“I really want to get a look at the staff quarters,” I told Ezra as we walked down the hall toward the escape rooms. “Do you think they are all ex-teachers?”
“Maybe,” he replied. “I still can’t shake the feeling that I’ve seen that Forester guy before. Every time I see him, I feel…” He wrung his hands for a moment. “I feel rage. Like he’s done something to me personally, but for the life of me, I can’t put my finger on it.”
“Are you sure he’s not on some fugitive wanted list somewhere?”
“I wish I knew for certain,” Ezra answered. “But my reaction to him is more personal. I don’t get it, and it’s really doing my head in.”
“You’ve had an extreme couple of weeks.” I laced my fingers through his. “Maybe this weekend was a bad idea.”
With a swift move, Ezra turned into me, his free arm encircled my waist, and he yanked me against his body. He stole my breath with a kiss that warmed me from my cheeks to my toes. I surrendered to desire, sliding my hands around his back. When the kiss ended, he pressed his forehead to mine. “The only bed I want to stay in this weekend is yours. If you’re here, I’m here. I’ve missed you so damn much.”
“I’ve missed you too.” I sighed. “I worry about you, is all.”
“I’m right as rain, darling,” he assured me. “And I’m right where I want to be.”
“Okay.” I nodded, then smiled up at him. “So, do we want to try and sneak into the staff area?” I raised up on my toes and gave him a quick kiss. “Have a little looksie at the other side of the school?”
“Without a hall pass?” he teased. He kissed the tip of my nose. “For you, I’ll risk detention.”
“My hero.”
“How are we going to get over there without being seen?”
“We’ll have to go through the gym,” I said, “and use the back left-side door. The one across from this one.” I pointed to the gym door closest to the kitchen at the end of the hall.
Ezra nodded. “We’ll need a distraction, though, if we want to sneak through there without being noticed.”
“I think I know a fifty-four-year-old distraction that might just fit the bill.” Gilly was clever, quick, and naturally a klutz. On her first date with Scott, she managed to set herself on fire then get tackled into a reflection pool by the hot doc to put out the flames. I didn’t need anything so dramatic tonight, so I was pretty sure she could handle it. “I think she and Scott can come up with something. We’ll stand near the door and have Pippa and Jordy keep a lookout. We’ll go after Gilly causes a commotion, and all the players are engaged and distracted.”
Ezra grinned. “You should’ve been a spy.”
“Just don’t go humming the theme from Mission Impossible.”
“No promises,” Ezra said. “Come on. Let’s put the plan in action.”
“You’re a good sport.”
“Team Nora.” He brushed his shoulder against mine. “You think Gilly will catch herself on fire again?”
I giggled. “I think she’ll be able to come up with something less hazardous.” Although, as it turned out, I’d underestimated Gilly.
“Yassss,” my BFF, sister from another mister, and platonic life partner said with a snap. “I say we go full-on Dirty Dancing.”
“That’s too dangerous,” I told her. “You haven’t tried anything like that since we were in high school.”
“Uhm, I beg to differ,” Gilly countered. “I timed-of-my-lifed it at my thirtieth birthday party.”
“I hate to be the one to point this out, but that was twenty-four years ago. I want a distraction, but not one that lands you in the hospital.”
Gilly responded by sticking her tongue out at me.
“We can do it,” Scott said with more confidence than I was feeling. “Besides, it’s not like I have to hold her up over my head, right? She leaps, and we both go down.”
“Exactly,” Gilly added. “Then screaming, yelling, cussing. Blah, blah, blah. Fake an ankle injury—”
“Hopefully fake,” I muttered.
Gilly ignored me. “People come running. Distraction, distraction. Pippa gives you the thumbs up, and you both go.”
“Okay,” I agreed reluctantly. “But don’t hurt yourself for real.”
“I only hurt myself for real on days that end in Y,” Gilly said. She gave me a quick hug. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. Promise. I’m going to go put a request in with the DJ.” She turned me away from her then gave my tush a light slap. “Now, go tell Pippa the plan and get ready.”
Pippa and Jordy positioned themselves at the midway point of the gym against the wall. They looked like extras from Mötley Crüe’s “Smokin In The Boys’ Room” video. In other words, way too cool for school. I shook my head when Pippa gave me two sharp thumbs up to indicate she was ready, completely blowing her coolness factor. Jordy, on the other hand, could dress like Steve Urkel from Family Matters and would still look like the bad boy every girl wanted to bang in the ’80s. Luckily for my friend, looks were deceiving. Jordy was a genuinely good guy.
“It’s about time.” Ezra glanced at his watch.
“Uh-huh.” I picked at the skin around my thumbnail, nervously waiting for Gilly and Scott to make their move.
“She’ll be okay,” Ezra said.
“We’re talking about the same girl who broke a date’s foot with a bowling ball,” I countered.
“Fair enough,” Ezra smirked. “But Scott knows what’s coming. He’ll be fine too.”
“Relax” by Frankie Goes to Hollywood ended, and the DJ’s voice came over the loudspeakers. “This song is a dedication from Gilly to Nora. Gilly says, no one puts baby in the corner.” There were whoops of excitement from the guests as Bill Medley’s velvet-toned voice slow-crooned the words, Now, I’ve had…
“This is it,” I told Ezra.
