the wall. The pizza fell to the floor. I felt something cold against my throat. His face was inches from mine.

  “That’s a knife you feel,” he said, and I smelled cigarette smoke. “Where’s the necklace?”

  Chapter 23

  I swallowed hard, wincing at the feel of the sharp metal against my skin. “I don’t have it.” The words were raspy from his pressure.

  “What?” He eased up a little.

  “I don’t have it. I don’t have the necklace.”

  “You know where it is then.”

  “The Fairchilds.” The knife pressed harder, cutting off my next words.

  “They don’t have it. I sent someone to steal it,” he hissed in my ear, his breath hot against my face.

  I struggled to talk. “It’s back with them. At the hospital. They took it back.”

  He stepped away, staring at me. I rubbed my throat with a hand trembling like a leaf, staring at him, wondering what he was going to do next.

  His breathing came out in bellows, getting louder, louder, nostrils flared. Suddenly, he burst out with a string of curses and ended it by driving the knife into the wall. Wrenching it out, he glared at me, his eyes rimmed in red.

  “Get your purse.” He pointed to where I’d dropped it on the ground. “You’re coming with me.”

  I picked up my purse, and he grabbed me by my arm. With firm steps, he propelled me to the sliding glass door. I felt a sharp stab in my side, and tears came to my eyes.

  “No funny business or this is going all the way in,” he growled in my ear. I opened the door, and we headed out into the dusky light.

  “Get your keys out,” he muttered. “Take me to your car.”

  Any hope I had in leading him aimlessly through the parking lot was destroyed as he propelled me to my car.

  “What do you want from me?” I asked, still in shock, as we reached the car.

  “Get in,” he said. He waited until I was in with the seat belt fastened before he got in behind me. The knife was back at my throat. “Back up, nice and easy. Careful with the brakes, or you’re going to get hurt.”

  I backed out and drove to the entrance. I could barely hang on to the steering wheel, my hands were sweating so badly.

  “Where do you want me to go?”

  “Just one place, sweetheart. The Holy King Church. We’ve got business to finish.”

  That gave me time. Ten minutes of time to figure this out. There had to be some way.

  The knife pressed against my neck again. I held my head frozen against the seat, not even daring to move to check for traffic.

  We drove silently for the next five minutes. He didn’t say anything, but I could tell his face was close to mine by the sound of his breathing.

  “How—” the knife pressed harder against my skin at my words as I startled him. It eased up, and I continued. “How did you know I was ordering pizza?”

  He laughed. “I’ve been watching you all week. I watched your mom leave and knew you were alone. When the pizza guy showed up, I saw my chance. Paid him off and brought it to you myself.”

  “I don’t have the necklace,” I stated again. “I’m telling you that Mrs. Fairchild has it back.”

  “Has it back?” his voice was confused.

  “Yeah, from the person who had stolen it from her safe.”

  He started to laugh. Deep, belly laughter. I felt the knife scrape up and down my throat as he laughed. Adrenaline made me shake against my seatbelt.

  “Uh, how old are you?” he asked.

  “Thirty-five,” I whispered.

  “And you saw the necklace,” Sarcasm dripped through his voice.

  “William had it when he went to the hospital.”

  “He didn’t have the necklace.”

  I was silent. It wasn’t worth arguing, not when every word felt like a life or death choice.

  “You’re so foolish,” the man whispered again, his voice slithering against my skin like a snake’s tongue. “It was fake.”

  I swallowed and tried to force my breathing to be even.

  “Because, the last time I saw her, she was wearing it.”

  “Who are you?” I whispered.

  “You can’t tell by now? I’m the black sheep. The one they ran out of town. But guess what? I’m back.” He waited a second for me to guess, and then said, “My name is Rob.”

  Chapter 24

  Rob. My brain frantically tried to put the puzzle pieces together. Rob the ex-boyfriend, the one who’d gotten her into trouble. The one the Fairchilds ran out of town. Scott had said he was down south.

  “How do you know William?” I said. “You said you sent someone to steal the necklace. Was it him?”

  “Good ol’ Will. I knew him from school so when he rolled into town looking for a sponsor for our little gambling circle, well, I was happy to oblige. Until he got himself into some trouble. He had to repay his debt. I knew about the necklace from when Natalie and I were together, so I sent him up here to steal it. But when I went to his hotel to collect, he didn’t have it.”

  “How did you poison him?”

