“What are you doing?” Howard’s gruff voice sounded in my ear.
I tried to scream but he forced his hand tighter over my mouth. His nails pierced my chin. Panic began to build inside as my heart pummeled against my chest.
“You think you’re so sneaky, but I heard every word you said.”
I moved my lips but the only thing that came out was a muffled sound.
“Don’t lie to me. I heard you talking about pink peppercorns right outside the door. You know too much.”
I frantically tried to adjust my eyes to the pitch-black room by blinking them as fast as I could. I needed to get out of here and away from Howard.
“Stop moving. I need to think.”
I wondered if I should try to scream. Howard had a tight hold of me and was strong—I’m sure it was thanks to all the time he spent in the ocean—but this was Ashland’s busiest hotel. Someone would have to hear me, right? Or what about the other vendors? It was too dark to tell how much was left in the room.
It has to be close to ten on a Sunday night, who else would be coming to get their stuff now? I asked myself.
What would Thomas do in this situation? Probably try to keep Howard talking, and try to reason with him, but that was going to be difficult, considering that I couldn’t open my mouth.
Howard pounded the wall behind us with his fist. “Damn.”
I started. He yanked my hair back in one painful jerk. I winced in pain and tried again to get him to listen to me.
“I told you to be quiet. I need to think. You are a thorn in my side.”
Hopefully, thinking was a good sign. At least he wasn’t trying to take me out right here. Then again he had to be smart to come up with a plan to kill Evan with a spice that few people knew could be toxic.
Think, Jules.
At that moment my phone rang in my purse. This time Howard jumped at the sound and momentarily loosened his grip on me. I ducked out from underneath him and crawled on the floor.
“Hey! Where did you go?” Howard yelled.
My pulse quickened as I fumbled ahead blindly. All Howard had to do was flip on the lights and he would see me. He must be concerned that one of the hotel staff would notice the light on under the door.
I heard him take a heavy step and then crash into something and yelp. I figured he must be struggling to find his way in the dark.
I took the opportunity to get to my feet and silence my phone. The sound of things being hurled against the wall and floor crashed behind me. Was Howard having some kind of breakdown or was he coming after me? Either way all of the commotion was sure to attract the attention of a hotel worker. I let him rage on as I frantically tried to find somewhere to hide.
It was too dark.
At that moment voices sounded outside in the hall. I froze. Should I take the opportunity to scream or was there a chance Howard had a weapon? I didn’t have a minute to decide, because the next thing I knew the door swung open, letting a crack of light into the crowded storage area.
Howard had opened it. He walked out and let the door slam shut behind him. I heard him say something to the hotel staff members. Then there was nothing but silence.
My heart beat so fast that I was having trouble catching my breath. I wasn’t sure what to do next, but I knew that I wasn’t staying in the storage room for one more minute. Keeping my hands in front of my face to guide me, I moved toward the door. I was almost there, when I tripped on something and landed in what felt suspiciously like cake.
I slipped as I tried to stand again, and fell on my back. The texture felt like chocolate frosting. I inched forward on my knees and ran my hand along the wall trying to find the door. I found it and tried the handle. My hand slipped. Had Howard locked me in or were my hands too sticky? I wiped them on my skirt and tried again. The door swung open and I fell forward into the hallway.
Now what? Howard could be getting away. I glanced at my hands as spots danced in front of my eyes. That was definitely chocolate frosting. I reached into my purse for my phone and punched in Thomas’s number.
“Thomas, it’s Jules. Howard just attacked me. I’m at Ashland Springs. You need to get here now!”
Next I called Lance; it felt like déjà vu. “Lance, Howard attacked me. I’m at the hotel. I’m going to see if I can get help. He’s getting away. Get over here. I’ve called Thomas.”
I scanned the hallway for any staff members. There was no one around. Then I noticed that the door to the back alley was propped open. Could Howard have gone that way? I ran to the door and, keeping my body safely inside, I glanced from side to side trying to see if there was any sign of Howard in the dimly lit alley.
The next thing I knew I felt a strong hand yank me outside. I kicked myself for not running to the front to get help.
“Gotcha.” Howard’s grasp on my arm was firm and cutting off circulation to my wrist. “Let’s go, baker.”
I tried to dig my heels into the ground, but they were coated in a layer of chocolate frosting. I slid forward as Howard yanked me along like a rag doll.
“Let’s go. Move it. You’re coming with me.”
At least I could talk and more importantly try to keep him talking. “You’re not going to get away with this, Howard. I’ve already called the police. They know it’s you.”
“Know what’s me?”
“They know that you killed Evan.”
“No one killed Evan. He had an accident.”
“You knew that the pink peppercorns would send him into anaphylactic shock.”
“Me? Ha. I’m nothing but a sea salt farmer. What do I know about fancy spices and stuff?”
“Look, I know that you killed Evan.”
He tugged me farther down the alley. Where was he taking me?
“I didn’t kill anyone. You’ve got no proof. Neither do the police.”
“Then why are you taking me against my will? That’s going to be proof right there.”
“No one said anything about taking you against your will. The way I’ll remember it is that you were dying to come watch how we get the salt out of the sea. You remember that conversation we had? A couple of my staff were there when you asked me if you could tag along sometime. It’ll be too bad that you aren’t a strong swimmer. Those ocean currents can be a killer. Bad riptides out on the coast.”
He was evil.
“Howard, I’ve called the police. You’re not going to get away with this.”
For a minute I thought maybe I had gotten through, but he clutched my wrist even tighter, so tight that I thought it might break, and dragged me toward his van.