by A. Gardner
Hopefully I would survive until then.
CHAPTER TEN
My hands shook when I walked back through the staff hallway. I shoved them in my pockets and looked over my shoulder every five seconds. When I passed the lockers in the employee break room and lounge I was too nervous to look at mine in case the first letter came with a part two. The phone rang and Eli poked his head out from around the corner. He was holding a cup of coffee and chewing on another dinner roll from the kitchen. I walked past him and headed for the exit.
"Hello?" Eli said. "Yeah. Yeah. Hold on." He set the phone down. "Hey, Essie!"
"What?"
"Some chick named Taryn wants to know where the spare key is to the equipment closet."
"I've told her this a million times," I muttered. "Tell her it's in my office. Bottom drawer on the left."
"Got it." Eli repeated my instructions into the phone as I opened the back door leading into the staff parking lot.
The wind brushed across my cheeks and snowflakes rested on my nose. The snow was starting to pick up and the sky was turning light gray. I walked along the shoveled path along the outer rim of the hotel. I pulled my hands out of my pockets and rubbed them together for warmth. The back door zipped open. I stopped and rolled my eyes, hearing Eli's voice calling my name again.
"Wait a second," he shouted. I took a few steps away from the wall of the hotel and stood there waiting as icy water droplets thumped my head from icicles hanging right above me.
"Let me guess," I said. "Taryn can't find the key and she needs me to go up there and look for her?"
"Uh…" Eli shrugged and nodded, seeing the frustration on my face. "She said she's in your office and she can't find it."
"Fine," I sighed. I took a deep breath, taking one last look over my shoulder. No sign of the black BMW or the mystery tourist journalist and possible stalker John Slagger.
The moment I stepped back towards the building again a loud thwack boomed right next to me. I let out a scream as snow burst upwards from thing that had fallen. My blood pumped vigorously through my body as a surge of adrenaline pulsed through me. My torso felt like it was on fire. I shook my head to get rid of the annoying ringing in my ears.
"Essie!" Eli yelled.
"I'm okay," I replied, out of breath. I looked down at the icy parking lot and saw a chunk of ice cracked into pieces. A forty five pound barbell plate had plunged from an upstairs window and landed in the spot where I was once standing. I looked up wanting to see a malicious face, but the sky was clear. I forced myself to look again.
No one was looking down at me.
There was no sign of any movement in the upstairs windows. I gulped and looked back at Eli. He raced towards me and stared down at the weight with a bewildered look on his face. He kicked it and looked up.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"Yeah," I assured him.
"Just think," he said quietly. "If I didn't call you back inside…"
"Who knows what might have happened." Still shaking, I followed Eli inside. Whoever wanted to silence me must have been pretty desperate. Dropping a weight on someone's head at precisely the right moment was a shot in the dark unless the killer had done this sort of thing before. Please don't tell me we're dealing with a seasoned criminal here.
"Is Taryn still on the phone?" I asked him. He rushed to the receiver and listened.
"Taryn?" Eli nodded. "She's still waiting.
"Tell her I'll be right there."
Before Eli hung up I ran through the staff hallway and all the way to the stairwell. My body was so adrenalized from the shock that I needed to wear myself out before I could calm down. I ran up the stairs two at a time. My breathing quickened, but I didn't let it stop me. I climbed higher and higher determined to put this mystery to rest once and for all. I didn't know who tried to kill me, but I did know that I'd tangled myself in a deadly web that I didn't want to be in. I didn't feel in control anymore, and that unsteady feeling was beginning to eat away at me.
When I reached the upper level where the fitness studio was I burst through the doors and stopped in the empty hallway. My office was across from the private gym where I trained clients. I jogged towards the gym with clenched fists.
It was empty.
I checked every barbell and every set of weighted plates. One set was missing a forty-five pounder.
I gulped, glancing out the window at the spot below where I'd been standing moments ago. It would have been easy to open the window and through something down. If chance hadn't have been on my side today, it probably would have worked.
