Chapter 17
My heart stuttered. I froze in the hallway, covered by shadow.
I’d turned off my flashlight. I didn’t think he could have heard me over the thunderous rain, but he was a demigod. He could have super hearing for all I knew.
I couldn’t tell if the knife had blood on it, but it was plenty big enough to kill someone.
Vandre was the killer. He wanted Pandora’s box and had stabbed Hugo looking for it, had killed Kenny looking for it, and was here now to kill me.
I could run out the back door. It was wet and cold, but I might be able to get around to the front where my car was parked before he knew I’d ducked out.
Driving in this weather was dangerous—really dangerous—but the roads to Ordinary might still be open.
I could try to sneak into the kitchen and use the land line phone to call for help. But, no, I’d have to cross the main space of the restaurant and there was no way he wouldn’t see me.
So, run to the car it was.
Except I’d forgotten one thing. No three things: Gail and Charles and Buzz. Gail might or might not be mixed up in this, but Charles and Buzz were innocent.
I couldn’t leave them behind.
But first I needed to find them.
Buzz (hopefully) was still in his office.
What could Vandre have done with Gail and Charles? Knock them out (kill them?) and drag them into the rain? Stuff them into our storage room or bathroom?
The bathroom and storage room were closest to me. I crept forward silently, sliding past the fire extinguisher attached to the wall, and slipped into the bathroom.
My eyes quickly adjusted to the deeper darkness. I checked the stalls. Empty.
I checked the sitting area. No one there.
Next, the storage room.
I paused at the bathroom door, listening before I walked out. I heard muffled movement but the rain on the roof and grumble of the generator made it hard to tell what was going on. I waited, hoping Vandre wasn’t right outside the door with a knife.
I held my breath and pushed the door open a crack.
Nobody in sight.
I squeezed through the doorway and darted into the storage room.
It was even darker here. I pressed my back against the door, breathing hard.
This room wasn’t empty.
Gail and Charles were on the floor, out cold.
I hurried to them and checked for breathing (yes and yes), then looked for injuries. I couldn’t see anything, so I risked turning on my flashlight just long enough to scan their bodies. No blood.
Okay, okay. They’d been knocked out somehow, maybe a hit to the head, maybe a sleeping pill? But no other wounds I could see.
I tapped Gail’s face, then tried Charles, but neither of them stirred.
Think, Piper, think.
Phones! Check if their phones had signal.
I tried Gail’s first, but it was locked. Charles’ phone was the old flip kind that not only didn’t have signal, it didn’t even have battery power.
I couldn’t carry them to safety. I couldn’t wake them up and send them out into the rain to drive away.
So, I did the next best thing.
I pulled Buzz’s keys out of my pocket, left the room, and locked the door behind me.
That should keep them safe since there wasn’t another key that opened that door.
What next?
Think, Piper.
I crouched and peeked out into the dining area again. Vandre was near the windows, walking slowly along the booths. He still had the knife.
He could probably see the future.
The future that would tell him where I was and what I was about to do.
Well, two could play at that game.
I took a breath to try and calm my heartbeat (it didn’t help), then looked into the future.
Blank…
Blank…
Vandre calls out my name…
“Piper,” Vandre said just above a whisper like that wasn’t creepy. “Is that you?”
Who else did he think it might be?
I didn’t answer.
“You were looking right? Trying to see the future?”
Shoot. Yes, I’d been looking. Unfortunately Detective Despicable could sense when I did it.
Should I stand and fight? With what? He had a knife. All I had were some keys—
—no, I had something better than that. I had an idea.
I eased back down the hall and studied how the fire extinguisher was attached.
All I’d have to do was yank it off the wall mount, then pull the tab, aim and fire before Dirty Detective could get within knifing distance.
I shook out my hands. Easy. I could do this. Easy.
Three…two…one!
I grabbed the extinguisher, yanked, (why was it so loud?) then pulled the tab.
I spun toward the room and rushed forward.
Lightning flashed just as the main door swung shut.
Vandre was gone out the door.
Or Vandre was hiding in the room and had opened and shut the door to try and trick me into thinking he was outside.
I’d just exposed myself to a killer. I had no idea where he was, but I was standing out in the open, in plain sight.
I gulped down air and wished I had someone to help me.
But this was on me. I was alone, in the middle of nowhere, in a raging storm.
I could call for help if the land line was still working. If I could reach the land line.
I positioned the extinguisher in front of me like a pointed a gun, then slowly walked into the room.
Vandre was not at the tables in the middle of the room, not under the tables. I eased up to the rear booth.
No one there.
I started toward the front of the room angling toward the kitchen.
No one.
No one.
No one.
I made a run for the kitchen.
And realized my mistake as soon as I crossed the entryway.
Vandre was in the kitchen.
Vandre was holding the knife.
Vandre was…bleeding?
“Piper,” he gasped. “She….”
Then his eyes rolled back into his head and he crumpled to the floor.
Someone was behind me. I could feel them there.
And I knew I’d gotten everything very, very wrong.