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Chapter Thirty-Eight

I grab my bag from the backseat and walk through the doors of The Peninsula.

“Welcome to The Peninsula. How can I help you?”

“I need a room, please.”

“I.D. and credit card,” the older woman behind the desk says.

I pull out both from my wallet and hand it to her.

“How many nights?” she asks.

“Uh, two nights.”

“We have a deluxe suite on the fifteenth floor for two nights.” She smiles.

“That’s fine.”

I just need her to hurry up and give me my room key.

“You’re all set.” She smiles, handing me the keycard. “You’re in suite 1508.”

“Thank you.” I grip the strap on my bag and push the button to the elevator.

I stand in front of the hotel room door, scanning the keycard until I hear the click of the lock unlocking. As I push open the door, I feel a rush of cool air hit my face. Flicking on the light switch by the door, I enter the room and immediately drop my bag and myself onto the king-sized bed. I don’t know what to think about this—the storage unit, the safe, the jewelry, and the knife. The killer led me to his lair, but why?

As I lay on the bed, my stomach growls loudly, reminding me that the only thing I had eaten all day was a yogurt. The thought of food makes me feel nauseous, but I know I need to keep my strength up.

I grab the in-dining menu from the nightstand and look it over. I order a turkey sandwich and fries. While I wait for room service, I jump into the shower and press my hands against the wet marble, letting the hot water soothe my body. After I finish, I wrap myself in the fluffy white robe the hotel provides. The knock at the door startles me.

“Room service,” a man’s voice echoes from the hallway.

I open the door, and he steps inside and sets my food on the small table by the window.

“Thank you.” I hand him some cash for a tip.

“You’re welcome. Enjoy your dinner.”

I nibble on the turkey sandwich and barely touch my fries. I can’t stop thinking about that storage unit and safe. I turn on the TV, and the news is on. I watch, waiting for the news of another murder. But there hasn’t been one since Oliver.

I keep the TV on for background noise as I try to sleep. I toss and turn ferociously on the king-size bed, nightmares filling my mind. I swear I hear voices.

My eyes fly open, and the bright rays of sunlight pierce through the window, temporarily blinding me. I realize that I forgot to pull the curtains closed before going to bed last night.

It's a new day. I stumble out of bed and use the bathroom. My phone rings, and when I grab it off the nightstand, I see it’s my boss, Carter Nelson.

“Hello.”

“Good morning, Katherine. How are you?”

“I’m okay, Carter. How are you?”

“Good. Good. Listen. When do you plan on returning to the firm?”

“I don’t know yet. Is there a problem?”

“No. You do plan on coming back, right?”

“Yes, Carter. I just need a little extra time.”

“Okay. Do me a favor and try to get back here as soon as you can.”

“I will.”

I sigh and toss my phone on the bed. It rings again. This time, it’s my real estate agent.

“Hello.”

“Kat, I have great news!” Her voice beams through the phone. “They accepted your counteroffer and would like to close quickly.”

I slowly close my eyes and inhale a breath. “That’s great news. Thirty-day closing and two-week occupancy thereafter.”

“Thirty days? They were thinking next week.”

“I don’t care what they were thinking. They'll agree to my terms if they want the brownstone badly enough. If not, someone else will buy it. I have to go, Julie.” I end the call.

I go into the bathroom to put on some makeup and fix my hair. As I stare at myself in the mirror, I swear I catch a glimpse of someone standing behind me. My heart jackhammers in my chest as I quickly close my eyes. When I open them, there’s no one there. I am certifiably crazy now.