“These are irreplaceable,” Oscar shook his head disgustedly. “The people who did this—”
“Or person,” I interjected.
My foreman frowned. “There are two chunks of paver, though.”
“Sure,” I agreed. “One for each hand.”
He spat angrily, losing his train of thought. I couldn’t blame him.
“I’ll tell the guys,” I said. “See what they want to do. In the meantime, do me a favor and get this cleaned up?”
He nodded, and I patted him on the shoulder.
“Thanks Oscar,” I smiled wearily. “What would I do without you?”
My foreman grinned and kicked at a few shards of red and blue glass. They tinkled noisily across the tiled floor.
“A whole lot of sweeping.”
Sixteen
KARISSA
It wasn’t the thunder that woke me up, so much as the lightning. But once I was awake…
WHOA!
The scene outside my window outdid the screen from any movie. Even the fantasy ones, where anything usually goes.
What in the—
I shielded my eyes, as a silver streak suddenly bisected my vision. It was already too late though. The silvery after-image was already burned into my retinas, as I sat up in bed trying to blink it away.
Something’s wet.
It was my first thought, as I swung my legs over the bed and set my feet on the cold floor. I’d gone to sleep early, and I’d left the window open. Water was now gathering in puddles on the floor, the rain sweeping in sideways as the wind howled outside.
That’s when I noticed half my bed was all wet.
“Fuck.”
Stepping into the cold wet spray, I worked quickly on getting it closed. The window was older than dirt. The frame so warped and swollen with moisture, it was nearly impossible to get it done.
Somehow though, I managed.
Just outside, streaks of jagged lightning ripped blindingly across the sky. They appeared every five or ten seconds, as the eye of the storm moved even closer. Thunder, explosive and violent, shook the room almost immediately after.
What time is it?
I really had no idea. After my sex-soaked rendezvous the night before, my internal clock had been way off on things. I knew that I wasn’t going back to bed though, not right now. At least not until the storm wasn’t rocking the manorhouse off its very foundations.
By the light of the constant flashes, I made my way into the hallway. I wanted to walk around a bit. Get my feet and legs to wake up, then maybe head downstairs for a shot or two of something that could help me sleep.
That’s when I saw it again: the locked door, opposite mine.
More and more it intrigued me. I’d chalked it up to a simple case of ‘guy stuff’ being in there, but the more I thought about it, the more curious I became.
You wouldn’t want that room anyway.
Yes, actually I would. The windows of that room faced the courtyard, and therefore the front of the property. I could look down on the driveways. See which of the work crews were still here, at all different hours.
Plus now I supposed I could also watch out for rock-hurling intruders.
Trust me.
Roderick’s voice still echoed hollowly in my head. There was something in there he didn’t want me to see. If he’d been more casual I might’ve forgotten it easily enough, but he’d been too quick. Too insistent.
Since then, I’d thought more and more about the room across the hall. I’d tried the lock all different times throughout the day. I’d even thought about getting Oscar to help, but then he’d know. Even inadvertently, he might tell one of the guys I’d been in there.
My key.
The keys to the rooms in this wing were still old brass skeleton keys. They hadn’t been changed over yet, and each didn’t look all that different than the last. It occurred to me that with the right amount of jiggling and finagling, I might be able to try my own.
Stepping back to where my desk stood, I grabbed the old key just as another flash of lightning illuminated the room. I flinched, waiting for the thunder…
BOOM!
My body was wracked with a violent shudder. The storm was getting closer! At this rate the whole house would be awake soon. Either that, or obliterated.
I slipped back into the hall and began fumbling with the mystery door’s lock. At first the key went in. It slipped almost all the way, and turned a good quarter turn…
Then it got stuck.
Damn.
I pulled and twisted, yanked and pushed. Nothing I could do would get the key out of the lock. The ancient knob remained locked in position, too. Even twisting it back and forth wouldn’t free my key.
Now you’re screwed.
I was, totally. I’d have to explain how the key to my room got stuck here, in this door. A door clear on the other side of the hallway. A door I’d been told specifically not to open…
“Hey…”
The voice was deep and strong, and nearly frightened me out of my skin! I jumped so abruptly my hand jarred the key loose. I palmed it quickly as I turned around… and came face to face with Roderick.
“What are you doing out here?”
I swallowed hard, slipping the key behind my back. I was still shaking from being so startled.
“Sorry if I scared you,” apologized Roderick.
“No no,” I forced a grin. “I was just—”
KA-VOOOM!
Another peal of thunder obliterated the rest of my sentence. Somewhere during the noise I dropped the key, then reflexively kicked it with my heel to one side of the hallway.
Holy shit!
The noise was loud and total. Still, I was grateful for it. It distracted Roderick from what I was doing, and gave me time to gather my wits.
“Can’t sleep, eh?” he smirked.
“Not in this.”
“Me neither,” he shook his head. “In fact—”
He stopped, staring at me intently. As his head cocked sideways, I stiffened.
“Have you been outside?”
I shook my head. “Hell no.”
“But you’re all wet.”
Relief flooded through me as I
