Page 31 of Do Not Disturb
I hold my breath. There’s a long silence coming from downstairs. Oh God. What am I going to do? Can I jump out the window? How badly would I be hurt?
This is my own fault. I should have left while I had a chance. But where can I go? The plows still haven’t come. I would be just as much of a sitting duck in my car as I am here. Although it’s possible they might not see the car behind the diner.
It’s all over. The police are going to take me away. I’m going to spend the rest of my life in prison.
“Uh, no,” Nick is saying. “Doesn’t look familiar to me, sorry.”
My breath catches in my throat.
The officer’s voice again: “Are you sure? She may have changed her hair. It might be shorter than in the photo.”
“Yeah, no, I haven’t seen her. Honestly, we haven’t had any new guests here in the last several days at all.”
My shoulders sag. I can’t believe it—Nick is covering for me. He’s lying to the police on my behalf. He’s risking everything to help me, even though he doesn’t even know who I am.
“Okay then,” the officer says. “You mentioned your wife also works here. Could we talk to her as well? Maybe she saw Mrs. Alexander.”
“Unfortunately,” Nick says, “my wife has been very sick recently. She’s been in bed the last week. I think it’s the flu. You probably don’t want to go near her.”
The officer chuckles. “I don’t suppose I do. All right then. You’ll let us know if she shows up?”
“Oh, absolutely.”
“Thank you, Mr. Baxter. Appreciate it.”
“Sorry I couldn’t be more helpful.” He pauses. “I hope you find her.”
“Oh, we will. It’s just a matter of time.”
I lean against the wall, my heart pounding. I can’t believe that just happened. The police showed up here, just as I feared they would, but somehow I’m not being carried off in handcuffs. Nick covered for me. But that doesn’t mean I’m home free.
I wait until I hear the door to the motel slam shut, then I run back to my room. I look out the window—it’s very dark out now, but I can make out the police officer getting into his vehicle. I watch as he starts up his car and drives off. And there’s one other thing I see.
The plow is here. It’s plowing away a path to freedom. That must be how the police car got here. In about fifteen minutes, I may be able to finally leave.
And then I hear a knock at the door.
“It’s Nick.”
I walk over to the door and crack it open. Nick is standing there, wringing his hands together. I have the irrepressible urge to reach out and hug him.
“Can I come in?” he asks.
I step aside and he enters my room, closing the door behind him. The fleeting thought occurs to me that maybe this wasn’t entirely altruistic on his part. Maybe he’s here to ask me for money.Give me five hundred bucks or else I’m going to the police.Except I don’t really think that. He doesn’t seem like the type. After all, he didn’t even ask for money for the meals he made me.
“You heard that, right?” he says. “The police? Looking for you.”
I nod slowly. “Yes, I… thank you. I don’t know how I can ever repay you.”
He smiles crookedly. “I bet the guy had it coming.”
I drop my eyes. “He did. I promise you, he did.”
“Yeah, I, uh… I saw those bruises on your neck. Anyway, I just…”
“I’ll be okay. Really.”
“Okay then.” He glances out the window. “The plow arrived just before the police came. So in another fifteen minutes or so, you should be good to go.”
