67
When I pull the rental car into the Starlight parking lot, the sense of déjà vu is so vivid that I expect to look over and see Shelly in her devil costume sitting next to me. But there’s no Shelly, only a glowering Rafe.
There are fewer cars in the lot now, and some of them appear abandoned, like they’ve been here for years. These cars lean drunkenly, their black tires slouching deflated against the ground. Weeds grow out of cracks in the asphalt and, grasping, clamber their way up into the cars’ rotted undercarriages.
Rusted and dented No Trespassing signs cling to bent wire fencing.
The building also looks more worn. Only a few windows on the uppermost floors remain intact. The rest are shattered, with jagged glass lining their edges like the gnashing teeth of some terrible monster.
I could swear the whole structure leans drunkenly to the left. A wing of hotel rooms on the west end has completely collapsed. That side of the building is flayed open, its outer walls crumbled away, so the floors have fallen on top of each other like layers in a rotten cake. A barricade is in front of the building, a concrete half wall, easy to climb over, with a red and black sign that says “Danger, Keep Out.”
“Are you sure it’s safe to go inside?” I fidget nervously, staring between the sign and the fractured casino. “It doesn’t seem structurally sound.”
A grunt is all I get in response. Rafe’s head is down as he digs through his backpack. Like a messed-up version of Mary Poppins, he pulls out two long heavy-duty flashlights and hands one to me. I resist the urge to hit him on the back of the head with it. Pretty sure I could knock him unconscious. How good that would feel, to have the reverberations from the blow travel up my arm. To watch him slump to the ground and then run for help, screaming.
But I don’t.
Who knows if this mysterious person who holds a second copy of my show-girl picture even exists? But if they do and they post the photo like Rafe threatens, I’ll end up in a worse position.
No. Better to give him what he wants and then plead to be released.
Rafe didn’t used to be a killer…at least not as far as I knew.
As soon as we enter the Starlight, I realize where Shelly hid the diamonds.
Little bird.
It’s so obvious that I almost doubt myself. Surely Shelly wouldn’t have hidden them some place I know so well? But how would she have ever guessed that Rafe would contact me? Find me and bring me with him to search for the treasure. When Shelly last saw Rafe and me together, their betrayal had devastated me. She probably assumed I’d never willingly help him. Which is true—there is nothing willing about this. Rafe keeps one hand on my arm as we enter the Starlight as if he doesn’t trust me not to run away.
The hotel is in shambles. Heaps of rubble and debris line the hallways. Off-kilter doors have broken free of their hinges, hanging at awkward angles. The old, patterned carpet is wet from rain that has blown in through broken windows. It squelches under foot. The whole place smells like rot and decay. I stifle a cough in my throat, putting the back of my hand over my nose to block the stench.
Rafe doesn’t seem to be bothered by any of it. He eagerly scans the rooms as we walk past, searching for a clue about the diamonds’ location. The flashlight’s beam skitters over the walls and floor as he swings it from side to side. Still clutching my arm, he drags me ever deeper into the hotel.
There’s a new-looking rectangular box in one hallway. It has a diamond-shaped orange sign on the side showing a picture of a ball with a jagged crack through its middle and lines radiating out from its sides. Like a bomb exploding. Rafe walks right past it, but it catches my eye. I halt to take a closer look, holding my ground even as he tugs on my arm, urging me forward.
“Hey.” I yank back, countering his pull. “What’s this?”
“Beats me. Let’s get going,” Rafe says gruffly, not bothering to glance at the box. He jerks harder on me, but I dig my heels into the soft carpet, rooting myself into the floor.
“No. Tell me what this is. What am I looking at?” I should already know the answer, but my mind doesn’t want to comprehend what my eyes are seeing.
“It’s probably dynamite or C3,” Rafe admits as he stops tugging on me.
“Why would they have that kind of explosive in here?” My heart hammers in my chest, trying madly to escape my rib cage.
“Because they’re going to blow this place up.” He almost looks guilty. “The City Council finally reached an agreement with the owners. They want to clear this land to make way for a new luxury resort.”
“What?” My voice rises, pitching into a panicked tone. “When?”
“Tonight,” he answers reluctantly. “They plan to broadcast it on TV. It will be a big show.”
“What?! Are you kidding me?” I’m shouting now. “Why aren’t there police cars out front to stop stupid people like us from coming in?”
“I dunno.” He shrugs. “I expected we’d have a lot more trouble getting in here. They’ve been talking about the demolition for weeks, so maybe they thought that was enough of a deterrent for most people. This is why we had to come today. Don’t you see, Tiffany? It’s my last chance to get those diamonds.”
Suddenly motivated to find the gems and escape, I spin around, trying to get my bearings. It had been hectic when Shelly and I were chased into the hotel by those awful, scary men. My mind was so overcome with fear back then that I worry I won’t be able to find the small storage room again.
I turn in a circle. A hallway looks familiar. I start toward it, but stop. “How do I know you’ll let me go if I help?” I ask quietly.
“If we find the diamonds, then that’s it. That’ll be the last time you ever see me,” Rafe promises, his gaze steady.
“But how do I know?” I insist.
I want to believe him.
When we were young, I’d trusted Rafe, maybe because he had rescued me or maybe because I felt like he kept a protective eye on Shelly and me. Even though I knew he did bad things, illegal things, there was something in him that I had found comforting.
