Do Not Disturb(24)

I’m afraid she’s going to start throwing things at me, so I obediently stumble out of her room.

For a moment, I linger in the hallway, stunned. Was that for real? Or was it all a performance, like Nick said? I can’t even tell.

Then something hits me.

She called me Quinn. Somehow, she knew my name.

All right, now I’m officially freaked out. I definitely never told her my name. I said I was Kelly, and she called me on it being a fake name, but I never corrected her. So how did she know my name is Quinn?

I close my eyes and I can still see her panicked face. The veins standing out in her neck and on her temples. Screaming at me: Go! Get out of here!

What does she think is going to happen if I stay here? What horrible thing did she see in my future?

This is ridiculous. She has to tell me the truth. This isn’t fair.

I knock on her door. Then I knock a second time. Then a third.

Okay, she’s obviously not answering.

I have a sick, horrible feeling in my stomach. I don’t know what she saw in my future or if any of this is real, but I agree with her on one thing: I need to get out of this place. Now. I’ll go sit in my car until the plow gets here if I have to.

I return to my room and throw everything back into my luggage. It doesn’t take very long. Regretfully, I leave the boots behind in the room. I’ll have to do what I can with my sneakers.

As I take one last look at the room, I look out the window at the house across the way. The sun is still up, so it’s hard to see, but I can just barely make out the shadow of a woman sitting in the window on the second floor.

Rosalie.

I wonder why she’s on the second floor. If she can’t walk, why wouldn’t she want to stay on the first floor? Why would she trap herself upstairs?

I shake my head. There’s no point in thinking about this anymore. Nick’s wife isn’t my problem anymore. And I’m sure she’ll be happy I’m gone.

I take the stairs down as quickly as I can go. It’s hard with my bulky luggage, but I need to get out of here. I’ve got this horrible feeling I don’t have much time.

Nick is at the front desk when I come down. He sucks in a breath when he sees me with my luggage. “What are you doing, Kelly?”

“I… I have to go.”

He frowns. “But the plow isn’t here yet. I told you I would call you when they came.”

“I can’t wait anymore.” I heave my bag onto my shoulder. “I have to get out of here. I’ll wait in the car until they arrive.”

“But it’s freezing out there. What are you going to do? Run the heat for the next two hours? Your car is going to die.”

He has a reasonable point. But I can’t stay here. “Maybe they’ll be here sooner.”

“No, they won’t. They called me and told me they’re delayed. They might not be here for hours.”

I’m struggling not to burst into tears. “Well, I can’t stay here.”

“Why not?”

“Because…” I let my heavy bag drop onto the floor. “Greta told me that… She read my fortune and said that I’m in danger.”

Nick just stares at me for a moment. Then he bursts out laughing. “Are you serious? I’m sorry, but… really? That’s not really why you’re leaving, is it?”

“It was…” I dig my thumbnail into my palm. “It was creepy. She seemed to know things about me. And even she seemed freaked out. It felt… real.”

“Well, it wasn’t. Believe me.”

“But—”

“It. Wasn’t. Real.” He says it with such conviction, it’s hard not to believe him. “She’s a performer. That’s what she used to do for many years. She’s not psychic. Come on, Kelly. That’s crazy.”

“It felt real,” I insist.

He shrugs. “That’s because she’s good at it. You know what she does? It’s called cold reading. She told me about it once. She watches you as she says things and looks for subtle cues in your facial expression and body language that tell her she’s on the right track. She did it for a living for thirty years. She’s really good at it.”

“I… I don’t know.”

“Yeah, but I know, and I’m telling you. That’s what she does.”

I look down at my luggage next to my sneakers. I want to believe that was all a performance. I don’t want to go sit in my cold car, waiting for that plow to come.

“It’s very easy,” Nick insists. “Even I could do it. Watch.” He shuts his brown eyes and massages his temples with his fingertips. “I’m looking into your past. I’m seeing… a man. A very attractive man. Your husband.”

I stare at him. “That’s exactly what she said.”

The left side of his lips quirks up. “Right. Well, you came in here wearing a wedding ring. And obviously, you think your own husband is attractive. So…”

“Yes, but…”

He massages his temples again. “And now I’m seeing a horrible fight between you. Something terrible. And now… now you’re running away…”

I take a step back. “How did you…?”

He shrugs. “You’re not wearing your ring anymore. And come on, you’re obviously running away from something. I’ve never seen anyone so panicked.” He looks me in the eyes. “You’re pretty easy to read… Kelly. I don’t need to be psychic.”