by Nella Tyler
“Hi,” he said.
They looked at as he came into the tent. Drake bent to kiss Meg’s cheek.
“Hi, sweetheart,” Meg greeted him. “Did everything go okay?”
“A piece of cake. We will have eyes on them whenever they are in the room,” he answered. He sat down and crossed an ankle over his knee.
“Is this completely legal?” Ashlee asked. “Isn’t there something about the right to privacy?”
“There is. Everyone has the right to privacy. Eavesdropping is only done by law enforcement under special circumstances. Usually criminal situations,” he replied.
“So should we really be doing it?” Meg asked anxiously.
“Under normal conditions—no. But I don’t believe Doug and Denise are innocent of wrongdoing. They are not completely legal. I have a suspicion about them,” he said.
“But is your suspicion enough to spy on them?” Meg asked.
“I think so,” he answered.
“So whether or not we are arrested depends on if they are arrested,” Beni surmised.
Drake smiled weakly.
“A very good conclusion,”
“If that’s the case then we are in the clear. I agree with Drake.” Ashlee stated. “They are waaaay too anxious to be friends with you after what went down between you. Those two are up to something.”
“And it ain’t nothing good,” Beni added.
“Be that what may, I’m still on edge about the spying. We have to be very careful,” Meg worried. “Are you sure they won’t notice the switches you made?”
“Yes. Nothing is out of place. Nothing is changed as far as they can see. The only new item I placed in the room is the book camera. And I am positive they won’t notice it. They would have to be looking for it to see it,” he replied. “Don’t worry, Meg. They won’t discover what I’ve done.”
Meg couldn’t help it. She wasn’t as confident as Drake.
“I hope not,” she mumbled.
Drake watched Meg as she stared out at the ocean. She was apprehensive about what they were doing. But he couldn’t think of another way to discover what they needed to know. He wished he could ease her mind. But at this point she would just have to trust him. He leaned forward, his forearms resting on his legs.
“I know this isn’t ideal, Meg. But until another way presents itself, I have to go with it,” he said resolutely.
Meg looked into his intent eyes. He was so earnest in his efforts on her behalf. She recognized that this was not his problem. It was her trouble, but he had stepped in to help without an ounce of hesitation. How could she doubt him?
“I’m so sorry, Drake. I don’t want to appear ungrateful. I am so thankful that you would become involved with a situation concerning my ex-fiancé. Most men would run in the opposite direction,” she said urgently.
“I’m not most men, Meggie. I won’t leave you on your own regarding him. Doug does not take no for an answer from you … or me for that matter. But I can handle that,” he said. “He will respect our boundaries. I’ll make sure of that.”
She leaned forward to grasp his hand.
“I trust you, Drake. And I thank you so very much.”
He cupped her face and kissed her gently. They heard someone clearing their throat and pulled apart.
“Uh, should we leave the two of you alone,” Ash grinned.
Drake laughed. He stood.
“No. I have to leave to check on some things. I’ll catch up with you around dinner time.”
“All right. See you then,” Meg responded.
“By the way, I left instructions that you have carte blanch at the resort. Just in case you want to do some snooping,” he smiled.
“Great. Thanks,” Beni said.
“You bet.” He waved and left the tent.
“Snooping is a good idea. We’ve put it off for a while now,” Meg said.
“Well, there’s no time like the present. Let’s do it,” Ashlee exclaimed.
They left their tent and headed back to the hotel. They didn’t notice Denise and Doug watching them.
“Where are they going?” Denise muttered.
“I don’t know. But we’re about to find out,” Doug answered.
They hurriedly snatched up their towels and bags to follow Meg and her friends.
They were in the basement of the hotel. It was huge and filled with boxes and beach apparatus such as lounges, chairs, and umbrellas. There were bar stools, rugs, kitchen items, and housekeeping supplies.
“Well, I see where they keep all of their hotel stuff. Almost everything this place needs is down here,” Ashlee said.
“Makes sense. When things break, they need to be replaced immediately,” Meg murmured.
“They certainly can do that. But I wonder if they have too much stock on hand,” Ashlee pondered.
“Me too. They may change their style and go in a different direction and then be stuck with all of the old stuff,” Meg said.
“Good point. It’s something to mention to Drake,” Beni said. “There’s another door over there. Let’s see what’s behind it.”
They moved to the door and Ashlee grabbed the knob and turned. It was hard to turn, as though no one had tried to do so in a very long time. She had to use both hands to twist the knob. Finally the door creaked opened slightly. Ashlee pushed it but found it to be heavy.
“Beni, help me push it open,” Ashlee pleaded.
All three women pushed on the door until it stood completely open.
“Goodness! What a heavy door,” Meg said.
“It’s quite ornate in style. It could have been in a castle centuries ago,” Beni mused.
“I don’t think they had castles in Hawaii, did they?” Ashlee asked.
Meg shrugged.
“I have no idea. I would have to Google it.”
They looked inside the door to find a flight of stairs descending to who knew where. Meg looked for a light switch nearby but there wasn’t one.
