popular party game to ask around a circle. I can’t
remember now what I’ve said. I’d never imagined I’d spend my
last hours on the beach.
Waiting.
It’s been hours, but she still hasn’t come back. Watching
the sun set slowly on my final day, it hits me that she might
not come back at all. Maybe she got into more trouble than I
thought. Maybe she’s sick or hurt. Maybe the strain of trying
to save me became too much, and she left forever. Moved on to
less bizarre, more uncomplicated relationships.
I want her back. It’s more than I can bear. I’m exhausted from
the desperate loneliness of waiting here, staring at the bushes,
yearning for her to come.
And then, at long last, I hear the rustle of branches. My heart
leaps into my throat. I spring to my feet.
But it isn’t Cassandra. It’s Aunt Eloise. I feel like I’ve been
thrown against a wall and shattered into a million pieces.
“There you are, Lonnie!” she cries. “Ned’s been looking everywhere for you! How long have you been out here?”
I’m so disappointed I can hardly speak. “Not long.”
Eloise bustles over to me, frowning deeply. “I was hoping
you’d help me get things ready for your uncle’s party tomorrow.” She looks me over. “Are you all right? You’re quite pale.”
“I’m fine,” I say, but I can’t even manage a forced smile to
assuage her concern.
Her frown deepens. She reaches out and puts her hand to my
forehead. “I believe you’re ill, Lon. Come inside and rest.”
“I’ll be all right. I’d like to stay out here and think a little more.”
Eloise stammers. “Well, you can’t. It’s suppertime. I have to
be heading back home, you know.”
“I’m sorry I missed your visit today,” I say, the words falling
from my lips with no conviction.
“Well, Ned has someone he wants you to meet.”
I swallow my frustration with Aunt Eloise. She isn’t trying
to be tedious. I have no intention of eating tonight, but I can
see that she’s not going to leave me alone until I come inside.
With a sigh, I head back to the house. Eloise struggles to keep
up with my pace.
“Better go in and freshen up, Lon,” she says. “He’s a very important guest for your uncle. Businessman. A bigwig, Ned says.”
I stop in my tracks and Eloise nearly crashes into me.
“Jerome Smith?”
Eloise blinks, startled. “What?”
“Ned’s guest,” I say, speaking carefully so she’ll understand the
gravity of the question. “Is he a bigwig from Cooper Enterprises?”
“I believe so. You know I don’t follow those kinds of things,
Lonnie. I can barely keep up with Ned’s dinner conversations.”
She motions me back inside. The house looms ahead, glowing through the darkness of night. It’s inviting and lovely. And yet my feet plant in the grass. My knees are locked, and a persistent ringing sound is growing louder in my ears. A chill I can’t shake rushes over my entire body.
So it begins.
We enter the house. I walk Aunt Eloise to the door, perhaps to
stall the inevitable. But once she’s on her way home, I have no
choice. I have to face whatever this night will bring. Each step
feels like something out of a strange, shadowy dream. I can hear
Ned and his guest talking. Their voices sound cordial enough,
but my stomach crawls. I move stiffly into the dining room.
I expect to see the heartless assassin from the warehouse, but
Jerome Smith looks quite normal. He’s older, with a thick,
white mustache and an expensive suit. He appears rich and
snobbish, not evil. And yet as I enter the room and he looks up,
I catch the distinct glint of hardness in his eyes. This is a man
capable of murder.
“Ah, there he is!” Ned bellows. I can see his tense mood in the
beading sweat on his brow, in his cheerless, tight smile. I can
hear it in his overly loud voice. “Lonnie, my boy, we’ve been
waiting for you.”