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Story: When People Leave

“That’s wild,” Charlie said.“Do you have a card?I’m always looking to refer clients.”

He pulled a business card out of his wallet and handed it to her.“I’d love to have your business card, too.I have lots of patients who need talk therapy.”

“Mine are in my purse.I’ll get you one as soon as we get out of here.”

“Hey, you stragglers back there,” Colby yelled out, tapping his fist on a table like a nun with a ruler.“Are you planning on helping us with this safe?”

Collin and Charlie shrugged, then joined Colby and Amy.The engine room area was filled with levers and valves and a life-size mannequin of Edward J.Smith, the captain of theTitanic.

A voice boomed over the loudspeaker.“You have eight minutes to complete the last puzzle, or you’ll feel the icy fingers of the Atlantic,” Natasha said, then gave a better, ridiculous, evil laugh.

“Did you hear that?”Colby said.

“Yes, we might actually get out of here,” Amy said.

They stood in front of a safe trying various combinations.

“I’ve been trying to open this for the last five minutes, and none of the numbers I put in are working,” Colby said.

“What about the date the Titanic went down?”Abby said.

“I already tried that,” Colby said.

“We’ve come this far; we have to beat the clock,” Amy said.

“I know I can do this,” Charlie said, pushing her way through.

First, she put in the date theTitanicset sail, but the safe didn’t open.She looked around the room for any clue that might help.She felt everyone breathing behind her as if their living or dying were on her shoulders.She liked the power that came with that.

Finally, she entered the captain’s birthdate.She’d seen it on one of the documents in a lifeboat and remembered it because it was the same date that Morgan was born—or at least the date on her fake birth certificate.

The click of the safe opening echoed through the room, and inside, they found a key to the door.They all looked up at the clock at the same time.There was one minute left to get out.Colby grabbed the key and opened the door as everyone cheered.

“You can’t leave until I get a picture of the first people to escape,” Natasha said.“Granted, we opened a day and a half ago, but still.”

Natasha took a picture of the group, and then they all walked outside.At first, Charlie and Amy were ahead of Collin and Colby, but the closer they got to the parking lot, the closer the guys got to them.

Amy turned.“You guys can follow us, but you should know we don’t take strange men home,” she said sarcastically.

Charlie held her hands at her side because she wanted to smack Amy, although she should’ve been used to it.Amy loved to embarrass her.

“Good to know,” Collin said, smiling at Charlie.Charlie smiled back.

“We’re just going to our car,” Colby said.“It’s right there.”He pointed to a black Corolla in a parking garage filled with cars.

“How funny, our car is right next to yours,” Charlie said, pointing to Amy’s Nissan Sentra.I wonder if that’s what they call kismet,she thought.

Amy got into her car, but Charlie dawdled.“Bye,” Charlie said, her eyes on Collin as she slowly opened the passenger door.Before she got in, she reached into her purse.“Oh, I forgot.Here’s my business card,” she handed it to him.

“Great,” Collin said.“And please let me know if you have any referrals for me.”

You can bet I will,Charlie thought, but only nodded and waved goodbye.

Amy turned on the car and started backing out of the parking space.“Someone has a crush,” Amy said.

“I don’t even know him,” Charlie said, not sounding convincing to her ears.Charlie couldn’t tell how much of the stirring inside her was caused by excitement or how much from hunger, but she figured it was mostly the former.

“He’s cute.Even the wax ship captain in the boiler room could see he was into you,” Amy said as she drove down the street.