“There’s no light switch,” Meg mumbled.
“Well, what do they use for illumination?” Beni cried.
“Candles?” Ashlee sniggered.
“Come on! This is the twenty-first century, not the seventeenth,” Beni retorted.
“There has to be some flashlights in here. They have everything else. Look around,” Meg said.
They rummaged through tons boxes. Thank goodness they were labeled which made the job easier.
“I found them!” Ashlee exclaimed. She pushed up the power button on several of them and they came on. “And they work. Imagine that.”
“Thank goodness they do,” Meg said. “It shows that the staff is prudent in making sure some things always work. You never know when the resort may lose power.”
“True. Well, we’re armed and ready. Let’s go downstairs,” Beni suggested.
They began their trek down the narrow stairs. Reaching the bottom, their lights barely made a dent in the surrounding blackness.
“We need more than three flashlights,” Ashlee complained.
“There has to be a light somewhere down here,” Meg replied. She swung her light about hoping to find any kind of illumination. “There! It’s an overhead light with a pull chain attached to it.” She hurried to yank on the chain. A bright light lit up the space.”
“Ah! That’s better,” Beni exclaimed.
Beni looked nervous.
“This place is eerie.”
There were crates with straw coming out of them. Ashlee looked in one of the crates and moved aside the straw.
“It’s wine. And from the aged label, it’s very good and expensive wine.”
Beni and Meg looked in some more of the crates and saw different types of alcohol. Brandy, Scotch, bourbon and vodka.
“It appears to have been discarded. I wonder why?” Beni mused.
“Maybe it’s not discarded just left unattended for now. To be used when wanted,” Ashlee suggested.
“Maybe,” Meg said.
“It’s wet.”
Beni and Ashlee moved to her side and placed their palm on the wall.
“It is. Why is it wet? What could be behind this wall?” Beni asked quietly.
“And why is this wall not made of stone like the others? It’s almost as though it was an entrance at one time then boarded up,” Ashlee said.
“I would love to see what’s behind it,” Beni said excitedly. She put her ear to the old wood. “I think I hear something. It sounds like water trickling.”
Meg and Ashlee put their ear to the wall as well.
“I hear it,” Meg said in awe.
“So do I. Guys, we have got to see behind this wall,” Ashlee insisted.
“We have to speak with Drake before we go tearing down walls. We’ll talk to him about tonight at dinner,” Meg said.
They moved away from the wall and Ashlee suddenly grabbed Beni’s arm.
“Did you hear that?” Ashlee was suddenly alert.
“Hear what?” Beni queried.
They all listened intently. There were footsteps above them. They looked up at the ceiling anxiously.
“Someone is up there,” Beni whispered. “What will we do?”
They heard footsteps walking toward the door at the top of the stairs. The door slammed shut.
“No!” Meg called out.
They ran up the stairs and pushed against the door. It didn’t bulge. They banged on it and screamed. Silence greeted them. They looked at each other in terror. They were trapped.
Chapter 16
The girls screamed until their throats were raw and their fists were sore and red. The door did not open.
“Try calling,” Beni wailed.
Meg tried to call Drake but could not get a signal.
“Nothing,” Meg sighed. “We’re in the bowels of the hotel and a signal can’t get through.”
“Great! Just terrific,” Ashlee grumbled. She descended the stairs and sat on a crate. “What are we going to do?” she asked fearfully.
Beni and Meg joined her to sit on crates.
“Someone will find us. If nothing else, Drake will start looking when he doesn’t hear from us,” Meg reasoned. “We have to sit tight and not panic.”
“Well, we have no choice but to sit tight. It’s the panicking that will be more difficult,” Ash whispered.
“Try to look on the bright side. There’s no need for us to be thirsty. We’ve got plenty of booze,” Beni said philosophically.
“That is a plus,” Ashlee cheered a bit. She bent over the open crate next to her and pulled out a bottle. She read the label. “2007 Gaja Barbaresco. Nice. And 1988 Dom Pérignon Champagne.”
“Fancy,” Beni said. “Now with all of this wine, there has to be a corkscrew here somewhere.” She started digging through the boxes.
“And could we hope for glasses,” Meg added as she rummaged through the crates.
“Bingo!” Beni waved the corkscrew about.
“I haven’t found any glasses or cups. We’ll just have to drink from the bottle,” Meg shrugged.
Beni opened the Dom Pérignon and took a swig.
“Mmm. That’s so good,” she said as she wiped the top of the bottle off with her sleeve.
“Pass the bottle, Beni,” Ashlee encouraged.
Beni passed the champagne to her and Ashlee drank. “You’re right. It’s fabulous.” She passed the bottle to Meg.
Meg took a sip then another. They shared the wine until the bottle was empty. Beni opened another bottle and they toasted to everything under the sun. The wine was having its effect on them and they were soon giggling about their situation.
“I’m getting so sleepy,” Meg slurred. “I could sleep for hours.”
“Shouldn’t we try to open the door again?” Beni slurred.
“Nope. Drake will find us. All I want to do is sleep,” Meg mumbled.