I caught my breath before I walked casually over to my office. I caught a glimpse of Taryn in her green trainer polo and matching sneakers. She was sitting at my desk strumming her fingers on the surface as she waited on the phone. She grunted, hung up, and dialed again. This time someone answered.
"She's coming right?" Taryn said. She shook her head. "That's not funny, Eli. Is she coming or not? Quit joking around."
"I'm here," I said, stepping into the office. Taryn acted like her usual self. Firm and impatient when it came to business.
"Good." She stood up. "I was hoping Eli caught you in time. I can't find that stupid key and I have Mrs. Larado coming in twenty minutes with two of her friends."
"If it's not in the drawer, I must have left it in my purse," I responded, observing her movements. "Have you been here the whole time?"
"Yeah, why?" She folded her arms and noticed that I was out of breath. "Is everything okay?
"So you didn't see anybody in the gym just now?"
"No." A look of concern crossed her face. "Is someone in there? I didn't hear anything."
"Someone was I think," I replied. And they tried to kill me.
"Oh, sorry about that boss."
Taryn called me boss when she thought she was in trouble. I took a deep breath and tilted my head towards the exit. I walked cautiously back to the staircase letting her follow me. She jogged down the stairs next to me like nothing was wrong.
"This morning was pretty busy so I threw my purse in a locker and forgot all about the key," I commented, breaking the silence.
"That stupid Eli kid said something about you being scared for your life. He's always stirring up trouble."
"Well, he wasn't far off," I replied.
"Huh?"
The two of us came to the bottom of the staircase. Taryn stopped as I opened the door and headed down the staff hallway. I walked so fast that she had a hard time keeping up with me. I concentrated on getting to my destination. My cheeks were warm and my head was starting to hurt.
I turned the corner and stepped into the staff lounge where the lockers were. Eli was standing with his arms crossed talking to Patrick. My heart jumped. Patrick's eyes went wide when he saw me. He had a grave look of concern on his face. His eyes studied the length of my body as if making sure I truly was all in one piece.
"Essie," he gasped. "Are you okay?"
"What are you doing here?"
"I saw him coming in from finishing a run and I told him what happened," Eli admitted.
"What's going on?" Taryn whispered. "Don't tell me the little twerp was telling the truth." She waited for me to reassure her it was all a prank, but I folded my arms and thought carefully about what to do next. Should I quit or should I stay? "Oh no, it is true," Taryn muttered.
"That's it," Patrick stated. His cheeks were rosy from the cold. "I'm going to tell Lila that we have to cancel the wedding. I can't have any more people getting hurt like this."
"Patrick," I blurted out. "You don't have to do that. I'll just … just tell Lila that I'm sorry."
"No," he argued. "I'm not going to sit back and watch history repeat itself." He stepped forward and grabbed my arm. My chest fluttered as I watched his hand squeeze my bicep. "Come on, we're going to the police station to report this."
A lot of good that'll do.
Patrick looked at me and immediately pulled me close to him in a tight
embrace. I remained stiff at first, not wanting to let myself spiral back into the same thought process from high school. Always analyzing every word Patrick said to me. Always doubting myself. But after smelling his woodsy cologne and feeling the heat that radiated through his core against my own, I caved and hugged him back. For a brief moment, I closed my eyes. When I opened them, Taryn and Eli were gawking at the two of us. I automatically pulled away.
"No, I'll go to the station alone." I took a few steps back. "And … don't call off the wedding because of me, Patrick. You should do what you think is best." I nodded and reassured the three of them I really was okay before I went back outside to warm up my car. A snowflake touched my skin and reminded me how things used to be around here before Patrick came back. Things were less complicated, and I wasn't in a state of severe paranoia. I wanted to lock myself in my apartment and wait for the weekend to be over.