“Come on,” he said. He took my hand, and we started toward the back, near the cafeteria line exit and across from the “Staff Only” door to the west-wing hall.
Gilly and Scott began to do a dirty Mambo that looked as if they’d been dancing together for years.
“Nice,” Ezra commented. “They look good.”
“They sure do,” I observed. Gilly had always been a great dancer. The woman had more rhythm in her pinkie toe than I had in my whole body, but I hadn’t really seen her let go like this in a very long time. Even so, I was surprised by how well she grooved. Scott, on the other hand, was a masterful surprise. He had Patrick Swayze’s moves down. “I’m impressed.”
Ezra nodded. “Me too.”
The guests on the dance floor parted, and the non-dancers had started to take notice as my bestie and her guy brought the big finale home. The crescendo of the song began to play, and a flutter of anxiety rose in my gut. “I’m not sure this is a good idea.” The song hit the this could be love portion, and I held my breath. Ezra’s grip firmed as the crowd of guests parted.
Gilly, without hesitation, ran toward Scott, arms held out like a crane ready to take flight, and leapt.
A collective gasp echoed throughout the gym as the couple went down.
I cast an anxious glance from the hot mess in the center of the gym to Pippa and Jordy. Pippa looked as worried as me, but Jordy, a cooler head, gave us the go-ahead.
Ezra grabbed the door handle, opened the door enough to squeeze through, and pulled me into the dark hallway after him.
We waited in silence for a few seconds to see if anyone had seen us. If we were going to get caught, we wanted it to be sooner rather than later. No one had followed us.
“Do you think she’s okay?” I whispered.
Ezra nodded. “I’m sure Scott’s taking good care of her.”
“Probably.” I know I sounded pouty, but I couldn’t help myself. “I just worry, is all.”
Ezra gave me a one-armed shoulder hug. “I know you do. But we need to focus on the mission.” He gave me a teasing smile. “Don’t let her sacrifice be for nothing.”
I snorted a laugh. “All right.” As we moved down the hallway, the lights flickered on. “Yikes. So much for hiding in the shadows.”
“They must be connected to motion sensors.” He glanced around. “Let’s just get around the corner in case someone comes out of the gym.”
The first door we saw on the back hall was marked, Custodian. “Jordy said anything that could be used as fuel. Do you think any of the cleaning supplies could cause carbon monoxide poisoning?”
Ezra rattled the handle. “Locked,” he said. “But we’ll keep it as a possibility.”
The next door wasn’t marked, but it was cracked open. “Here.” I ducked inside. The room was situated with four makeup tables with vanity mirrors, wig forms, and other accessories. Each one had a small swivel chair in front. And there was a rack on the far side of the room with suits, jeans, letter jackets, and shirts hanging from a horizontal pole.
Ezra gestured at the items. “Sniff around. Maybe you’ll get a hit.”
I nodded. “Maybe.” I knew it was the right thing to do, but the memories I’d been experiencing had taken a physical toll. The first table had a glass water bottle with an umbrella on the side and a flip-top straw lid, stage makeup, a jar of cold cream, and a half-eaten candy bar. The second table had similar items, with the addition of a coffee mug with the letters HG and the words, a hug without you is toxic. The last table had a feathered blond wig, it wreaked of cologne, and there was a makeup case near the center. “That must be Robert Forester’s area.”
I opened the case and grabbed a foundation compact, sniffed it, and wrinkled my nose. It smelled slightly like homemade Play-Doh, but it didn’t stir up any emotional energy. Next, I picked up a tube of lip balm. It carried the scent of synthetic strawberries. I glanced at Ezra and shrugged. “Nothing.”
Ezra winced. “I know I shouldn’t be rooting for him to be our bad guy, but there is something about Forester that makes me want to punch him in the face.”
There was spirit gum next to a display box of mustaches and eyebrows. I unscrewed the cap and took a whiff. Alcohol was the dominant scent, but behind that was the stringent aroma of resin. I made a face. “That’s potent…”
“You’re a narc, Sonny,” a man says. He is wearing a double-breasted suit, and his dark hair is short and slicked back. “I’m gonna have to make an example out of you.” He has a slight accent, but I can’t decipher its origin.
“Please,” another guy begs. “We’re family.” He’s wearing a suit as well. Single-button coat. Pleated pants. Skinny tie. He’s being held by two other men, both large. One of them is overweight and bald. Both are wearing black pants and white shirts. The muscle, for sure. The guy in trouble continues to plead, “You don’t want to do this. Think of my wife. Your daughter. She’ll never forgive you.”
“She’ll get over it.” He takes a knife from his pocket and strolls over to his captive. “She’s strong…like her pops.” On that note, he strikes swift and without mercy, sinking the knife into the other man’s chest. Blood oozes from the wound after he yanks out the blade. “Go,” he says to his men. “Time to take out the trash.”
“Whoa, Nora,” Ezra said. “What is it?” He was holding me up. “What did you see?”
“I…” I shook my head to clear it. “I think you were right about the older guy, Forester. He killed his son-in-law.” I met Ezra’s gaze. “And…he enjoyed it.”