“Sounds like a plan,” Ashlee muttered.
They all fell into a sound sleep. Several hours later, they were still in a deep slumber and didn’t hear the heavy door creak open.
“I happened to see them come into the basement and wondered about it. I hope they are all right,” Doug said anxiously.
Drake was annoyed that it was Doug who was giving him the information. He would have rather that the information had come from anyone else than him. He’d been looking for the girls for quite a while. He’d called Meg but she hadn’t answered, which was very unusual for her. He’d become alarmed when she didn’t call him back and started looking for them. He ran into Doug in the back corridor. He thought it an odd place to see him but when Doug told him about seeing the girls go down to the basement he put his annoyance aside. But his constant chattering was wearing on his nerves.
“I’m sure they are,” Drake replied.
“Why do you think they would go down there?”
Drake knew the answer to that but he wasn’t about to share it with Doug.
“I don’t know.”
“Seems an odd place for them to go, don’t you think?”
“I guess,” Drake mumbled.
Drake moved away from Doug to look around the basement. Doug saw that Drake’s back was turned and he quickly moved to the medieval door. He saw a green scarf on the floor and knew it belonged to Meg. He saw her wearing it when she was leaving the beach.
“Drake! Look. Here’s a scarf on the floor.”
Drake ran over to the door and bent to pick up the scarf.
“It’s Meg’s. She was wearing it this morning.”
“That means she was near this door at some point,” Doug said.
“Yes.”
Drake stuffed the scarf in his pocket then turned the ancient looking knob on the door. The door did not open easily. He tugged on the door until it slowly opened with an eerie groan.
“That gives me the creeps,” Doug said with a smirk from behind Drake’s back.
Drake didn’t answer He pushed the door back with no help from Doug and looked down the stairs. He could tell there was a light on below from the cast of the shadows. He slowly descended the steps, not sure of what he was walking into. He reached the bottom of the steps and stared in shock. There they lay completely oblivious to what was happening around them. Drake took in the empty wine bottles scattered about the floor and the soft snore coming from all three of them. Laughter bubbled in his chest and it would have erupted had Doug not been with him. He knew they would be embarrassed for him to see them in their inebriated state. But even more so for Doug to see them. He turned Doug.
“I’ve got this. You can go. Thank you for the information.”
“Oh, I want to help with the ladies. I think you will need an extra set of hands.” Doug managed to hide his smirk.
“No. I’ve got this. Thanks for the offer but there’s no need for you to stay,” Drake said firmly.
Doug had no choice but to leave, although it would have given him great pleasure to see Meg’s humiliation upon seeing him.
“All right, if you’re sure.”
“I am,” Drake insisted.
Doug took his time going up the stairs. He was hoping that Meg would wake and see him but no such luck. He shrugged. He knew that she would feel indebted to him and he would be able to use it to force a renewed friendship. Things were falling into place. He laughed heartily as he left the basement. Drake heard the laughter and felt uneasy as he bent to shake Meg’s shoulder.
“Meg. Meg. Wake up.”
She groaned and rolled her head.
“Wake up, Meg.”
His voice penetrated her slumber a
nd she slowly opened her eyes.
“Drake?” she mumbled. “Drake!” She sat up quickly then immediately put her hands to her forehead, “Oooh! My head.”
“I imagine you have quite the headache. Ashlee and Beni will feel much the same way,” he smiled.
“Ugh! Why did I drink so much?” she questioned.
He picked up an empty bottle and read the Dom Pérignon label. He smiled wryly.
“Because it tasted so good,” he returned.
She groaned again. Drake moved to nudge Beni’s foot with his own. She slowly opened her eyes.
“Drake!” she said loudly. “Meg! Drake is here!”
“I know. Stop shouting,” Meg muttered.
“Be quiet,” Ashlee mumbled. “What are you yapping about?” Ashlee grumbled as she sat up straight. Her eyes were still shut.
“Drake is here,” Beni said.
“What?” Ashlee queried loudly.
“Stop yelling,” Meg shouted.
“I’m not yelling. You are!” Ashlee retorted.
Drake could not hold it in any longer. He burst out laughing.
Ashlee stared at him for the first time.
“Drake!” she exclaimed happily. “You guys! Drake is here.”
“We know!” Meg and Beni said simultaneously.
“You guys could be the revamped Golden Girls,” he laughed.
“Oh, hush,” Meg mumbled. “We drank too much.”
“No kidding! Come on. Let’s get you out of here,” he smiled.
“What time is it?” Meg asked.
“Seven-thirty,” he answered.
“You’re joking! We were trapped down there for over five hours?” Meg questioned.
“Yes. When you didn’t answer my call, I became worried and began looking for you.”
“I tried calling but there’s no signal down there,” Meg responded.
“I’m not surprised.”
He helped Meg up and sat her on a crate. Then he assisted Beni and Ashlee.
“Can you walk?” he asked.
“I think so,” Beni answered. She seemed better able to walk on her own and made it to the staircase. “Thank goodness for the railing.”