Chapter 27
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Stepping outside to the parking lot, Dana and Nolan both took a moment to adjust to the sunlight. “It feels good to be out in fresh air,” she said, taking in a deep breath and hitching her purse up on her shoulder. She pointed to the sign alongside the road. “So this is the Moondust Motel?”
“I guess.”
“That’s a really stupid name for a motel.”
“Oh, I don’t know. It sounds romantic. Like the kind of place a young couple would spend their honeymoon in the 1950s.”
Dana flashed him a smile. “I can see it now. The two young lovers would check into their room, which would be, of course, charming but kitschy. That evening, they’d make love and fall blissfully asleep in each other’s arms, only to find out during the night that the room is cursed and they’re now at the mercy of an evil force that wants their souls.”
“That’s not what I had in mind at all.” Nolan sounded horrified.
Dana laughed. “If it were a Stephen King novel, that’s how it would go.”
Off in the distance, a crow cawed. The road in front of them was empty. Overhead, the blue sky stretched on forever, interrupted by only a few wispy clouds. The immensity of the outdoors combined with the sense of solitude made Nolan feel like they were the last people on Earth.
Nolan gave her a smile. “When we find my car keys, I can drive us home.” He tried the knob on the adjacent motel room, relieved to find it open. Dana followed him inside, and he flicked the switch for the overhead light, only to find it didn’t work.
“I blew out the electricity, remember?” she said.
“Forgot for a second.” After giving the room a cursory glance, Nolan’s heart sank. It was completely empty. The monitor, the drone, the liquor, his keys, his phone—none of it was in sight. The room showed no signs that only two hours before it had been the command center for a couple of amateur kidnappers. He crossed the room and methodically opened every drawer in the kitchenette before going to the desk, the dresser, and the bathroom. “Why would they take my keys?”
Dana shrugged. “The criminal mind is hard to understand. Even Rebecca Cavanaugh has trouble sometimes.”
“They’re not criminal masterminds, believe me. Their thought process doesn’t go that deep.”
“So maybe they stuck the keys under the visor so they wouldn’t get lost?”
Now that was a distinct possibility. He left the room and walked around to the back of the building, Dana trailing behind him. “What the hell!” He stopped in his tracks. They’d taken his car in addition to their own, leaving him without a vehicle. “Why would they do this to me?” He fell to a crouch and cradled his head in his hands. Why was this happening? He was two hours from home without a vehicle, which was bad enough, but even worse was that his car, the one he’d just paid off, was in use by two people who’d just committed a felony. Not only that, but the twins were terrible drivers. Every car they ever drove suffered at their hands. Under the best circumstances, he never would have lent them his car, and now they had it and were doing God knows what with it.
“They’re probably using it to pick up the ransom,” Dana said. “So it won’t be traced back to them.”
“You think?” It came out a little snarkier than he intended.
“It’s not the worst thing in the world,” she said, clearly not understanding that to him this definitely qualified as one of the worst things in the world. “Let’s walk into town and see if we can get some help getting home. Once you’re home, you’ll feel better.”
Not true. Once he was home, he’d be without a car, waiting for the knock on the door, the police coming to arrest him. He already felt ill just thinking about it. No, there would be no feeling better. Not anytime soon. Maybe not ever. “You don’t understand.” He stood up and jabbed a thumb at the building. “There is evidence that I’ve been here all over this motel. The twins will turn on me if they get caught, and they’re not very good at anything, so they will get caught. And then the police will come here and find proof and it’ll all be over for me.” He’d spent his entire life being a good citizen, and now he was going to prison because he was an idiot.
Her forehead furrowed in thought. “Well, as Courtney says, let’s problem-solve. Your biggest concern right now is that you’ve left fingerprints in the motel?”
“Fingerprints and hair and who knows what else.” He exhaled in frustration.
She tapped a finger against her chin. “So why don’t we burn it down?”
“What?”
“Let’s burn down the motel.”
Was she out of her mind? He said, “We can’t burn down a building.”
“Why not? It’s old and in terrible shape. Abandoned buildings burn all the time. It happens.” Dana looked around. “Actually, this is ideal. The building is surrounded by gravel and concrete pavement, so the fire probably won’t spread. Yes, I think we should do it.” Her voice had an air of finality to it.
He vacillated, weighing his options. It didn’t feel right. This entire weekend, he’d been carried along on the current of other people’s actions, and things had just gotten worse and worse. Maybe it was time to start thinking for himself. “Yeah, I don’t know...”
“I bet this thing would light up like a teenager’s bonfire.” Dana grinned and fanned herself. “Whoosh! It wouldn’t take much.”
He shook his head. “No. Not doing it. The fire could spread, and even if that doesn’t happen, it’s arson, which would trigger an investigation. I don’t need more trouble.”
She shrugged. “Suit yourself.”
Nolan put his fist to his chin in thought. “Maybe if I wipe down all the surfaces in both rooms, it will eliminate most of the fingerprints.”
“I wouldn’t bother.”
“Of course you wouldn’t bother. You’re not the one who’s going to get in trouble.”
“You’re not going to get in trouble either,” Dana said. “You can’t get charged with a crime if no one files a complaint, and believe me, I’m not going to file a complaint.”
Nolan hesitated. “But Courtney got the video and the calls.”
Dana waved a dismissive hand. “Don’t worry about Courtney. I’ll handle her. And for that matter, I wouldn’t worry about fingerprints. How many people have been in these rooms over the years? Do you think there was some cleaning crew that wiped every surface between visitors?” She wrinkled her nose. “From what I could tell, there wasn’t much cleaning done at all.”
“But my fingerprints would be recent.” Nolan pointed to the building as if making a point. “Fresh. Wouldn’t they stand out?”
She shook her head. “Fingerprint analysis is not an exact science, and it’s definitely not as infallible as most crime shows would have you believe. It’s a great tool, but not the be-all and end-all.”
“But in book seven, that’s how Rebecca nailed the guy!”
“Oh, Nolan.” Dana tilted her head to one side as if he’d just said something adorable. “You’ve been reading too many novels. You need to get out in the world more.”
Everything she said made sense, and he was tired of thinking about it. “Okay then.” He sighed. “Now what?”
“Now, we start walking.” A grin stretched across her face. “And find a ride back to my house.”