After he and Shelly left, I thought I had been delusional, attributing Rafe with a noble heart he didn’t deserve. Now I find myself asking those same questions.
Who is Rafe? Savior? Protector? Betrayer? Friend or Foe?
“Because I said so.” He sets his jaw.
I stare into his eyes, looking for the truth. It’s like gazing into a murky pond. Things slip and slither beneath the surface, but I can’t make out their form. As usual, I can’t decipher his intentions.
“You’ll just have to believe me, Tiffany.” He pinches the bridge of his nose. “I understand why you don’t trust me, but there’s nothing I can do about that. We’re running out of time. If you want to get back to your doctor life, see that boyfriend of yours, there’s only one choice for you to make. Let’s go.” He doesn’t move toward me, doesn’t grab me or force me.
Rafe waits for me to decide.
“Fine,” I say, still angry and unsure but unable to think of a better solution. Pointing to the hallway that looks promising, I tell him, “I’m not positive, but it might be down there.”
Rafe lets out a breath, and his shoulders slump. In the irregular beam from our flashlights, he appears older than his age. His posture is stooped, and his arms hang heavy at his sides. As I walk away, I almost miss his whispered, “Thank you.”
We wander through the hotel, turning this way and that, an uneasy truce between us. Rafe helps me, holding me steady as we clamber over a pile of old bed frames that someone has shoved together to make a wall-like barrier in one corridor.
I wrack my memories as we move along, trying to recall that terrifying sprint with Shelly. It’s been so long, but the experience was traumatizing enough to form an indelible mark on my mind. The route to the supply room comes back to me in bits and pieces.
Finally, I reach what I think is the right door, but the door frame is warped. The door is jammed shut. Rafe puts his shoulder against it and, muscles straining, gives a mighty shove. The door flies open, and we enter. It’s dark as night in the room. I use my flashlight to search around.
There it is.
In the ceiling is the faint outline of the square-shaped hatch. Just like I remembered. The room has been cleaned out since I last saw it. The cardboard boxes and supplies were taken away. It’s an empty shell now, completely bare inside.
“Up there,” I tell Rafe, pointing to the hatch with my light. “I think that’s where Shelly might have hidden the diamonds.”
He bends back, hands on his hips, and squints up at it. “How do we reach it?”
“Don’t know. When I was here before, we stood on some boxes, but they’re gone now.” I tap my foot, impatient. How long will it take to figure this out? How long until those explosives go off? The longer I stand here, the greater the sense of urgency I feel. A clock is ticking down in my head.
“I think I saw a chair out in the hallway. Hang on.” Rafe disappears for a minute and returns holding a plastic folding chair. He positions it directly under the opening and stands on it. Lifting his arms above his head, he stretches toward the hatch but can’t reach it. Growling in frustration, he gets down and drops his hands back to his side.
He gives me a pleading look, asking for help.
“Lift me up,” I command as I place my flashlight on the ground, angling it to light up the small room.
Rafe’s eyebrows knit together in confusion. “What?” The lines in his face are exaggerated from my flashlight. His shadow looms huge on the wall behind him, looking like an ogre brought to life.
Quickly, I move in front and stand with my back to him. I lift my arms up over my head. “Pick me up. Hopefully, I can reach the opening if you lift me high enough.”
Rafe places his hands under my arms. With a grunt, he lifts me high in front of him. It’s not enough.
“Put me on your shoulders.”
Raising me even higher, he sets me on his shoulders. He climbs back up on the chair. I wobble, avoiding falling only by grabbing onto his head. He hisses as I yank, pulling out strands of hair.
After a minute, we steady. I balance, sitting on his shoulders, and stretch my arms out as far as I can. My fingertips graze the hatch and then I get purchase. I can fully touch it now. Bracing one hand on the ceiling, I push up against the wood door. It lifts easily, swinging away and falling into the attic space with a loud thump.
“A little higher.” Straining, I grasp the splintered wooden frame of the opening. He rises on his toes, and I pull myself up, using every upper body muscle I have. Rafe curses as my flailing foot kicks him in the head. Wiggling my legs, I slowly army crawl forward until I’m fully inside.
Rafe shouts from below, “Do you see it?” His hand is clasped on his forehead, rubbing the spot where my shoe connected with his skull.
I retrieve my phone from my pocket, relieved it didn’t fall out in my struggle. When I was here before with Shelly, we had been too scared to use our lights, so I’m not sure what to expect.
Shining the light around, I see that it’s a cramped space with low ceilings. Box-like metal air conditioning ductwork and snaking bundles of electrical wires take up the bulk of the area. A thick layer of dust lies over everything. The beam of my light illuminates delicate cobwebs, turning them silver and throwing their lacy shadows along the walls.
Far from the opening, tucked behind a stud, is a dirty plastic bag with a faded red K-Mart logo on the side. It’s out of place in the otherwise utilitarian space. Crouching, I carefully make my way over to it, trying to put my weight only on the wooden support beams and not on the thin layers of drywall between them. The last thing I need right now is to fall through the ceiling and break a leg. Not while that imaginary explosive timer ticks down in my head.
Balanced carefully on one of the beams, I hold my phone with one hand and use the other to open the plastic bag. The light reflects off the faceted glittering stones inside. I gasp at the sight.
It’s diamonds.
Lots and lots of diamonds.