time, I just assumed he took a back entrance and escaped out into the night.”
He spoke in a low voice as they made their way down the hallway. “Is there something controversial about your research?”
She swung the flashlight back and forth after stepping into an area that may have been some sort of meeting place for hotel guests. There was a fireplace in the center of the room and a very dusty-looking oriental rug. A couple of cardboard boxes were stacked in a corner.
“I don’t think there is anything controversial about my research. If anything, it helps hunters and campers. Why are you asking?”
“Just trying to figure out a motive for the attack.” He really wanted the attack to be unconnected to the kidnapping.
“Motive for the attack? You sound like a cop.” She shone her flashlight in his direction.
“I used to be.” The comment was friendly enough, but he could feel himself retreat emotionally. “Let’s just leave it at that.”
“Sure, Jude.” She swept past him and up the hall, then looked over her shoulder. Even in near darkness her auburn hair had a glossy sheen to it. “I told you everything about my job, but you don’t want to talk about yours.”
He hurried after her. “I said I used to be a cop.”
“So why did you stop being a cop?” She stood in front of an ancient-looking elevator with an out-of-order sign. Her gaze rested on him, waiting for a response.
He reached out and touched the out-of-order sign that looked like it might have been hung during the Carter administration. “Let’s take the stairs.” Jude felt like someone had stirred his insides with a hot poker. Thinking about the past did that to him.
He’d kept all the pain from his past at bay, but here was this redheaded woman showing curiosity about who he was as a man. A part of him wanted to open up to her just to have another person bear the burden with him.
Lacey bounded down two flights of stairs. “He probably wouldn’t hide on the main floor since it is the most used.” At the bottom of the stairs was a large wooden door.
Jude pushed on it. It screeched open, revealing a dark corridor with a series of doors and walls made of stone.
Lacey held the flashlight up to her chin and spoke theatrically. “The belly of the whale.”
He laughed. Her sense of humor was infectious. “You go first, my lady. I’ll back you up.” Maybe too, the humor covered up the fear she must be wrestling with.
They brushed away cobwebs and stepped into the hallway. Their footsteps echoed on the concrete. Each room they searched revealed various items: stored furniture, a broken chandelier and some kitchen appliances. All of it looked like it hadn’t been used in a long time. Lacey stepped into the room where a stove was stored. She shone a light on the dusty surface. Her body went rigid.
Jude stepped toward her. “What is it?”
“This looks fresh to me.” She aimed her light on the dusty stove top where there was a handprint.
Jude shone his light all around the concrete room. All the other rooms had had an abundance of cobwebs but not this one. “Yeah maybe someone was in here recently.”
He saw the fear in her eyes. He patted her shoulder, hoping to comfort her. They continued their search. “It could have been Ray for whatever reason.”
The only room that looked like it was used on a regular basis was the laundry room, which was clean and contained folded linens, three washing machines and two dryers. Some towels hung over a drying rack. They had worked their way down the entire corridor to the other end of the hotel where there was another staircase leading back to the main floor.
“Let’s head back upstairs,” he said.
She rubbed her forehead, still standing at the base of the stairs. “The one thing I know for sure is that someone was in my room and that at one point they had their hands around my neck.” Her voice faltered.
He leaned a little closer to her. “I know an attack like that can be really scary. I think the best thing to do would be to try to get some sleep. If it would help at all, I can sleep in the chair in your room.”
“Thank you. I think I need that.” She turned to face him. “We were strangers less than ten hours ago. I guess we’re in this together for now.”
He did feel a bond growing between them. It was unusual for him to have an instant connection with anyone. His relationships with women seemed to fall apart before they ever got started. There wasn’t much he could do about liking Lacey other than enjoy the time they did have together. His work here would be finished soon enough, hopefully with a happy ending. He’d head back to North Dakota. His gut twisted into a tight knot when he thought about the kidnapped child.
They made their way upstairs, taking a little time to search the main floor. Laughter spilled out from the ballroom. When they peeked inside Ray and Eddie had set up a chessboard. Eddie’s son must have returned to his room.
They stepped away from the ballroom and headed back to their rooms. They stood on the mezzanine looking down on the ornate but worn carpet in the lobby.
The most likely scenario was that whoever had been in Lacey’s room had been there to rob her. All the same, he could not shut off his cop mind. “Is there some reason why someone in this town might be mad at you or your family?”
“I don’t have any connection to this town. I’m from the other side of the state.” She leaned forward, gripping the railing with her hands and staring off into space.
“I thought you said that you moved around a lot?”
“I do. I live in forest service cabins and campers mostly. I grew up in a little town called Jasper.” Her voice faltered. “Haven’t been back there in years.”
There was a depth of emotion to her comment that he could not begin to plumb. He suspected that there was a tragic amount of pain to her statement. “What about your mom and your dad?”
“They’re dead along with my little brother. The only family I have is my grandmother. Honestly, I don’t think my family has anything to do with why I was attacked.”
Jude felt as though all the air had left the room. He picked up on her defensive tone. “I wasn’t prying. I’m just trying to figure this thing out.”
Lacey turned toward him. “Sorry, it’s a time waster to ask questions about my family, okay?”
Just like him she’d grown defensive when talking about the past.
Jude cleared his throat. He stepped away from the bannister. “Why don’t we try to get some sleep. If he is still here in the hotel, I’ll keep watch for him.”
She studied him for a long moment. “Okay...thank you.” She walked the few feet to her room and shut the door behind her. Jude returned to his room to grab his phone, which had a book on it he’d been reading. He knocked on her door. Lacey opened it.
He collapsed into the chair. She got into bed and rolled over.
Jude
