I locked the car and walked back toward the office. I have to act normal, I told myself. Just play it cool. This was going to be tough seeing as my stomach was in knots. The whole exchange had made me feel ill, but the worst part had been hearing Helena say, What if he saw what we did?
God… What did the three of them—four if Ami was included—do? Warning bells were sounding in my head, telling me that whatever they’d done, it was definitely connected to this huge secret I sought to uncover—a secret dealing with a sleazy motel room, a bullet in a wall that someone had tried to cover up, a mysterious gold band, and now…two men, one of whom was known to be a danger.
So, yeah, with all that in mind, I stepped back into the reception area. I made myself smile and kept my mouth shut when Adam emerged from the back office, looking slightly disheveled and a whole lot distracted.
We made it through dinner, passing the time with meaningless conversation about the food and the restaurant, but it was clear Adam’s thoughts remained elsewhere.
After dinner, walking back to the car, he took my hand. I squeezed his in return. “Are you coming back to my house?” I asked coyly. Maybe something could be salvaged from this night, something made right.
Adam sighed. “I can’t tonight. I’m leaving early tomorrow morning for business.”
I groaned in frustration. “I thought you were going to be in town all week. When will you be back?”
“The week’s pretty much over,” he reminded me. “And circumstances change. I’ll be back by Wednesday afternoon.”
“I hate when you have to go away over a weekend,” I said sadly.
Adam stopped on the sidewalk and turned me to face him. “Trust me, Maddy, I hate it, too.” He traced the outline of my lips and leaned down to kiss me.
“I love you,” I murmured against his lips.
Adam didn’t say it in return, but his kisses left little doubt he felt the same.
As we stood there in the middle of downtown Harbour Falls, most of the businesses closed for the night, I made a decision. Adam was back in my life; things couldn’t continue on as they had. I’d go to Willow Point on Monday, see if Ami had any more clues.
But then, that was it.
On Wednesday, when Adam returned, I’d show him the “puzzle pieces” Ami had given to me. I’d tell him all I had discovered up to this point. Everything—I planned to leave nothing out. Adam’s two-week deadline didn’t matter anymore; it was time to come clean early.
And I’d expect answers in return. If Adam held out on me, I would just have to confess that I’d heard his discussion with Nate and Helena. No more secrets, no more lies. Maybe together we could get to the bottom of whatever was going on, whether it was Ami’s sick game…or someone else’s.
It seemed so simple, so cut and dried…if only it could have gone as planned.
Chapter Fourteen
Monday arrived before I knew it, and I once again found myself outside Ami’s room at Willow Point. The guard, Bradley, opened the locked door for me. As I entered the room, he shot me a look of sympathy. I wondered what that was all about, but once I was far enough in and saw Ami curled up under the covers, I saw why.
My one-time friend looked absolutely terrible. Her bobbed hair lay in greasy, unwashed clumps, and her skin was pale and gray. Her eyes, though, were the worst. She stared vacantly ahead, seemingly at nothing at all.
What in the hell could have happened to Ami in just one week?
“Ami…” I knelt by the bed and touched her arm tentatively, her skin cool to the touch. “It’s me, Maddy.”
She blinked a few times rapidly. “Maddy?” she softly inquired.
Her gaze was so unfocused, barely meeting mine. “Yes, it’s me.” I took her hand and squeezed reassuringly. “What’s going on? What’s happening in here? Have you been sick?”
Ami held onto my hand like it was some sort of a lifeline. With a shaky exhale of breath that seemed to rattle in her lungs, she said, “I’m not sick, Maddy, but I am scared. It’s not safe for me here in this place. I thought we had time, but we don’t. Tick tock…” She tried to chuckle, but trailed off in a series of coughs. “Remember when I told you the clock is ticking?” I nodded, and a single tear slid down her ashen cheek. “I’m sorry, but I think it’s too late. He’s here.”
“Who’s here?” I asked, wondering if this had to do with the mystery or something else entirely.
She began to tremble. Why was Ami so frightened? Was she truly in danger or was this some kind of a delusional episode?
She still had yet to respond, so I asked again, “Ami, who are you afraid of? Is someone on the staff hurting you?”
I threw a frown and a glance toward the doorway. Bradley was watching but seemed oblivious. We’d kept our voices low, so I was fairly sure he hadn’t heard anything. Even so, I lowered my voice a little more. “Ami, I can’t help if you don’t tell me what’s going on.”
With my hand still in hers, she pulled me closer. “There’s nothing you can do,” she ground out, her eyes widening. “He’s going to kill me, Maddy, and no one will ever be the wiser. He’ll get away with it because—” Amu broke out into another series of coughs and didn’t finish.
“Who are you talking about?” I pleaded. “Who’s going to kill you?”
But before she could answer, Nurse Allen rushed into the room. “Ms. Fitch, I’m sorry, but you have to go. You should
