Page 109 of Date With Danger

And then he’s gone. The door closes between us, and I sink back against it. For exactly sixty seconds I allow myself to do a happy dance. Complete with a disco move and a toe touch, and then a fall to the floor because I’m not a child and can’t do toe touches anymore.

It doesn’t curb my sunshine though. I throw open the curtains to let more light in, but it’s dark and rainy. Of all the sunny days in Arizona, Mother Nature had to rain on this one.

For the next hour, I manage to distract myself by organizing the room. But when everything is clean, my brain feels messy, and can’t figure out how else to occupy my time.

I settle on the bed and try to distract myself with an episode of Psych. It doesn’t work. Maybe because I know how it ends. Once you’ve experienced a real mystery, it’s hard to go back to the fake stuff.

I end up falling asleep on the couch for a couple of hours and wake up to room service I didn’t order with a note from Caleb reminding me to stay put.

It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but for him, I decide to stick it out. He never told me how long he’d be gone but it won’t be all day, right?

I glance at the clock. It’s barely one and it’s been storming outside like crazy. It’s nearly black outside and the rain hasn’t slowed once. This is the longest day of my life. I need someone to talk to.

I reach for the phone to call Connor or Maddie but there is a blinking red light next to the voicemail button.

I lift up the receiver and push the button.

“Hey, Amelia, it’s Leah.”

My chest tightens. Why did she call me?

“I was thinking about how to get your box open and I might have the perfect solution to get rid of the rust. There’s something else.” I hear a door shut and imagine her going to the color room for privacy. Her voice turns to a whisper. “I remembered something about that night, and I need to talk to you. It’s important. I’ll be done with my last client at two. Meet me at the salon. I gotta go. I’ll see you then.”

She remembered something about the night Justin was murdered?

I sit on the bed, then pop right back up to pace the room.

In all the chaos, I completely forgot about my grandmother’s jewelry box.

Wait. I blink repeatedly, trying to clear my brain. The key to the safety deposit box holding the jewelry box was tucked in a package with a hideous painting. The same painting Liam stole from the museum. What if he wasn’t after the painting, but the key?

Does he want the jewelry box?

I believed it was my grandmother’s based on that one memory, but I don’t have any actual proof that it was hers. And I don’t recall ever seeing or hearing about it before then. That has to be what Liam is after.

I have to tell Caleb. I grab the little notepad he left near the phone with his number on it. Is that last number a six or a five? I dial it with a five and wait. It rings and rings. But no one answers. The automated answering machine pops up. That’s so Caleb, to leave the basic voicemail there. I leave my message, but to be safe I call the other variation of the number as well. That one goes straight to voicemail too and I leave the same message: “Hey Caleb, I need to meet Leah at the salon at two. I think I know what Liam is after. Meet me here when you get this message.” I try both numbers two more times hoping he will answer one, but don’t get a response.

I think back to the way his hands trembled when he held me yesterday after I met with Leah, the fear in his voice. I don’t want to hurt him. I don’t want to be like his dad, someone he can’t trust. I sit on the edge of my bed, studying the silent phone for a half hour, waiting.

Why isn’t he calling me back? What if he doesn’t get back until it’s too late? What if Liam finds the box before I can? Any hope of giving it to Caleb to use as a trap would be dashed. And what does Leah need to tell me? What if it’s something big?

What if Caleb’s in danger and that’s why he’s not answering? I can’t sit here any longer. I’ll be safe at the salon with Leah, and I’ll be back before he even has time to respond to the message.

Before I leave I write a quick message on the notepad next to the phone in case he makes it back before me.

It will be fine. I’ll take the agent outside with me.

I pull on my favorite Nike sneakers and head out the door and…there’s no agent. I look up and down the hall. He was here. I saw him through the peephole and talked to him about his sweet wife Clara when I got my food from room service.

I pace the hall. Where did he go?

I glance at my phone. I have fifteen minutes. I have to go.

Chapter 44

Caleb

I hated leaving Amelia in that hotel room. I hated seeing the hurt cross her beautiful features when I told her I was leaving without her. There was hope in her eyes when I came over, hope that I’d changed overnight. I hope that too. But I fear it’s going to take more than one night. Which is why I want to talk tonight.

---