Lexie smiled. “The end is almost in sight.”
Pierre carefully steered Lexie in the direction of the rubble. “We better start looking for that lock.”
“It better be easier to find than the key!” Lexie chuckled.
Chapter Seventeen: Accidental Assistance
Lexie pushed a slab of brick out of her way, wiping mud on her jeans as she watched it tumble to the side. A crash sounded from her left, and she glanced up to see Pierre chucking rubble in all directions. His eyes were wide, intense, and constantly moving. He tripped, but that did not stop him from marching toward the fractured face of the clock.
As much as she hated to admit it, Lexie felt exhaustion and something that felt suspiciously like defeat skillfully creeping into her mind and body. Since triumph was near, it was an odd contradiction. They had already accomplished so much and saved numerous residents of Vernon Hills. However, she could not get the suffocating weight to leave her chest. Despite all the good that had happened, an equal measure of bad had taken its toll as well.
Well, I’m quite the pessimist today! She kicked at a stone, her toes colliding harder than expected. The impact jarred her body, but Lexie welcomed the pain as punishment for her negativity.
“You’re quiet,” commented Pierre.
She nodded and shrugged.
Pierre stopped digging around, crossed his arms, and made his way over to Lexie. “What’s this about?”
“I’m fine, Pierre. I’m just tired,” Lexie insisted.
“Oh, no, no,” he shook his head. “You aren’t getting out of the question that easily. What’s wrong?”
Lexie looked away.
“Is this about your nightmare?” asked Pierre. “It won’t come true. Flora is still in the hospital, and I don’t intend on bringing her home until the doctors are positive that she’s mentally stable.”
Lexie felt a burning sensation in her nose and eyes. She silently pleaded with herself to hold back the impending tears. “It felt so real! I could see, smell, touch, hear, and taste everything so clearly! Then I woke up, and you agreed with the discussion we had in the nightmare! What if Flora really does slit her wrists in the bathtub?”
“We’ve been trying to work things out for days. Your fear and stress are affecting your sleep,” soothed Pierre.
She nodded only to pacify Pierre’s concern.
“Let’s find the lock and get out of here,” Pierre said before wandering off.
They searched in silence for a time. Pierre picked his way through the rubble until he reached a pile of wreckage from the inside of the clock. Due to her injuries, Lexie was unable to crawl around in the debris like Pierre. So, she helped by scanning the area.
“I hope Mr. Garland has more success with his son than us,” Pierre said. “I wonder if Cesare will try to kill him.”
“I hope not.”
“He might think his father is trying to trick him,” mused Pierre “yet, Mr. Garland seems very clever. He’s probably prepared for his son’s wrath.”
Lexie tore her eyes away from a bent doorknob. “I still don’t understand why Cesare didn’t kill me.”
“I’ve been wondering about that as well.”
“Really? What’s your theory?”
Pierre shifted his body, rocking back on his heels. “You aren’t going to like it.”
“I don’t care,” Lexie muttered wearily. “Tell me anyway.”
The man straightened up. “Maybe later. We can discuss the matter after we find the lock. Come on, we have work to do.”
“Pierre!”
“Fine,” Pierre sighed. “I think he might still have feelings for you.”
Lexie laughed. “Feelings? You’re joking, right?”
“No, I’m not. In some perverse way, he is still—”
“If you say he still loves me, I swear I will kill you! Those feelings you see in him aren’t love!”
Pierre ran a hand through his hair. “Just let me finish. All the anger and resentment he directs at you is the aftertaste of failed love. I believe that you still have a place in his heart.”
Lexie rolled her eyes. “I’m not in the mood for poetry. He doesn’t have a heart.”
“You asked what I thought,” countered Pierre.
I guess I did.
They turned away from each other and continued their search. As she dug through the ruins with her feet, Lexie thought about why Pierre’s comments angered her so much. She felt his eyes on her back but didn’t turn around.
