Page 89 of Confessions of a Carpool Captive
“Really? So you’re smarter than a trash can?”
Kel laughs and I’m surprised. Usually comments like that anger him, but he seems amused.
“Folks, can we focus?” Finn asks. “Let’s check the pool and then figure out what to do next.”
We walk through the pool doors. There are a few older people swimming, but no sign of Ernesto. I sigh in worry.
“We’ll find him,” Finn reassures me, placing his hand on my back once again. Emerson grins and nods to me. As soon as he realizes what he’s doing, he pulls it away.
“Again, I’m sorry.”
“Finn, please don’t think that I—”
“Maybe we should try calling him again?” Finn suggests, cutting me off.
Kel pulls out his phone, pushes a button, and holds the phone to his ear.
“Where could he have gone?” Emerson asks. “I don’t understand why—”
“Shh,” Finn says, leaning in and holding up a finger to her. “Does anyone else hear that?”
“Voicemail,” Kel sighs.
“Call him again.”
Kel pushes the button. I have to strain, but Finn’s right.
“I hear it,” I whisper.
We move as a group. Kel keeps calling and we can hear the ringing getting closer and closer. We round the corner and face lockers in the pool area.
“So either he’s here or one of these old geezers stole his phone,” Kel says as he cracks his knuckles.
“Calm down, macho man. What else is here besides a pool?” Emerson asks as she holds up the map. We all crowd around it and I get a whiff of Finn’s cologne. Why does he have to smell so good?
“There’s a hot tub outside these doors,” she states and our eyes collectively travel to the far corner.
We move together and push open the double doors. There’s a large group of women in the hot tub. It’s snowing and they’re all laughing. Smack dab in the middle is one shirtless man with his back facing us.
“Ernesto?” Kel shouts.
He turns around and smiles, waving a cigar and a glass of wine in the air. “Mís amigos!”
Finn sighs, Kel laughs, and I roll my eyes. Emerson isn’t as quiet.
“Are you fucking kidding me? Where in the hell have you been for the last twenty-four hours?”
Ernesto’s smile quickly fades.
“You didn’t go to training and you didn’t join us to eat dinner. I texted. I called you and you didn’t answer. I mean, you could have responded in Spanish. You had to know I was texting. We all missed our flight because of you and we find youhere? In a hot tub, having the time of your life while we panic and worry you’ve been kidnapped or worse yet, you’re dead? You have a lot of fucking nerve!”
One of the girls taps him on the shoulder. “Is this your wife?”
Emerson stomps her foot and screams, “Get out of that fucking hot tub right now!”
All the girls clamber out as quickly as possible and run into the building. Ernesto hangs his head low and grimaces.
He stands in front of Emerson and she places her hands on her hips.
