Chapter 6
Summer
On Saturday, we’re having a combined birthday party for Alex and Seb.
After much debate, they decided on an escape room followed by a murder mystery party.
With the threat of Nick’s dad, we're all uneasy with a straight-up high school style party. Big crowds and drunk people mean opportunities to harm one of us. Alex’s actual birthday is Monday, while Seb’s is Tuesday.
Since it’s hotter than Hades today, I decide to wear dressier shorts and a tank top, putting my hair up into a high ponytail. I add the second tracker to my shoe and fill a small crossbody purse with the essentials. Since we’re spending the night at Alex’s, my duffle bag is all ready to go.
The doorbell ringing prompts me to exit my room. Nick is with Zander as they walk into the kitchen. “Hi Grumpy.”
“Shortie,” he grunts.
“A reminder to stay vigilant, darling. Do not remove your necklace and keep your phone charged. Nick, she goes nowhere alone, including the bathroom.”
“We’ll be careful. Promise. I have my second tracker in my shoe today, and my knife is in my purse. I’ll text you updates too.”
Zander blows out a breath. I can’t blame him for being worried after the surprise kidnapping earlier this year.
“She won’t leave my sight, Z.” Nick means that. I wouldn’t be surprised if he follows me into the bathroom today.
After a hug, we head out. We're meeting the guys at Alex’s place and taking his SUV to Charleston. We drop our bags into our respective rooms, then I get hugs from Seb and E and a wave from Bay. Alex says hello but there’s no smile today.
The drive to the escape room takes 20 minutes. It’s in downtown Charleston next to the market.
You wouldn’t know there was an escape room in the building. It looks like a regular office building, older but well-maintained. The company that runs the escape room is on the second floor, across from a law office, of all things.
After checking in, we're brought right into the escape room since we have a reservation.
The steel door closes with a slam and a click, leaving us in a long hallway with four doors.
We check the knobs, finding the two furthest away unlocked.
Nick follows me through the right door with Bay, while Alex, Seb, and E go into the left.
The doors slam shut behind us as red lights fill the room. “Spooky,” I smile, getting excited for the challenge. Bay spots the walkie-talkie right away. Clicking the button, he calls out to the other guys. After a delay, Seb answers.
We search the room as a speaker crackles, telling us to solve the math equation to continue. I don’t see any obvious equations, but Alex does, telling us to remove the painting on the wall. Sure enough, there’s a partial equation written on a chalkboard.
Each room has half the information, so we use the walkie-talkies to fill in the missing information. It’s easy enough to solve, and the number 13 is the answer. We find a crow with the number 13 on its chest, and under its feet, there's a riddle. That leads to a model ship in the other room.
We go back and forth until each room has a key to unlock the door.
As we meet up in the hallway, one of the other doors opens, with a large chemistry lab inside.
That cracks a smile on Alex’s face. The door once again locks us in.
This room involves mixing the correct chemicals to get the right color or compound, which leads to the next experiment.
After 4 labs, we need to combine the results to make a key using a mould.
Running the mould under UV light yields a solid key that Alex opens the door with.
That leads to the fourth door opening, which is the exit.
The guys seem happy with the escape room, and Alex is even communicating a little now. I thought it was a lot of fun.
The murder mystery dinner is just a few blocks down, and since it’s a beautiful day, we decide to walk there.
The guys have me in the middle, as usual, and Seb is holding my hand, swinging our arms as we walk.
We enter what appears to be a regular restaurant.
The host guides us upstairs to a separate dining room done up in darker, moody colors.
Blue velvet drapes cover the windows, and chandeliers and sconces cast a warm light around the room.
The walls are painted a very dark color, blue or possibly black, with dark wood floors underfoot.
We arrive at one of the five tables. The tables are adorned with dark azure tablecloths and flickering taper candles in the center, with the wax dripping down the sides.
Crystal goblets sparkle at each place setting through the candlelight.
There’s a pitcher of water in the middle of the table and a card at each place setting.
Taking a seat between Seb and Nick, I pick up the card to read.
Welcome.
The mystery begins now
Everyone is a suspect
Keep your eyes open and watch for clues
Who will perish tonight?
Cool. Seb grabs the pitcher of water, but I stop him from pouring it into his glass. “The game has already started Hurry. Don’t drink the water.”
Seb looks confused, but does as I say. The other five tables quickly fill up with a variety of people dressed in everything from gowns to jean shorts. I’m keenly watching everyone who enters, as is Nick, probably for different reasons, though.
