“No, that’s not what I have in mind. It’s just a backup plan,” I tell her as I slip on a clean pair of black leather gloves and give another old pair to Tessa. “Put these on and don’t touch anything inside, okay? If all goes well, I’ll choke him out, leaving no blood and no bullets.”
“That’s…smart,” Tessa says as she swallows loudly.
“Are you sure you still want to go inside with me?” I ask to make sure she hasn’t changed her mind. “I can do this on my own.”
“I know you can,” she says, her words sounding so sincere I want to kiss her. I push the thought away; I know better than to even think about that. “I can handle it,” she reassures me.
“Okay,” I say. “I won’t ask you again, but if you have to leave, run back to the hotel if you need to. The key will be right here,” I add when I place it in the saddlebag instead of risking it falling out of one of our pockets in the building. “Do you have any jewelry or anything else that could get accidently left behind?”
“No, I don’t think so,” Tessa replies as she spreads out her fingers, which are all bare. Still, I know she’s thinking about the diamond ring that used to be on her left hand.
“That’s good,” I say as I check my watch again for the time and to make sure it’s secure. “It’s been eleven minutes, so I guess we should get moving. Now or never.”
“Now,” she agrees, getting to her feet. “I’m ready.”
“Me too,” I reply.
What I wasn’t ready for was Tessa grabbing my gloved hand in hers and clasping our fingers together. She gives my hand a squeeze and says, “Now we look like a couple heading into the funeral home to make arrangements for a loved one.”
“Right,” I agree as I start strolling to the black side door with Tessa matching each of my steps. “Think we’re lucky enough to find the door unlocked?” I ask as the door gets closer and closer until we’re right in front of it.
Glancing to the left and the right to make sure there’s no one around, I reach out and grab the door handle to give it a try. Sure enough, it turns easily. And with a gentle push, we’re inside. I flash Tessa a smile because I’m beginning to think this will be easier than I expected.
Tessa
* * *
Not only did we catch the monster alone, but he thankfully left the door unlocked for us. Verek steps inside the carpeted entryway with me right on his heels, quietly shutting the door behind me.
Immediately, I notice that the place smells like an overabundance of flowers, and not in a good way. It’s an almost sickening scent. Or maybe that’s death. Before I can think about it too much, Verek turns to me and points wordlessly to the floor, which I take to mean that he wants me to stay there. I give him a nod, and then he slips off, peeking into each room as he goes until he makes a right and is out of sight. The only sound in the entire place is the roaring of the central air blowing through the overhead vents.
When I realize I’m holding my breath, I try to force myself to inhale and exhale regularly even if it smells gross to calm myself and keep me from trembling. Occasionally I look out the small window on the door behind me to make sure there are no new cars pulling into the lot.
Only two minutes at most have passed when Verek calls out, “All clear!”
I quickly follow the sound of his voice down the hallway to the right. I hear footsteps on the steps that lead down to a basement and then startle as the top of someone’s head comes into view. Thank god, it’s Verek.
“You found him?” I whisper.
“He’s down there,” he says with a jerk of his chin toward the bottom of the steps.
“What happened? Is he…”
Looking away, he says, “I, um, was trying to cut off his air, but he struggled and then, I, ah, think I sort of broke his neck. He’s gone.”
“Good,” I reply with a heavy exhale of relief.
“Come on down if you want. I swear it’s safe,” Verek says as he turns and jogs back down. “I found his phone and a contact for Leroy. That’s the guy who works at the cemetery.”
“That’s…great,” I say, unsure how to feel about all of this at the moment as I carefully take the stairs without touching the rail, even though I’m wearing gloves. Right now, it’s best to try and just keep my head clear to get through the plan and worry about feelings later.
Down at the landing, there’s a sharp left turn leading to a set of double doors. When I pass through, I’m in a cold, sterile area with a gray metal table where they must prepare the bodies. It’s so quiet and creepy. Not to mention the crumbled form on the floor in front of Verek’s feet. I take a few more steps toward them until I can see his face. His bulging brown eyes are still open, and his face is slack, the flop of thin hair falling over his forehead. It’s a face I’ll never forget.
“He’s dead?” I whisper.
“Yes, he’s dead. I checked his pulse.”
When I just continue to stare silently at the body of one of the men who broke me, Verek eventually speaks up. “Tessa, sweetheart, say something. Are you okay? Are you going to be sick?”
“I’m fine,” I tell him, finally lifting my eyes from the dead body and taking a few steps backward.
“Good,” Verek whispers. Grabbing the front of his T-shirt, he presses the fabric against several parts of his face as if to wipe up the sweat. “Guess I should go ahead and text Leroy.”
I nod and try to figure out what we should say to get him here fast. “Tell him…tell him they need to talk. It’s urgent. But it can’t be done on the phone, so he won’t try to just call.”
“Okay,” Verek agrees before he starts typing in the message. I hear the swooping sound when he hits Send. “While we wait, I guess we should go ahead and get him in the oven. I think it’s in the other room down here. That’s where he was coming out of when I grabbed him.”
“Right, yeah.”
Verek puts the phone in his pocket and then goes over to grab the guy underneath his arm, dragging him toward the open door that leads further into the basement. “Do you, um, do you need help?” I ask.
“No, thanks. I’ve got it,” he replies. “Just make sure he didn’t leave anything behind, then check upstairs for cameras.”
“Oh, yeah, sure,” I say as I go back over and search the floor and then tiptoe upstairs to look around just to have something to do. I’m pretty sure he just wanted me to leave instead of watching him use the “oven.” I make two laps around, searching every inch of each room for cameras without finding anything. When I get back down in the basement, Verek is closing the door behind him. “Leroy’s on his way.”
“Great. Maybe you should text another quick message like, ‘the side door is open, so come on in and down to the basement.’ That’s something friends would tell each other, right?”
“Probably. That’s smart,” Verek agrees as he pulls the phone out again to add the message. “I’m glad I brought you along. I had no idea you would be able to think so quickly under pressure.”