  His voice deepened, “Hey buddy, you got a cigarette I can bum?” I recognized Scott slightly and realized he was imitating William. “I left the pack in the hotel.”

  “W
hy Natalie?” I asked. We’d reached the gravel driveway. He moved the knife farther from me to prevent cutting my throat on accident. I appreciated that.

  “Why poison Natalie? Well, I had to get the necklace, right? And I knew if William had a fake, then she must have the real one.”

  The church was up ahead, looming like a black shadow against the darkening sky.

  “Park here,” he said.

  I did as he said.

  “Get out,” he commanded.

  I undid my seatbelt and climbed out, with him following after me.

  “Like I said,” Rob continued. “I knew she must have it. So, I gave her a call. Told her we had some things to talk about. I asked her to wear the dress she had on when I first met her, a white one. Told her to bring the necklace, too.”

  “Why would she meet you? Why would she do that?”

  “Simple. I told her if she didn’t cooperate I was putting a hit out on her boyfriend.” He grimaced. “She was willing to do anything for him.”

  “Can you blame her? You got her into trouble.”

  “She snitched on me. Blamed me as part of her plea deal. Because of fear of what her family would do with the necklace if she didn’t comply. I was eighteen. I went to jail for eight months, and my home was taken away. Everyone turned their back on me, because they worship the Fairchilds. I was forced out of my town. Ruined my life. But yet, here she was, willing to give up the necklace for her new boyfriend?” He swore quietly. “I knew one day I’d be back. I knew I’d get my revenge.”

  “So, you took her …”

  “I picked her up and took her to the church. I saw the necklace around her neck. We went down to the water. She was shaking so bad.” He stared at me. “Just like you.”

  I pressed my hands against my legs and tried to look strong.

  He smiled like he knew what I was doing, then continued. “I got some flowers to put in her hair, and gave her a nice long drink of water from a bottle. I’d lined the inside of the the lid with poison. She passed out, and I carried her out to the rock. Put the flowers in her hair. And then I went to take the necklace,” his lip curled in an ugly way. “Luciana must have stolen it because it was gone.” His voice dripped with sarcasm.

  “So why me? What do you want from me?”

  “I heard you talking with Natalie today. I know she told you where she hid it.”

  “No!” I shook my head. “She didn’t say anything to me.”

  “I was standing right outside the door listening. I heard her answer. Now you’re going to look for it like your life depends on it.” He laughed. “Because it does.”

  He’d been the one standing by the food carts. “She didn’t tell me anything. I don’t know where to look.”

  “I heard rumors you found something while you were here.”

  “A cigarette butt, probably yours!” Desperation threaded through my voice. “I didn’t find anything but garbage!”

  “Let me put it this way. You find the necklace, and I’ll leave all of you alone. I’ll disappear, and you’ll never hear another word from me. You don’t find it, and they’ll all pay. Including your mom and that cute dog of yours.”

  “Why is it so important to you?”

  “Important? Two million dollars’ worth of revenge, that’s what it is to me. When I saw Will wanting to join the same gambling ring as me, I knew fate was giving me that chance. They stole my life from me, I’d get back at them by taking their most prized possession.”

  “An object of pride? The Fairchilds threaten to destroy it again and again.”

  “They never would. They practically worship their heritage.”

  As he was talking, I looked through the woods. Can I run from him? Am I fast enough? Can I hide?

  “What are you looking at?”

  “You told me you brought me here to find something, so I’m looking.”

  “Come on. Let’s go.” He prodded me a little. Taking a deep breath, I walked up the church steps.

  Where am I going to find this necklace? This place has a million hiding spots.

  “Did you two come through here?” I asked.

  “We did.” His eyes took a reminiscing look.

  “It’s half-past seven. Soon it’s going to be too dark to see anything,” I said.

  “I’ve got a flashlight.” He pulled a headlamp out, and we walked into the church building.

  The air was cooler in here. There was enough light shining through the window from summer’s dusk to see by. Our steps echoed against the flagstones.

  “Did she wander around in here?” I asked.

  He nodded to the crucifix on the wall. “She went over and touched that.”

  Swallowing hard, I glanced at him and walked to the cross. I reached out to touch it, trying to see if she could have hidden it behind there. The stone was cold under my fingers and the relic firmly affixed to the wall. I spun in a slow circle, eyeing the stones for anything that appeared loose.

  “Do you know if she had the necklace on in here?” I asked.

  “I saw the chain on her neck. We sat over there and talked for a while.”