Lexie hadn’t been in love with Cesare for a very long. Her feelings for him had completely diminished about three months before their breakup. His cocky attitude made her question how she had once loved him. She wondered if she ever really had been in love with him. Lexie shook her head, desperately trying to find something else to focus on. Oddly enough, Braedon popped into her mind and that was when everything clicked.
Flora had been right when she made that comment about Lexie and Braedon when they were leaving the Windsor Bar.
That feels like it happened in another life!
There had been a spark between them, and it had grown stronger since the curse had taken over Vernon Hills. She remembered how he had calmed her when the news report about town hall had appeared on TV. His heartbeat had been like a metronome with its firm, unchanging tempo. Lexie realized she wanted the spark to continue to grow, and she was afraid that Cesare’s anger and arrogance would harm what was happening between herself and Braedon.
“Lexie, have you found anything?” called Pierre.
“No,” she shouted back and scanned the ground around her once again. Her eyes landed on a shattered mirror, the pointed shards gleaming like unlucky daggers. She laughed.
“What?” Pierre turned and raised his eyebrows.
“All the broken mirrors have to add up to at least a hundred years of bad luck.”
“Well, the bad luck better kick Cesare in butt soon if we want to prevent anyone else from dying.”
“I think the bad luck already started with the key going missing. Unfortunately, everyone is suffering because of its loss.”
Pierre looked like he was about to respond with a bitter retort before his eyes widened and became very round. “Hey, what’s that to your left?”
She looked over and saw a piece of dirty metal. Struggling, she leaned down and snatched it up before Pierre could reach her.
“That’s it! That’s the lock!” shouted Pierre, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet like an eager child.
The lock was battered and scratched. Lexie ran her thumb over it, wiping away the dried mud to reveal an engraving. She brought it close to her face to get a better look. The happy and sad faces of the Janus masks stared up at her. When Lexie flipped it over, she saw Pierre’s last name engraved in a loopy font.
“Wow! This looks like a family heirloom.”
Pierre walked over with a smile spread over his face. “It’s not. I had it made when I decided to put the key in the Stratford Theatre.”
Lexie handed him the lock. “You should have said that you had several family treasures in the theatre. I bet the mayor and board members would have allowed you to look around without the approval of Cesare.”
“I suppose so, but I think the key would have been gone by then. It sounds like Cesare got the key out quickly.”
Lexie heaved a sigh and smiled. “So, now we wait.”
“That’s right.”
“Should we head over to the high school and wait there?” asked Lexie. “Mr. Garland can bring the key to us himself. It might be safer considering what Cesare did to me the last time I saw him.”
“No,” Pierre answered, “I want to make sure Mr. Garland gets the key.”
She frowned. “Do you think he’s lying to us?”
Pierre deflected the question. “I think he’s in danger. Cursed Cesare wants his father dead.”
“I think regular Cesare wants that too,” grumbled Lexie. “Everything is about power with the Garlands. It
always has been. A curse won’t change that.”
“That’s another reason we need to stay close to Mr. Garland.”
Lexie folded her arms across her chest as they started to walk. She tried to stretch her back, but a sharp pain went through her injured shoulder. Rolling her eyes and wincing, Lexie dropped her arms to her sides. She caught a glimpse of concern on Pierre’s face, but he turned his head away when he saw Lexie watching him.
“Where can we wait?” asked Lexie.
“The Rail View Restaurant is open. We can sit there. Are you hungry?”
The question seemed so absurd and unnatural at the time. Truth be told, Lexie was starving. However, she didn’t think she would be able to eat much of anything after all that had happened.
“Lexie?” Pierre prompted.
“I guess I could go for something small.”
Pierre clapped his hands. “Then let’s go.”
Lexie wished she or Pierre had thought to drive a car to the theatre. All the walking was causing Lexie so much pain. Lexie’s car was still at the Lindegaards’ house, and Pierre seemed to be content to walk everywhere. Lexie had enough tact not to complain. It was easy to navigate Vernon Hills by walking. Had she not been so exhausted, Lexie would have found the time outside refreshing.
“What will you do when all of this is over?” asked Pierre.