After the last person sits down, the MC takes the stage. As he speaks, the staff sets out water bottles and a character card for each person and removes the pitchers.
We need to read our cards and act out our characters.
Once a murder has been committed, we're to investigate the crime scene and gather clues to solve who did it.
We have until dessert is complete to figure it out and write our guesses on the back of our character cards.
Someone will collect the cards, and whoever guesses correctly wins the prize.
If more than one person is right, they'll draw a character from all correct answers.
Seb, of course, is trying to get us to reveal who our characters are as we eat the appetizers.
While Seb is distracted and bothering Bay for information, Nick slips his character card into my lap.
I should've known Nick would tell me. We’ll be working together since he’s my self-appointed bodyguard.
Surprisingly, he’s a boxer, while I’m a college student, and neither of us committed the murder.
As the appetizers are being cleared, the man behind Seb collapses on the floor, going still.
A woman a few tables over rushes to his side, announcing she’s a doctor.
She pronounces him dead, of course, and the mystery begins.
Seb immediately turns and starts asking questions at the table the dead man was sitting at.
It’s kind of hilarious. Everyone in attendance is playing right into their roles. There’s a social media star who’s too important to care, an inconsolable wife, and a drug dealer at the table.
When Seb crouches down to examine the body, his ‘wife’ freaks out, trying to stop Seb. That’s when he announces he’s the coroner.
As the meal progresses, various people move about the room, chatting with others to gather clues.
Nick and I mostly follow Seb, although Nick seems to keep a close eye on a woman who has been asking a lot of questions, claiming to be a detective.
As we eat and move about the room, the MC pops in every so often to provide hints.
The food is quite good. We each selected our main course when we booked the dinner. I chose steak, and it’s cooked well, with a lovely garlic butter sauce.
We figure out E is a lawyer, Alex is a banker, and Bay is a casino owner, I think. I pick up a lot of information just sitting at the table, listening.
Once dessert is served, I ask Nick who he thinks it could be, and he has it narrowed down to the detective or Alex.
Huh. Taking a moment to think through all I’ve heard, I have 5 people in mind.
Many characters have alibis, so dismissing them is easy.
The wife is one of my suspects, but that’s pretty cliché.
Since the victim owed a lot of money, it could be Alex or Bay.
There’s also a nephew who asked the victim for a loan recently.
I choose Bay at the last moment. Our character cards are gathered up, and we wait for the winner to be announced.
Seb is animatedly explaining why he chose the nephew when the MC returns.
Three people guessed correctly, and by random draw, a woman two tables away is the winner.
She receives a little trophy and a dining gift card.
Nick and another man were the other two correct guesses, and they get free movie tickets. “Who did you choose?” I ask Nick.
“Detective.”
“Good job, Grumpy.” I pat his knee and stand. We wait until most people have descended the stairs, then the guys surround me to walk back to the vehicle.
I make a mad dash up the stairs to the bathroom when Alex unlocks the front door. The guys find it hilarious. Whatever. It’s also an excuse to grab the balloons in Nick’s closet that E bought and inflated earlier today.
After a quick pee, I grab the balloon clusters and drop them around the living room just as the door opens. Both Alex and Seb seem surprised. Yay for us!
E is carrying Seb’s cake from the kitchen downstairs, and Bay has Alex’s cake.
They set them on the table while I gather plates and forks.
Nick lights the candles as I take pics with my phone while we sing Happy Birthday to both of them.
Bay manages a group photo with all of us and the two cakes before E cuts everyone slices.
Alex’s cake is lemon, while Seb’s is white confetti with sprinkles everywhere. E made both from scratch, so they’re both delicious.
We grab our gifts next. Seb, of course, wants to go first. I got him wireless headphones. He receives clothes, a free oil change and car detailing, and a knife.
I got Alex tickets to a lecture series at the university. The guys give him a university sweatshirt, a free tune-up for his SUV and a heart rate monitor.
Alex is thankful and polite, but distant. I wish he would enjoy his day, but we can’t force him. He retires early to bed.
I surprise Alex and Seb with a cupcake and candle at school on Monday and Tuesday during lunch. Alex had a fancy dinner with his dad, Alicia, and Reesa on Monday evening, but his dad flew in for just that night. Gabby, Troy, Nick, and Seb celebrated with pizza and cake at their condo Tuesday night.