  “What did you talk about?”

  “What did we talk about.” He looked through the open window. I glanced at the door. Could I run for it? Too late, his gaze was back at me again. “We talked about life, what happened to us after the drug bust. I actually lived at this church for a few days, back when I got out of jail. I told her I wanted to show her where I’d stayed.” He gestured toward the back door with his head. “Come on. I’ll show you.”

  Chapter 25

  We took the path in the back of the building, down toward the fresh water pool and spring.

  “Do you think she dropped it on this path?” I asked

  “We’ll start where I left her and work our way back,” he said.

  We climbed down the bank and walked along the creek’s edge. I kept an eye out for hiding places along the way, looking for anything that stood out. As soon as the rock’s surface came into view, I felt a lump in my throat. I could still see her in my mind’s eye, clutching the handful of flowers.

  I shook my head, trying to physically remove the image.

  Focus. My nerves were making me a mess.

  “Is it out there?” I asked, pointing to the rock.

  “I looked. She didn’t have it after I laid her there.”

  Still shaking, my gaze bounced around through the foliage. But, with him right behind me, I didn’t see a way of escape. Resigned, I began poking around for where Natalie could have hidden the necklace. As Rob watched me, I checked under bushes, kicked around the leaves and pine needles, and even bent down to my hands and knees to look for anything unnatural on the ground.

  I started to stand when I saw the stick. Three feet long, and sturdy like a bat. My hand moved toward it.

  “I wouldn't do that if I were you,” Rob warned.

  I tried to swallow, but my mouth was too dry. My fingers twisted nervously in the hem of my shirt. I didn’t know where else to look now, and I didn’t know what would happen next.

  “She thought she was too good for me,” Rob’s voice was dull, with no inflection of emotion. “I was the scumbag she used to get back at her family. And when she didn’t have any more use for me, she threw me to the wolves. She wasn’t loyal. “

  “She was young.” It wasn’t much, but I thought it might be a comfort.

  “I was young,” he yelled back. “Natalie’s uncle was friends with the DA. They made charges up and made them stick for things I didn’t even do. I was just like Natalie, at the wrong place at the wrong time. Just looking to have a little fun with the dumb naiveté of a kid. I was still a good kid back then, despite what her family thought of me. I got decent grades. Had plans to go to college.” His eyes narrowed, and his voice lowered bitterly. “By the time the Fairchilds were done with me, I didn’t have a chance.”

  His eyes blinked hard, his jaw moving back and forth as he ground his teeth. The longer I was
with him, the more agitated and jumpy he was acting. I knew he had drug issues, but I didn't know if he was having withdrawals or was messed up at that moment. I wasn't sure if that mattered, either.

  “I’m sorry,” I whispered.

  His gaze caught mine again. “Keep looking.”

  I closed my eyes for a moment. I could hear the creek rushing by and the cicadas in the trees. I could feel the salty breeze coming from the ocean in the distance.

  “It is beautiful here,” he whispered. “Like she was. That’s why I put flowers in her hair. To honor her beauty.”

  By now, we were back at the pool, and I saw the flowers that he was talking about. The same white ones fluttering in the light breeze that I’d day-dreamed about in what now felt like a lifetime ago.

  My gaze sharpened. Suddenly, I knew where the necklace was.

  But do I get it? Do I risk it? Will he really let me go?

  I licked my dry lips and looked at Rob. He was studying me, had been watching me the whole time. Goosebumps trickled down my arms.

  He withdrew his knife from his pocket and flicked it open. Still looking at me, he tossed it up in the air—end over end— and caught it. His intimidating show of how very comfortable he was with a knife worked, and I shivered.

  “You see something of interest? Maybe you should go check it out.”

  I heard a rustling sound behind me and turned. Like a gray wolf, a man dressed in rags leaped out and caught Rob around the neck. The man pushed Rob into the water, carrying me with them.

  Immediately, I found myself underwater. Cold, wet, blind. I thrashed around, trying to figure out which way was up or down in the inky blackness of the pool. Water filled my ears and burbled around me. Above me, the surface looked like a silver moon. I kicked as hard as I could to reach it.

  Something stopped me abruptly. Like an anchor on my leg, Rob had grabbed me, his eyes wide and panicked looking. I realized he couldn’t swim and was using me to try to climb to the surface. In his steel-like grip, we would both drown.

  I kicked and twisted, but it was no use. We began to sink. The edges of my vision slowly began to fuzz out.