slurred speech is another indicator that hypothermia has set in.”
“So we need to keep talking?” Beth asked.
“Yes,” Carrie said.
They were all silent.
“I have nothing to say,” Lindsey said. “Probably I would but now I feel pressured.”
Carrie chuckled. “Isn’t that always the way?”
They were silent again.
“I can teach you some of my story time finger plays,” Beth offered. “How about
“That’s going to make me hungry,” Lindsey said.
“Yeah, maybe one without food,” Carrie agreed.
“So,
It was dark, so she could have faked it, but Lindsey did as she was told, hoping it would take her mind off Heathcliff and the cold at least for a moment.
“Now repeat after me,” Beth said. “Here is a beehive, but where are the bees?”
Lindsey and Carrie dutifully repeated the words.
“Hiding away where nobody sees,” Beth continued and they repeated.
“Watch and you’ll see them come out of the hive,” Beth said. “Now as you count, release a finger until only your thumb is left.”
“One, two, three, four, five…buzzzzz!”
Lindsey felt a thumb jab her in the cheek. “Hey, quit that.”
“Sorry,” Beth said, but Lindsey could hear her laughing. “I usually wear a little bee puppet on my thumb and it always flies into the kids and tickles them.”
“Uh-huh.” Lindsey grunted. She wasn’t positive, but she thought she could hear Carrie laughing, too.
“Come on, let’s do it again,” Beth said.
So they did. Five more times to be exact. Then Beth got them moving a bit more with
Lindsey had a feeling that Beth had enough finger plays, poems and rhymes in her repertoire to keep them going all night. And she would have bet dollars to donuts that Beth hadn’t considered this a life-saving skill back in library school.
Donuts. Why had she thought of donuts? Her stomach grumbled and she had to shake her head to clear it of the image of a ginormous raspberry jelly covered in powdered sugar. She felt a little drool pool in the corner of her mouth and wiped it away with her glove.
“How is everyone doing?” Carrie asked as they took a break. “Any numbness, nausea or disorientation?”
“I’m okay on the first two,” Lindsey said, “But given that it’s pitch-black in here, my internal compass is a bit wonky.”
“Good point,” Carrie said. “We’ll let that one go unless you start to fall over.”
“So, who wants to learn
“I love you, Beth,” Lindsey said with a chuckle. She told herself she wasn’t saying it because this night in the shed might turn out really badly, but rather because it occurred to her that she didn’t say it enough to her loved ones.
“I love you, too,” Beth said. She took a deep breath and began the chant with Lindsey and Carrie repeating her.
They performed it three times, and Lindsey figured if they ever got out of here, she would be officially certified to perform story times.
“Well, what next?” Beth asked as they paused to catch their breath.
“We could-” Carrie began but Lindsey hushed her.
“Shh, I hear something,” she said.
There it was, the distinct sound of a man’s voice and a dog’s bark.
“There’s someone out there!” Beth cried.
As one, they bolted for the door and began to bang on it with their fists. “Help!”
“We’re in here!”
“Let us out! Please!”
There was no answer.
CHAPTER 23
BRIAR CREEK
PUBLIC LIBRARY
“Are we suffering from group delirium?” Beth asked Carrie. “I could have sworn I heard something.”
The screech of metal sounded and they all jumped back from the door. A terrific bang sounded and the door popped open.
Backlit by the security lights of the storage facility, Sully stood in the doorway, holding a crowbar with Heathcliff at his side.
Heathcliff bolted for Lindsey and wrapped his paws about her leg as if he’d never let her go. She bent down and hefted him into her arms, letting him lick her face while she buried hers in his fur.
“Oh, buddy, you came back,” she said. “And you brought help.”
As if he understood, Heathcliff barked and licked and wiggled closer against her. Lindsey was afraid she might cry. She had been so worried about him and now he was here and he was okay.
Carrie and Beth hurried out of the shed, leaving Lindsey to follow with Heathcliff.
“How did you find us?” Lindsey asked Sully.
“Heathcliff,” he said. “I was driving home from the pier and I saw him on the side of the road. I stopped to pick him up, but he wouldn’t get in the truck. He kept barking and dashing down the road, so I followed him.”
“And he led you here?” Carrie asked.
“Yep, he ran right to the shed,” Sully said. “I had to park and follow him. I heard you banging, and I saw the lock on the door was fastened. I tried to yell to let you know I was there, but you’re a noisy bunch.”
“You should have heard our dinosaur roar,” Lindsey said. The three women laughed at his bewildered look.
“Anyway, I knew something was wrong, so I went back to my truck to get my crowbar and managed to bust the lock off.”
“Our hero,” Beth said, and she gave him a one-armed hug.
“No, I’m just the muscle,” Sully said. “He’s your hero.”
He reached over with his large hand and gently ruffled Heathcliff’s ears. Heathcliff barked and licked his hand as if in agreement. Lindsey couldn’t help but laugh.
“Well, let’s go get you a nice big, juicy steak,” she said to the puppy as she put him down on the ground. “Would you like that? Would you?”
Heathcliff danced on his feet and hurried over to Sully’s truck. The door was still ajar and he jumped inside ready to go.
“Well, that settles that,” Sully said. “I have a spare padlock in my truck.” He fished a lock and a key out of the storage box in the back of his truck. He handed the key to Carrie and said, “I only have the one key.”
“That’s all right,” she said as she pocketed it. “It’s probably for the best.”
The women watched as Sully closed the door and put the new lock on. They all headed back to the parked vehicles, where Heathcliff still sat in the truck, his tail thumping against the seat.
