Page 19 of Wrong Number, Right Grizzly (Dial M For Mates #7)
NIX
"An escape room?" Ronan looked up from his laptop. "That's your idea of a fun Saturday afternoon?"
I'd been researching date ideas for the past hour while he worked on a project for a client.
Now that we were living together, I wanted to plan a special something that wasn't staying home and watching documentaries, though I would have been happy with that.
I thought of all the programs I had lined up that we hadn't had time to watch.
“It’ll be fun to try something different. We can test how we work as a team.” I winked because we were pretty damned good together in bed.
"This place has five different themed rooms.” I showed him the website I had up on the screen.
Without looking at my computer, my mate responded with, "A murder mystery.”
I should have guessed he’d choose that, based on his love of true crime.
But before I booked, I had to ask if he was okay in small, enclosed spaces. In my research, I’d discovered that pregnancy could trigger phobias in omegas.
Ronan frowned and said he didn’t understand why I asked, and I explained. “These rooms can be small, and there’s no way out unless we complete the task or we get them to let us out early.”
I pulled up some pics, saying I didn’t want him to be uncomfortable, but he said he hadn’t experienced claustrophobia as yet.
He studied the options. “Perhaps we could pick one of the larger rooms, just in case I become anxious.”
I scrolled through the options. "How about this one? A 1920s murder mystery.” It had multiple connected rooms, so we wouldn’t feel cramped.
Ronan grabbed me and planted a kiss on my lips. “I love you.” He rubbed his hands together. “I can’t wait to solve it, though I am competitive when it comes to solving crimes."
“Oh really? Gosh, I would never have known.”
My mate elbowed me before getting changed, ready for our murder mystery date.
An hour later, we were standing outside a nondescript warehouse, but when we wandered inside, the lobby was decorated with props from the different escape rooms. The pirate treasure chest and muskets got my attention.
Maybe we could come back a second time and wear three-cornered hats and yell, “Me hearties,” at one another.
"Welcome to 1925!" Our game master was a college student, Ashlyn, who told us she worked here on weekends.
“You're private detectives who are going to investigate the murder of Freddy ‘The Fury’ DiRocco, the owner of the swankiest speakeasy in the city.
You have sixty minutes to gather evidence and identify the killer before the corrupt police chief arrives to cover up the crime. "
Damn, I should have picked up a monocle and a pipe at a costume store to immerse myself in this world.
Ashlyn ran through the safety briefing and showed the panic buttons and the cameras. "If you want to stop the game, wave at a camera and we'll let you out.”
That lowered my anxiety, thinking I might have gotten my mate into a situation where he might panic.
"How many rooms are there?" I asked.
"There are three: the bar area, Freddy’s office, and the basement.”
My mate’s sparkling eyes and him balancing on the balls of his feet suggested he couldn’t wait to start. He announced he was excited, confirming he was looking forward to the game.
“Oh my gods.” The doors swung open and we were in another era. I imagined gangsters from long ago, making deals, having arguments, avoiding the police, and getting shot here. Jazz music was playing in the background, making it feel even more authentic.
Ronan raced around the room squeeing, until I reminded him we were on the clock. But he was the expert, so I let him lead the investigation.
He squatted behind the bar and beckoned me over to the chalk outline on the floor. “Freddy was found here, killed with a single gunshot.” He checked the notes we’d uploaded on his phone.
“Who draws the outline around the body?” Was that in a job description?
My mate hissed at me to take this seriously.
“Look, I found a clue.” I picked up the bloodied business card with two fingers, not wanting to smudge the existing prints. I was so excited I could participate but didn’t consider whether it helped our investigation.
There was a key next to the card, and we raced around the room, trying to find what it opened. Maybe we should change professions and become detectives because this was exhilarating, and I was as upbeat as my mate.
Charging into Freddy’s office, Ronan inserted the key into a drawer, and we discovered his diary.
He’d had three appointments the night he died, with a name, “The Snake,” listed as the final one, just prior to his death.
There were IOUs in the diary, most of them listed The Snake as the one who’d borrowed the most money from Freddy.
“An open safe,” I yelled. Oh my gods, I now fancied myself as an amateur detective and wished we had witnesses to question. I peered at the velvet lining inside the safe. “There was a gun here.” I bounced up and down, doing my best toddler impression. “I can see the outline in the fabric.”
Ronan pursed his lips but laughter bubbled out. “Good work, Detective.” He high-fived me. “You might get that promotion you’ve been angling for.”
“Do I get to sleep with the chief detective?” I quipped.
He swatted my butt with Freddy’s newspaper, but his gaze fell on a crumpled-up piece of paper in the trash. “A receipt for a train ticket. Freddy was planning on taking a trip.”
We shared a glance. “The basement.” We tramped down the stairs.
I wasn’t sure what we were looking for because I was convinced The Snake was the killer, but Ronan was inspecting photos on the wall.
They’d all been taken in the speakeasy, and each one was labeled with spidery handwriting.
The Snake was there, but he looked nothing like I imagined.
He was short and thin with a wispy mustache and no hair on his head.
My mate pulled out drawers and tossed aside books and papers, yelling that we had to find a magnifying glass. I found one after shaking the contents of a drawer on the floor, and Ronan examined the photos.
“Have you got that name card from the bar?”
I pulled it out of my pocket. “Look. You can see The Snake’s right thumb in this photo. It’s not him.”
Huh? “How can you tell?”
He tapped the name card and pointed out that the person who’d left his bloody print was missing the tip of his right thumb.” He tapped the photo on the wall. “It’s The Bear, not The Snake.”
What? No. I’m innocent . My grizzly was playing along.
We checked the diary and “The Bear” was listed as someone Freddy was meeting.
“But what’s the motive?” I asked.
The Snake owed the most money, but when we examined the IOUs, The Bear had used the borrowed funds for a downpayment on a piece of land.
“So Freddy was leaving town, or skipping the city.” That was what I got from all this.
My mate added that if The Bear couldn’t pay back the loan, he was going to lose a valuable piece of land. We didn’t know why Freddy was leaving town. Maybe he was starting anew or perhaps he suspected he was on a hit list.
“Did we do it?”
“I think so.” Ronan clapped. “We make a good team.”
I didn’t need to do an escape room to know that. We were the best.
“Congratulations.” The door to the lobby opened, and Ashlyn greeted us, saying we’d completed the task with three minutes to spare.
"That was amazing.” We were in the car with our photos and detective badges we’d been awarded. “It was much more fun than watching crime shows from the couch.” My mate threw his arms around me. “Thank you for suggesting an escape room.”
“I say we deserve a prize, other than our badges.” We’d both pinned them to our chest.
“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Ronan side-eyed me.
“Let’s see.” I tapped my lips. “We could go home and spend the rest of the afternoon in bed.”
Ronan cut me off. “Or we could go to our favorite café and have cherry pie and that spicy hot chocolate I adore.”
“Can your pregnant tummy cope with that much spice?”
“I live for it. Who wants some boring stuff when we can have spice to light up our life?”
Okay, he’d chosen sweet stuff over sex, and I was in full agreement.
I love cherries. Next time we shift, can I have some?
Sure . I preferred to buy them and leave them in the garden before giving my beast his fur. Otherwise, he’d raid our neighbor’s trees and break a branch or two.
We were sipping our hot drinks, and Ronan pointed out I had a chocolate mustache.
“It’s perfect for a famous detective like me.”