Patrick, Eli and Taryn all watched as I walked through the parking lot. I glanced up at the sky as if another weight might drop from the heavens. I reminded myself that as long as I was far, far away from the hotel, that wasn't possible unless a helicopter flew by. And if something heavy did fall on me from heaven itself, I should accept that it was really my time to go.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
I almost had a heart attack when I got back to my apartment and saw the figure of a man leaning by the front door. I reached into my coat pretending I had some sort of weapon hidden away for situations like these. All I found were a pair of gloves and stick of cinnamon-flavored gum. At least my breath would smell like Christmas if something were to happen to me.
I exhaled a sigh of relief the moment I recognized the man looking back at me. His jeans were worn and his boots glistened from trudging through the snow. His breath was visible as he exhaled and eagerly waited for me to unlock my door. I looked over my shoulder one last time before I gave him my full attention.
"Wade," I said quietly. "You better hope Mrs. Tankle didn't see you." My landlady was fully aware of the ups and downs of Wade and Joy's relationship. Hearing a heated couple screaming at each other through the walls because one of them forgot to fill the tank with gas was bad for business. More than once a customer of The Painted Deer has complained.
"That nosey old bat is still running this place?" He glanced down the stairs and towards the bookshop underneath my apartment.
"Yep," I informed him. "And she dislikes you just as much as my sister does."
"I'm pretty sure that's not true." He leaned in as I opened the door to my apartment and let him in.
Wade was never one for giving a girl her personal space. He's the type of person who sits a little too close to you on the couch, leans in just a little too close during a conversation, and hovers too much when he is curious. Though even I can’t deny that he is attractive in his own rugged way, I think he only does those things to get a reaction out of people.
Well, a reaction out of women.
If it wasn't still winter, his shirt would be off. And most likely his pants.
"You are probably right." I took off my coat and tossed it on a kitchen chair next to one of Joy's. Her things were usually scattered around the apartment. "Is there a word for when you beyond hate somebody?"
"Our marriage," he joked. Wade helped himself to contents of my fridge. He looked past my bottles of vitamin water and homemade chocolate chia pudding with a frown on his face. "What's all this?"
"You mean, why are there seeds in my pudding or where is the booze?" I chuckled, knowing Wade never missed the opportunity to snag a free beer. "Booze. Joy hid them somewhere."
"Of course she did," he muttered. "She's not even here and she's making my life Hell."
"Why are you here, Wade?" I grabbed a vitamin water and loudly sipped it in front of him with a grin on my face. I knew that I couldn't let him stay for too long because Joy was due home sometime before the big wedding dinner, but it was nice to have Wade around. No nutter would try anything while he was here in my apartment. At least, I didn't think so.
"That guy you were asking me about," he replied. "He came poking around the mine this morning asking questions."
"John Slagger, the reporter or photographer or whatever he is?"
"That's the one," he answered, grabbing a vitamin water too. He unscrewed the cap with almost no effort at all and cautiously took a sip. He wrinkled his nose. "I thought you should know, and why do you put seeds in your pudding?"
"They're chia seeds and they're really good for you. Plus, they absorb liquid so adding them to my chocolate mix basically makes the pudding for me."
"You lost me at chia seeds." He nodded and took another sip of his vitamin water like the flavor might have changed the second time around. He wrinkled his nose again and looked at the label. "What am I even drinking here? Magnesium? Zinc? What am I, a metal refinery?"
"They're minerals, Wade." I pulled out my cell phone, wondering if Patrick planned on letting me know what his decision was about the wedding. My screen opened up to the last thing I was looking at before I'd locked my screen. I stared at Bev's phone number. "Didn't you pay attention in health class?"
"The good parts." Wade placed his half full bottle on the counter instead of throwing it away. One of the many things about him that drove Joy crazy. He never threw away his trash. Wade retreated to the living area. He plopped down on the sofa and grabbed the TV remote like he was back home in his cabin.
"Uh." I quickly blocked his view to ensure that I would have his full attention. "As much as I enjoy your company Wade—"
"I'm on my break," he interrupted. "I'll be out of your hair in thirty minutes tops."