Lexie pushed a few loose strands of hair away from her face. “I’m going to check on Flora, and then take a long nap.”
“That sounds excellent, but I meant more long term.”
Lexie chewed at her cheek as she thought. “Lindegaard Counseling and Therapy won’t close just because Dr. Lindegaard is in jail. Someone else will have to take his place as the lead psychologist.”
Pierre frowned with curiosity. “Can someone do that? I mean, it is his practice.”
“I think so. There are several well-known practitioners there who could easily fill his shoes. The place won’t close because one man left,” Lexie replied.
“You’ll still have a job,” commented Pierre. “That’s certainly good news.”
Lexie nodded vigorously as the Midsummer’s Inn and Rail View Restaurant came into view. The inn was a large white house with navy blue shutters flanking sash windows. It shared a parking lot with the restaurant, and they saw Mr. Garland’s gold Impala parked in the front of the lot. Lexie smiled. The positioning of his car was strategic. He clearly wanted to announce his presence in Vernon Hills to Cesare.
“You can’t miss that car!” exclaimed Pierre. “He’s staking his claim.”
“Yeah, but I don’t see a car that Cesare would drive,” agreed Lexie as she scanned the parking lot. Apart from the Impala, there were no flashy cars.
Pierre gently guided her to the entrance of the Rail View Restaurant. “He probably has to drive back to Vernon Hills. I doubt he stayed in town.”
“That’s probably true since I accused him of murder. But he’ll haul butt to get back here when he gets the deal from his dad.”
“Iago is driven by jealousy and greed,” Pierre said as they were directed to a table by a waiter.
Lexie plopped down in the chair and quickly ordered a water before menus were placed in front of them. The restaurant specialized in comfort food such as fried chicken, meatloaf, casseroles, macaroni and cheese, and fruit pies. It all looked amazing, and Lexie planned to come back when she actually had time to have a decent meal. She and Pierre decided to split a large plate of waffle fries; their food arrived within minutes.
“I want to have a huge meal when everything ends,” Pierre told her as he fought with the lid of a ketchup bottle. “The last thing I had to eat was a bag of pretzels from the hospital gift shop.”
“That’s terrible, Pierre!” chided Lexie. “You need to eat! I don’t want you passing out!”
Even as Lexie lectured, she knew she was being a hypocrite. She hadn’t exactly had much more than Pierre. If it hadn’t been for Braedon, Lexie probably wouldn’t have eaten anything.
They ate in silence, looking out the windows for any sign of Cesare. Pierre had his phone sitting on the table and seemed to be willing it to ring. The fries were good, and Lexie wished she didn’t have to share.
Lexie wanted nothing more than to put her head down on the table and close her eyes. However, the memories of what she had seen the last time she had slept were fresh in her mind. She couldn’t handle another nightmare, particularly as she was already in one while awake. Sleep would have to wait until after Shakespeare’s key was in Vernon Hills High School auditorium.
There will still be things that need my attention after the key is put there. Lexie frowned grudgingly at her musings. I need to get Flora out of the hospital, deal with the Lindegaard situation, and get Cesare convicted of murder. Why is my life so complicated?
“Look!” Pierre tapped his fingers on the table and nodded at the parking lot.
Lexie leaned back to get a better view. Mr. Garland was rushing to his car, an envelope clutched tightly in his hand. He looked around and smirked before pulling his keys out of his pocket.
Pierre jumped to his feet and started towards the door. “Where is he going? Why didn’t he call?”
Lexie dropped some money on the table before jogging to catch up with the agitated man. “Did he really lie to us, Pierre?”
“It looks like he has the key. Maybe he’ll call when he gets in the car,” murmured Pierre.
“Call him and say we are at the restaurant,” suggested Lexie. “No, wait! Send him a text instead. He might not answer or check his voicemail now. We can see his reaction to a text.”
Pierre fumbled with his phone as he struggled to text and watch Mr. Garland at the same time. Lexie tripped and fell into a chair. She smiled apologetically at the waitress, but then promptly knocked over a stack of menus. Pierre grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the restaurant before she could do more damage.
