Page 38 of The King of Halloween
Raj went silent, cementing his guilt. “Adam…?”
He should have known better. Just because they wore the same rainbow stripes didn’t mean they were on the same side. Still, as his eyes slid over and caught Raj’s, a tear slipped free. “Congratulations.” Adam’s lip trembled. “You won.”
He didn’t run away. He didn’t cover his eyes and flee with tears streaming behind him. Calmly, solidly, he walked for the door. Raj huddled up with his partner, both of them whispering—no doubt celebrating their win.
“This battle,” Adam whispered to himself. “But the war’s far from over.”
?CHAPTER TWELVE
?
AT LEAST EVERYTHING quieted down in front of the screen. Whoever kept tossing around apples seemed to have found something better to do. Though Raj kept a watch from the sides and locked up what remained of the caramel apples.
He’d thought he was helping. He did buy a bushel of the damn things after all. May as well sell a few to recoup the losses.
How could Adam think that he’d ever wantthatto happen? Maybe Adam planned it all to garner sympathy for…
Raj shook his head. That was traipsing too far into insane conspiracy for his taste. He’d looked genuinely spooked up there. No way he was in on it. Betrayal and anger boiled in his veins from Adam’s accusation, but also for the man. All he did was announce a movie. No one deserved what happened to him.
A shadow stretched across the doorway to the outer hallway. Raj kept peering over at it, waiting for it to vanish into the night. But there he lingered, just out of sight, watching. For what?
For who?
“What are you doing?” Logan asked. “Sit down and watch the movie.”
“Right. Sure.” Raj folded up his legs and plummeted to the floor.
“I meant the chair.” Logan jerked his chin to the two loungers they pulled in from outside. There’d been plans for a VIP section near Burt, maybe for those who donated generously. But that was for later. Since Mr. Soup wasn’t a puppet with a removable head, the kids didn’t care.
Nervous, Raj stood again, right into the line of the projector.
The audience groaned and shouted, “Down in front!” as Raj’s head took up half the screen.
“Sorry, sorry.” He bent half over, and his back screamed at him. Too many years hunched in a chair had turned his spine into a toppling Jenga tower. Hunched, he groaned to Logan, “I’m gonna check for stragglers out front.”
“Okay?” his partner said, peering from the side of Burt. “Get back in time for the feature, though.”
“I will.” He wouldn’t miss his opportunity to introduce Burt and maybe relive those early days on sets. Whimpering, Raj pressed a hand to his lumbar and tried to crack it. It was less a fast snap, more someone walking over bubble wrap, but he was able to stand and found himself facing the entrance haunted by a ghost.
Adam stared him up and down. His silver eyes were in shadow, only the gaunt tip of his nose and chin visible below the darkness. A single quick gasp erupted from him, then he turned and wandered off, not saying a word.
So much for Raj explaining his innocence. That man was the type to carry a grudge to the grave. Was that to be his life here? Forever at odds with the dapper twink until they were toothless and gray? Maybe they’d take swings at each other with their canes while walking down the sidewalk.
Raj started to chuckle at the idea, before it hit him that he was picturing a future with Adam Stein. One of chaos and feuds, sure, but he’d never wondered what a man would look like with no hair and a paunch before.
“I am losing it,” Raj muttered, clinging to the sides of his head.
“What’s that?”
Raj jerked, fearing his confusing nemesis crush would appear out of thin air. “Oh, Carl.” He breathed a sigh of relief as it was only their maintenance man. “How are we looking?”
“Those kettle corn drums blew a fuse. I’m replacing ‘em before the next intermission. But one of the customers, uh…that one.” He jabbed a finger into the theater to a rather svelte person in a scarecrow costume sitting at the back. “Said they heard a dripping sound coming from the cellar.”
Raj closed his eyes tightly. They were always worried about the damn dripping. “I’ll check on it,” he said. To at least allay their fears that there was nothing to worry about. The sump pump could handle it.
“Thanks. If you need help…”
“I’ll call you.” Raj jerked his phone at him, then he tucked it into his pocket and took off down the hallway. The cellar was a strange one. While there was a maintenance basement under the hotel proper, for some reason, it also had a root cellar off to the side, which required him to head outside.
