'For all the good that does us,' Anne said. 'We can't tell anyone.'
Carrie's head snapped up. 'Oh, my God, I did tell.'
'What did you say?' Sara asked.
'I called my niece from the airport. I was in the ladies' room, and I remembered I had my cell phone in the pocket of my blazer, so I called her. Her voice mail picked up and I left a message telling her where we were going to be spending the night. What a fool I am. I went on and on about the famous guests who had stayed here before. Monk-if that is his real name-must have done his research.' Tears flooded her eyes as she whispered, 'That's why he was telling those stupid stories about movie stars. He knew I'd be impressed. I'm such a shallow fool.'
'He played all of us,' Sara said. 'Did you tell your niece the name of the property?'
'Yes,' Carrie answered. 'I don't know if she got the message because she might have already left for the airport. What if he
was there waiting for her?' Her voice broke on a sob.
Sara reached across the table and patted Carrie's hand. 'If he had been waiting for her, wouldn't he have driven her here?
Maybe that's what they're waiting for,' she added. 'Maybe that's why they haven't…'
'Haven't what?' Anne asked.
'Killed us,' Sara said bluntly.
'But you said they left us food in the pantry and in the freezer, so they obviously want to keep us alive a little while longer,'
Anne argued.
Sara disagreed. 'The food… that's what's so alarming. Doesn't it seem more frightening to you that they didn't empty the cabinets?'
Carrie hadn't thought of it that way, but now she agreed with Sara. 'I think that means they're going to blow the house soon. They're not going to let us sit in here until it's all gone. They left the water on too,' she pointed out. 'We have to get out of here.'
She buried her face in her hands and whispered, 'I've got to get to Avery. If that monster has her…'
'Concentrate on finding a way out, Carrie, so that you can help your niece.'
Anne straightened in her chair and nodded. 'As long as you both agree I'm innocent, I'll help and I won't do anything crazy, like opening a door. I promise, but you have to say it.'
Carrie lifted her head. 'Say what?' Anne straightened in her chair. 'That I'm innocent.'
She was, of course, implying that Sara and Carrie weren't. It was infuriating, her holier-than-thou attitude, but Carrie caught
Sara's nod and decided she had to get along with Anne if she wanted her cooperation. 'Yes, you are innocent,' she said.
After Sara concurred, Anne turned to Carrie. 'You should try to make amends with your sister, fix the wrong you did.'
Oh, how Carrie hated the woman. She held her tongue as Anne preached on. 'Family is the most important thing of all. I recently learned that truth. Being able to lean on someone… like my husband when times get difficult… that's very important. I'm very fortunate,' she continued. 'My husband adores me.'
She was excited when she turned to Sara. 'He'll sound the alarm. My husband calls every single day. He's never missed. I told him not to bother while I was at the spa because I'd be doing all those treatments, and it would be difficult for him to get hold of me, but he wouldn't listen. He said he couldn't go to sleep at night unless he talked to me. So don't you see? If we can just wait it out, my husband will have the police tearing Colorado apart looking for me.' 'We can't wait,' Carrie objected. Sara shook her head at her for losing her cool. 'You sound like you have a wonderful marriage,' she told Anne.
'Yes, I do. We're blissfully happy.' There was a note of defiance. 'And he will search for me.'
'Yes, I'm sure he will,' Sara placated. 'But we might not have time to wait for the police to find us. Colorado's a big state.'
Anne nodded. 'Yes, you're right. We have to help ourselves. All right,' she said as she untied the cord around her right arm. 'What can I do? I don't know that I can be much help because I'm just getting over a long bout of illness. I've lost weight, and I don't have my strength back yet. I'm an excellent cook, though. I could fix us something to eat.'
'That would be wonderful,' Sara said. 'Thank you, Anne.'
Carrie wasn't as trusting. Maybe Anne had come to her senses. Then again, maybe she was simply playing them. The stakes were too high to trust her. Carrie decided that either she or Sara had to keep an eye on the woman at all times.
'Is anyone hungry now?' Anne asked as she stood.
'I am,' Sara said.
Anne didn't seize the opportunity to make a sarcastic remark about Sara's weight this time. In fact, she apologized for what she had said earlier, and damn if she didn't sound sincere.
'I never should have called you a fat pig. I was overwrought, but that is a poor excuse for hurting your feelings.'
'Sara, why don't you stay here and keep Anne company while I search the house again,' Carrie said. 'I'll start at the top and work my way down. I've got to be missing something.'
She was actually beginning to feel a little optimistic as she ran up the stairs. She hurriedly dressed in her designer sweats and
then methodically rechecked each opening. There was a tiny window high up in the corner of her bedroom. It took her a long
time to move the bureau over to the wall and then climb up, but she still wasn't tall enough. She ran downstairs to get one of the dining room chairs. She noticed Sara was standing on a chair in front of the double- pane living room windows. She had a lipstick and was printing the word 'help' across the glass.
Carrie stopped her. 'If Monk, or whatever the hell the bastard's name is, has put a triggering device outside…' She didn't have
to finish her thought.
'The house will blow when help arrives.'
'It's a possibility,' Carrie said as she lifted the chair and started back up the stairs.
'I'll stop,' Sara said. She got off the chair and went to get a towel to wipe off the letters she'd just written.
'What about trying
Carrie's arms ached from the exertion of lifting the chair on top of the bureau. It took her three tries, and she was panting
because she was so terribly out of shape. She fell trying to climb to the top, but fortunately, she landed on the bed. She propped the chair against the wall and tried again. When she was finally able to reach the window, she burst into tears. The son of a bitch had wired that tiny little egress too.
She wouldn't give up, no matter how hopeless their situation was. Maybe Anne's suggestion would work. Maybe they could cut through the glass without disturbing the wires. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she gingerly scraped her diamond ring against the sliding glass door. Fifteen minutes later she stopped. All she had managed to do in that time was make a small scratch on the glass.
Carrie walked down a flight to the next level and proceeded to examine Anne's room and then Sara's. She spent hours trying one thing and then another before she finally gave up. She'd wasted the afternoon and part of the evening on the impossible.
Chapter 12
Jilly walked around the stone bench nestled in the grotto facing the serenity pool. She paused to watch an instructor dressed in white tai chi clothing lead his students in an ancient exercise. The teacher was quite graceful,
