“Of course not. I don’t think Livewire’s even finished yet. Katrina’s my problem. Mine! You have no right!”
“You gave up that right,” Joe said. “We all know it. You signed the dotted line, made a pact, and took over Oak Hollow — the street level of it, anyway. Level Zero’s all mine.”
“What are you saying? Where is she?!”
“Not far at all.” Creeper Joe smirked. “A little super glue on the eyes. A few fish hooks in the skin. A scorching iron to the legs. Just wanted to make her feel welcome. Don’t you feel relieved? She ran the hotel into the ground. We’ve all got reasons to resent her for that.”
“I’m calling the cops.”
“Ah ah. We’ve discussed this already. Why would you do a stupid thing like that? Creepy Nights is doing very well. You think a business that ridiculous could have the success it has without my help? Guess again,” Joe pulled out a piece of Katrina’s blouse from his pocket. “I liked the black lace. It was very flattering to her… matronly figure. Thing is, you don’t have any kids, do you? Poor baby. I’d hate to kill her. It would be your fault. Remember, you have control of your own destiny.” Joe walked away from Chris. He turned around. “Oh, by the way, I might have snitched a surveillance tape from Riverton Financial the other night. Let’s just say if you do squeak… RPD will get a delivery. The license plate of your car is right in the shot. I’m always a step ahead. Don’t bother trying to catch up.”
“What’s your deal with Katrina? Sylvia ran Oak Hollow into the ground, not her. She admitted as much,” Chris said.
“There’s no difference between them anymore. They’re one and the same. She’s on the list. I never showed her name to you. Level Zero beckons all of them like a lighthouse beacon bringing its wanderlust ships home. Don’t worry. I made everything better. She’s not screaming anymore. A dunk in the spring did her good. I just had to tease a minute and soak in the fear.”
“The spring?”
“The Spring of Life. Haven’t we been over this? Don’t you remember playing ball? Never mind, we’re out of time. Ta-ta.”
Joe exited the basement into an obscure passage. The wall closed up behind him. Chris approached, finding no point of entry. He cursed.
There’s no way in.
Tears welled up in his eyes and he buried his head into his hands. A few minutes later, he studied the basement stumbling into the wellhouse room. An unfamiliar doorway at the rear looked to lead into the tunnel. Chris struggled to move toward it.
What have I done? Dear God, what have I done?
He sank to the floor with his back pressed against the cornerstone.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
LIVEWIRE emerged from the tunnel into the lobby, breezing past Nancy. She threw a pen at the back of his head.
Not gonna turn around, Livewire thought. Keep going. I don’t want to talk to her anymore. I’ve had more chit-chat with that girl than I ever should have. She can’t ever take a hint, can she?
“Where are you going, mister? I haven’t seen you in a while?”
He entered the elevator and pressed the DOOR CLOSE button over and over. Nancy approached behind him.
“Wait a minute,” she called out. The door closed.
Good riddance.
He pressed the Level Eight floor marker, proceeding to the penthouse level of the facility.
Time to pass on the good news to Chris. What can I say? I’ve outdone myself, haven’t I? He’ll be happy as a lark.
The elevator doors opened. Chris stood there to greet him.
“Hey. How’s the project going?”
“Well, boss, I’ve just about finished. Let’s go to the basement, and I’ll give you the grand tour of the control room.”
Chris blinked his eyes, leaving them shut a second longer than expected. “The basement? I never told you to set it up there.”
Livewire scoffed, wiping some black dirt from his nose. “Where else was I going to put it? I thought you wanted to be discrete? I’m sorry. It just made little sense to me to put it anywhere else. Running the equipment cabling all the way up here seemed to go against the cost-effective approach. I know the money hasn’t run dry, but we wanted to do this smart, right?”
Chris nodded. He reached into his pocket and squeezed on his stress relief ball. “Yeah, I’m sorry. I should have clarified. That empty back room in the lobby would have been fine, too. I’m not real thrilled to be in the basement.”
“And why is that?”
“No particular reason. I just prefer life above the surface. I get a little claustrophobic. It’s fine. Climb on the elevator, and we’ll go down.”
Livewire pressed the zero button. “You feelin’ alright?”
“I’m fine.”
“I don’t mean to pry. I just hadn’t heard much from you since I started the project. Making me go through Nancy for everything was… interesting.”
“Did you two get frisky or something?” Chris asked. “I don’t know what you want from me… If you’re looking for an apology, you’re not going to get one. I’ve got my own cross to bear.”
“Hell no. She ain’t my type, too chatty.”
“Really. I hadn’t picked up on that. She’s all business with me. I guess she likes you.” Chris poked Livewire in the ribs.
Really, dude? You’re crampin’ my style.
The elevator doors opened, and they walked toward the control room closet.
“Here we are…” Livewire said. “It ain’t 1984 ‘til next year, but Orwell would be proud.”
“Livewire, are you telling me you’re literate?”
Jerk…
Livewire opened the door. “Why wouldn’t I be? Come on in. I’m literate enough.”
“Take a look. I’ve got fourteen monitors to cover the zones you requested. Each camera has built-in microphones and night vision cameras when it gets dark. Use the little joystick and these levers to maneuver around. The buttons allow you to place any of the cameras on the larger screen. The audio activates on that channel automatically.”
Livewire whirled the swiveling chair around.
“Look back here. You can even throw an eight-track
