Page 66 of Under His Sheets
I nodded, hugged my sweater tighter, and strolled out the door. Josette and Sasha were waiting outside.
“We will help you clean it up,” Sasha said. “I’m so sorry. Why do you think?—”
“Where is Camille?” I asked.
The women looked at each other, and then Josette spoke.
“She went outside to yell at the people who came to your flat. And then she left with them.”
“Sheleftwith them? Or theytookher with them?”
Both of their eyes went wide as if they knew something, enough to frighten them.
“You need to tell the police.” My phone buzzed and I pulled it out of my other pocket.I didn’t recognize the number, but it was local.
“Hello?”
“Randall, it’s Camille. You need to turn it over to them or they will kill Pere and me.”
I put a call in to Alonso on the phone he gave me and turned Camille on speaker, hoping Alonso would hear enough.
“Turn what over?” I asked, holding the second phone as close to the first as I could without being obvious. The police officer was watching me. He moved toward another officer and they began speaking rapidly. I was running out of time.
Josette and Sasha’s eyes went wide. They gestured with their eyes toward the police officer and I shook my head. I had to take the chance that Alonso and his friends could track me. I didn’t know who to trust besides them.
“The key,” she said, her voice cracking. “The one Pere gave you.”
“I don’t have a key. Where is Pere?”
“He said he put it in your suit pocket— No!” I heard her squeal and a scuffling on the other end of the phone.
“Senyor Sutter, if you want to see your friend and your student alive, you will come to the school and bring the key. Come alone. If the police come with you, we will kill them, and we will find you.”
I didn’t recognize the voice on the phone but the person had a thick Catalan accent.
“I will come. Please don’t hurt anyone.”
“Get here in ten minutes. You will be watched. If you call anyone, we will know, and we will kill them. You don’t want their deaths on your hands. None of this had to happen, but you meddled. Come alone.”
“Okay.”
The call disconnected and I put both phones in my pocket, keeping the line on Alonso’s phone open. As I reached into the front pocket of my suit coat, there it was. A small key on a simple key ring. I didn’t pull it out.
“I have to go.”
“Please be careful,” Josette said. “What can we do?”
“Keep this for me?” I handed Josette my sweater. “If I don’t come back,” I said, “tell Lara what happened. In fact, call her now. She’ll hopefully be able to help.”
I took off at a dead run, which wasn’t very fast, but I ran on a regular basis to keep my lungs strong enough to sing for three hours a night if necessary. I cut through a few back streets so if the police came after me, they might not find me as easily. I thought it would likely take me longer than ten minutes to get to the school, but I would do my best. I had to.
How had Pere snuck the key into my pocket? And what was he doing with something so valuable? Then I remembered he’d hugged me extra tight before we left his room the night of the party. He’d seemed worried, and I’d chalked it up to performing at the party, but what if he knew what was going on?
I ran the half mile to the school and slowed to a walk about a block ahead of time. There were three black SUVs in the parking lot. I took a chance and I spoke out loud, hoping Alonso could hear me.
“I’m at the school. I hope you’re here. If anything happens…” Fuck, I wasn’t going to tell him I loved him like this. I wasn’t going to be dramatic when he needed me to brave, when Pere needed me to be strong for him. “I’ll see you soon.”
I took a deep breath and let it out slow, glad I wasn’t completely winded. I walked along the bushes into the parking lot and noticed the back doors to the school were open. How the hell had they gotten in? Wasn’t the building alarmed? Why weren’t there police?
