Page 8 of Assisting April

“What’s this all about?” he asks Ken.

“She’s asking a legitimate question. If you didn’t do it, we won’t take up your time.”

“I didn’t.”

“Then we’ll be going. Let’s go, April,” he says taking my hand and helping me up off of the couch.

“Thank you for your time.”

“Yeah. No problem.”

“Sorry about your wife.”

“Thanks.”

We get outside and into the car. I immediately start giggling as I put my seatbelt on. Well, that was a bust.

“Yes, it was,” he replies, chuckling.

That wasn’t as hard as I thought it was going to be.

CHAPTER SIX

KENDRICK

We have been in Alexandria for the last four days. Besides Jeff Mason, we went to see Scott Crandle from her list, who turned out not to be the man she was looking for. After that, we did further research, looking for more clues about who it could be. I can tell when she has a nagging feeling about something, but I can also tell when she is not ready to talk about it.

“Are you ready?” I ask her, pulling out the dossier they gave us when we signed out.

“Yep. I have a problem-solving mind, so this will be a piece of cake,” she says, bouncing on her toes. Seeing her so happy and excited makes me feel good, knowing I found something to make her feel better.

A few days ago, while we were out eating, I noticed this flier on the wall of one of the bars we went to eat at. It was an ad for an escape room about twenty minutes from the hotel. I was apprehensive about how she would feel about it, but to my surprise, she was ready for it.

“Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I will be your warden for the night. I am here to tell you some rules. Number one, all phones have to be dropped in this bag.” A bag is passed around, and we all drop our electronics in it. “Now, you will be given a device used just for this event. It is a tracker and a communication device so you can reach us if you need to leave or get out. Next, no sex is allowed in this venue. We know that this sort of activity can be invigorating and get the adrenaline pumping but that is a hard and fast rule.” Leaning over to her, I make sure my lips brush against her ear.

“Well, shit. Are you ready to leave?” I am joking, but her heated look almost makes me serious.

“Last but not least, there are clues all around you. Pay attention and take nothing for granted. With all of that being said, who is ready to go?” We clap our hands, take our flashlights and GPS devices, and follow him inside. “Alright, all of you will be starting at different points on the map. Can I have April and Ken?” We step forward. “You will start off in the office.” I chuckle and wink at April when she turns around and rolls her eyes at me. He continues to place people in their starting points, and then the bell goes off, and we are off.

It took us five hours to leave that place, and we had so much fun the entire time. I have never seen her so carefree. Her face just lights up when she smiles. It is amazing how young you can tell she is when she is not bogged down by work.

“That was amazing!” She exclaims when we are back in the car.

“I am glad you had fun, baby. That was the goal. To get your mind off of everything for a short while.” She puts her hand over mine and smiles at me.

“Thank you, Ken. I needed that.” Nodding my head, I rub her cheek.

“Are you hungry, baby? I’m starving.”

“What else is new? You are always starving,” she says, smirking at me.

“Well, if you fed me something else, I might not be starving.” Her face turns beet red before she turns her face away from me. I see her squirming in her seat out of the corner of my eye. She pulls out her phone, and I am curious about what she is looking at. “What’s so interesting on your phone?” I don’t like her attention not on me.

“I am looking to see what restaurant from this town was on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.” I forgot how much she loves that show.

“Did you find anything?” I ask her, trying to get around this semi-truck.

“Yes!” she says, clapping her hands in excitement. “There is a diner called Metro 29.”

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