"I assume that no amount of yelling, screaming, or bribing can get you to leave before then?"
"Man, I've missed you Stratter girls." He smirked and resumed channel surfing. Nothing short of throwing my flat screen out the window would get rid of him now.
"Promise me that you'll be out of here before Joy gets home."
"I promise," he agreed. He glanced back at the kitchen table where Joy's coat was hanging over a chair. He'd noticed it right away along with the various other items of hers that were sitting around the apartment. A pair of her shoes. An empty handbag. A tube of lipstick. Her favorite coffee mug. Deep down I knew Wade had stopped by for his fix of Joy.
"I'm going to look for something to wear for a dinner tonight," I said. "When I'm done, I expect you to be out."
Wade nodded as I went into my room and opened up my closet. If the wedding dinner was still on, I had nothing suitable to wear according to Bebe's standards. I thumbed through the dresses I owned and stopped when I came to a red one I bought years ago. It was a little too tight when I'd bought it, but it probably fit like a glove today. I pulled it out of my closet and pressed it against my body.
My cell phone screen lit up as I tossed it on my bed. I stared at Bev's number again. Was it possible that Bev backed out at the last minute because she knew something like this was going to happen? Don't kid yourself, Essie.
I thought about pushing the call button, but thinking about it made my heart race so fast I started to feel dizzy. But my natural curiosity wouldn't let it go. It ticked away in my head like a clock counting down to my very destruction. I pressed call.
The phone rang. And rang. And rang.
When her answering machine beeped I panicked, wondering what to say. I hadn't thought this far ahead. I hadn't come up with a plan that involved getting Bev, a woman I've never met, to trust me enough to divulge her greatest secrets about Donna. I settled for anything that would grab her attention.
"Hi, Bev," I said. "Uh, you don't know me. My name is Essie. I'm a friend of Patrick's and I'm replacing you in the wedding." I took a deep breath. "I'm sure by now that you've heard about Donna and how she … um … passed away, and I'm very sorry. I uh … I have a few questions. Please, call me back. Okay … thanks." The answering machine beeped again and I hung up.
The minutes seemed to pass in slow motion as I t
ried on my dress, double checking my phone every time a ray of light shone through the window and bounced of the screen. The red dress fit perfectly, but it was too showy. Lila might have a heart attack if she saw me in it because it accentuated all of my curves. All of them. Besides that, I was most comfortable in my workout gear where my tops weren't so tight you could see what I had to eat for breakfast that day. I took the dress off and laid it on my bed.
My bedroom is plain and ordinary compared to my childhood room at my parents’ house. The walls are beige and the wooden floors make it look clean and modern. I have a large, puffy, white comforter and a few green and baby blue throw pillows. Unlike Joy's room, all my clothes fit neatly in my closet and my dresser isn't jammed so tight with clothes that sleeves and shirt tails are sticking out. Back home, I covered my walls with posters and collages of celebrities. I made the collages with old magazines. That's how I used to spend my time. In my Canyon Street apartment, my bedroom walls are blank. A representation of what my life has really been like the past couple of years. Until now.
Clean but sometimes empty.
As soon as I zipped up my jeans, the door slammed. Wade must have finally left. I guess nothing good was on right now. I shrugged and grabbed a pair of shoes and tights to go along with my wedding dinner outfit. I put the items in a large tote bag and got ready to head to the sheriff’s office before going back to the resort.
"Essie!" The sound of Joy's voice made me jump. My eyes went wide as I grabbed my things and ran to the front room. I found Wade still on the couch and Joy fuming at the front door scowling at her ex. "Who let this rat in?"
"Wade," I shouted. "You said you were leaving."
"That's just great," Joy said through her teeth. She clenched her jaw firmly, biting back her anger. Her cheeks went red and she briskly threw off her coat like she was about to start round one of a caged match. "Put your dirty boots all over our new coffee table, why don't you."