Page 34 of In a Haze

But then, like nothing happened, he’s talking again and I focus on eating my breakfast. Just another strange day in paradise.

*

After breakfast, we’re heading down a different hall that looks almost the same as mine with one difference. At the end, there is only a hall running perpendicular to this one. There is no door to another section and, I suspect, there won’t be a bathroom off to the side. But there are doors with rectangular windows, lots and lots of them, propped open to signify we are somewhat free for now.

We get to the end of the hall and, before we turn onto the next, Joe holds out his hand. When I walk into his room, which is the same size as mine, I notice one stark difference: he has no window. “I thought you said the rooms were all the same.”

“Close enough.”

“But you don’t have a window.”

“Maybe they think I’m a flight risk.”

“Like you’d jump out a window from this far up?”

“That’s how Ted Bundy escaped from a courthouse.”

I recognize that name but I’m not sure why. “He jumped out a window?”

“Yep. Two stories high—and then just ran off into the woods. Long story, but I recommend looking it up sometime.”

Sure, if I ever get out of here.

“Anyway, as I tried to warn you,” he says, “nothing to see here.”

“Except you,” I say with a grin, touching his chest with my index finger.

He nods. “Ready to go—”

A sudden voice behind me interrupts Joe. “Thereyou are.” I recognize the words as coming from Rose’s mouth, so I turn. “You have a visitor, Anna, so we need to go.”

Joe raises his eyebrows. Apparently, that’s as big a surprise to him as it is to me. Holy crap. I want to ask a million questions, but I’ll wait. I’m still pretending to be the me of last week, the one who hardly said anything. When I see my visitor, maybe I can ask him or her a few questions.

So I nod and say to Joe, “See you later.”

Flashing me a grin, he nods back. Oh, boy, does that man have a hold of my heart.

Rose leads me down the hall and we pass the rec and living rooms until we arrive at a closed door I’d noticed before but hadn’t thought much about. Unlike a lot of doors around here, there is no window. When we enter, I take it all in—a long table, a few chairs, one small window looking out over the street, and another nondescript door.

But that’s not all.

There’s also an older man wearing a dark gray suit standing on the other side of the table. Something about him seems familiar, and I’m struck by how suave and cool he feels, even from here.

Rose says, “I’ll leave you two alone.”

“Thank you,” he says, his deep voice almost jarring to me.

Something flashes in my brain, telling me he’s my lawyer, but I don’t have any evidence for that. I’m going to wait until he says something, and then I’ll ask some questions.

If I’m here on criminal charges, I don’t need to let on that I’m aware, not until I know more—but that would explain an attorney.

After Rose leaves, I examine him more closely. He has salt and pepper hair, a strong jaw, full lips, and green eyes. He is gorgeous, although quite a bit older than I. His attractiveness is, unlike Joe, refined. What I love about Joe is how raw and rugged he feels, whereas this man, while good looking, seems too polished, too debonair. If he’s an attorney like my gut tells me, that’s probably exactly how he wants it. Finally, he pulls out a chair and sits, glancing at me for a second, looking me over almost like I’m an exotic animal that’s up for auction. Then, almost disinterested, he reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out a cell phone, sitting down on the other side of the table.

Once more, I’m amazed that I know what that is.

Almost on the edge of my seat, I wait for him to say something, but he begins tapping on the screen. I realize he’s probably finding something he needs to talk to me about, but he continues tapping and swiping, and he doesn’t even look at me.

After minutes pass, I realize he’s completely absorbed in what he’s doing. He’s not paying any attention to me. In fact, it’s almost like I’m not here.

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