“When did you become so clumsy? You look drunk!” he muttered.
She glared. “I’m a bit preoccupied looking for Cesare! If Mr. Garland has the key, Cesare is around here.”
They watched as Mr. Garland looked at his phone. The man smiled, shook his head, and stuffed the phone back in his pocket. He then proceeded to get in his car without a glance at the restaurant.
“What the hell is he doing!” exclaimed Pierre.
Lexie wasn’t naïve enough to think Mr. Garland was taking the key to the high school. “He didn’t want to help us in the first place! He did lie!”
Pierre’s voice hit a hysterical note. “Does he want to see Vernon Hills destroy itself? Is the man completely mad?”
“Come on!” Lexie pushed by Pierre. “Let’s catch him before he leaves!”
They ran to the parking lot, blocking the exit and waving at the billionaire. The man’s eyes flickered between Pierre and Lexie. He revved the engine, but neither moved. Finally, he put the car in park and stepped out.
“Are you going somewhere?” asked Lexie sarcastically.
“I am,” Mr. Garland replied smoothly. “I have some important business outside of Vernon Hills that requires my immediate attention.”
“Well,” Pierre began, “you can hand over my key and be on your way.”
Mr. Garland clucked his tongue and gave a smile that bore a striking resemblance to the one Cesare wore when he was taunting the Leer sisters in town hall. The uncanny similarity made Lexie want to hurl.
What would he do if I puked all over his lovely Impala?
“I want to thank you for confirming my suspicions about the key. I wasn’t entirely sure my son found the right one, but it appears he actually did something productive for once,” said Mr. Garland, shaking the envelope.
“W-what?” Lexie stuttered.
“This key is the final piece,” Mr. Garland continued. “I knew the legend about the cursed keys, and then I found one of Shakespeare’s heirs living in the town where my son decided to build a lab that could hurt the company. One of the Garland C
orporation board members has a daughter who works as a surgeon at the hospital. She told him about the sudden influx of patients in the psychiatric ward and the commotion in Vernon Hills. I decided to investigate and found out that Flora Brookes was there.”
“What?” Lexie was shocked at the words coming from Mr. Garland’s mouth.
“I remembered that you were close with her in college, so I brought flowers. The doctors were more willing to talk to me if they believed that I knew Flora well. After hearing about her behavior, I realized she was Ophelia and that the curse had started.”
“My key is the final piece for what?” asked Pierre. “Do you have some grand plan? Please, give me the key. It belongs to my family.”
“You aren’t going to give us the key?” Lexie frowned. “I don’t understand. Vernon Hills will completely fall apart if we don’t stop the curse.”
“Oh, I know,” Mr. Garland calmly told her. “That’s what I want to happen.”
“Why?” Pierre and Lexie shouted in unison.
“It’s the only way to discredit Cesare. He has cost Garland Corporation so much money and integrity. We are losing investors! A lab in a ruined town will easily persuade the board members to remove him from his position. There’s no point in denying that curiosity was also a large motivator.”
Pierre, eyes wide, wailed, “You own the company! Can’t you fire him? You gave him the job in the first place! Why did you give him power if you expected him to fail? There has to be another way! You are destroying our home! People have died! More people will die!”
“I truly am sorry,” whispered Mr. Garland. A glimmer of pity shown in his eyes. “Cesare has gathered enough support, through bribes and such, to take full control of the company. He has little business sense and will run it into the ground within a year. I won’t let my legacy be destroyed!”
Lexie wanted to scream, cry, or shatter the windows of Mr. Garland’s car. “This isn’t fair!”
She wanted to kick herself as soon as the words left her mouth. She sounded like a testy, petulant five-year-old whining about sharing a toy. Lexie saw Pierre’s mouth grow thin, and she wondered if he had the same thought about what she had just said. Mr. Garland simply studied Lexie, the amber hue in his hazel eyes glowing.
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