The Inn Between (9 page)

“Um, yes,” said Quinn, then redirected the conversation. “You really need to get some computers. Would be a lot easier.”

“We prefer to keep things simple,” Persephone said, flipping through the goose-fat pages, her long, lean finger scanning up and down the names she'd scrawled in fancy script and then crossed out.

“Why are they all crossed out?”

“To keep track of who's come. And gone,” said Persephone. She met Quinn's eyes head-on. “Sorry,” she added quickly. “No Emma.”

Quinn leaned over and snuck a peek at the book. Before Persephone snapped it shut, she saw something very strange.

Kara approached the counter. “Come on, Quinn. Let's go back to the room. My parents are probably back. And Josh is waiting.”

Quinn glared at Persephone a moment longer. Her face seemed so perfect. So plastic. Her eyes wide and unblinking. The woman placed her two hands on the cover of the book, then picked it up and stowed it neatly under the counter.

Reluctantly, Quinn drew back from the desk. She followed Kara into the corridor that led to their room. Her mind had left the crazy man with the ball cap and even Emma for the moment. All she could think about was the guest book and what she'd seen.

 

14

N
O ONE WAS WAITING
FOR THEM BY THE DOOR
.

“I told Josh to wait right here,” sighed Kara. “No one ever listens to me.”

“Maybe he's inside, with your parents,” said Quinn, trying to sound hopeful even though an alarm rang inside her.

Kara got the key from the pocket of her shorts and unlocked the door. The room was empty. There was no sign of Mr. or Mrs. Cawston. Kara's note was still lying on the bed where she'd left it—untouched.

They quickly crossed the threshold into Josh's room. He wasn't there either. Something about the room seemed different, too. Everything was neat and tidy. There was no trace of Josh or Mr. Cawston, as though they hadn't been there. They searched, but neither Josh nor Kara's parents had left a note.

“Where do you think Josh went?” said Quinn, trying desperately to squelch the panic rising in her throat.

“It's nearly dinnertime,” said Kara. “You know him. He probably went looking for food.”

“Probably,” said Quinn, her voice barely a whisper.

“Either that, or back to the pool. Maybe the elevator.”

They returned to their room and got changed quickly. Quinn slipped into her shorts and T-shirt. Kara hung her wet bathing suit in the bathroom. Quinn's was dry, so she folded it and placed it on the dresser.

“I'm going to kill him,” said Kara, stomping out into the hallway. “I can't believe he'd just leave us like that.”

Quinn felt sick. This was her fault. If only she hadn't raced off to find Emma. She wanted to tell Kara what she'd seen in the book, but she didn't want to worry her. Not just yet. “I'll bet he's in the restaurant,” she said, her voice thick, not far from tears.

“Yeah, well, he'd better be enjoying his meal 'cause it's his last.”

When they reached the lobby, Persephone looked up from her work at the front desk and smiled.

“I'm looking for my brother. Have you seen him?”

Persephone tilted her head. She paused to think. “No. Not since this morning when you went to the upper lobby.”

“What about my parents?” said Kara. “Have they tried to call? Left a message? You can get outside calls, can't you?”

Persephone smiled. “Of course we can. But I'm afraid I haven't heard from them. Not yet. The garage must be busier than usual. Or maybe your car needed special parts.”

“You're sure Josh wasn't hanging around the elevator?”

“Not that I saw,” she said. “Though, I must admit, I wasn't paying close attention. Quite a few new guests arrived today. I'll keep an eye out for him, if you like.”

Just as Quinn had suspected—Phony would be no help whatsoever. Quinn grabbed Kara's arm. “Let's check outside.”

They crossed the foyer and swung open the enormous wooden door. The massive doorman stood blocking their exit.

“Can I help you two ladies?” he said in his deep, velvety voice. Quinn noticed his brass name tag: Aides. His black pupils were enormous. They reminded Quinn of insect eyes.

“Have you by any chance seen my parents? Or my brother?” asked Kara. Though she was trying to sound calm, Quinn could hear worry creeping into Kara's voice.

Quinn searched beyond the red canopy, beyond the driveway. Enormous hills of gravel and dust surrounded the hotel like the sandy walls of a fortress. The small dirt road that had led them to the hotel wound through the hills, disappearing into the dust. With no map, compass, or working phone, a person could easily get lost out there.

Aides glanced thoughtfully from Kara's face to Quinn's. “Ah, yes,” he said. “You came late last night. Car trouble…”

“The car was fine last night,” said Kara. “It apparently broke down this morning. Did you see my parents? Are they back?”

Aides wiped a bead of sweat from under his cap. “Nearest garage is miles away. Only one mechanic. My best guess: they won't be back for a while.” He smiled his creepy Inn Between smile.

“How about my brother? Have you seen him?”

“Sorry,” said Aides, shaking his head. “Can't help you there.” He placed a hand on Kara's shoulder as if to stop her from leaving. “You best stay inside. It's hotter than a skillet full of scorpions out here.”

Aides was right about that. It was like a furnace out there. Quinn glanced again at the gravel road. Even if a person wanted to run away, even if they tried, they'd die quickly of exposure or dehydration if they got lost.

Aides shut the door, leaving Quinn and Kara trapped in the coolness of the lobby. Quinn turned just as the family she had seen at breakfast walked by.

“It's so hot,” said the mother, fanning herself. “I'm burning up.”

She took her daughter by the hand. The little girl held her rag doll. She glanced at Quinn for a moment, and Quinn saw something in the girl's dark brown eyes—a strange reflection like a flickering of yellow and orange. Then the girl turned, skipping alongside her mother and father, up the stairs toward the pool.

“I'm going to check the restaurant,” said Kara.

Suddenly, Quinn had an idea. “You check the restaurant. I'll keep an eye on the elevator.”

Kara nodded, then headed toward the French doors.

The fancy bars of the elevator were shut and there was no grinding noise. Quinn hit the button and waited, but nothing happened. She searched beyond the metal, craning her neck to see up the dark shaft that tunneled through the walls of the hotel like a prehistoric worm. She could see why Josh was so fascinated. Quinn shifted side to side, hoping the elevator would arrive quickly so she could check out the upper floors, but nothing stirred. Not a sign of Sharon, the elevator-pilot.

“He wasn't there,” said Kara, approaching from behind.

“No sign of him here either,” sighed Quinn. She covered the button with her back. She didn't want Kara to know she had planned on ditching her a second time. “Do you think he went back to the pool?”

They raced up the stairs and searched the upper lobby, the gift shop, and the pool deck. It was still hotter than Hades outside, but the sun was setting, which made the heat bearable. They searched the cabanas and called for Josh in the washroom, but there was no sign of him. Even the kiosk employee said he hadn't seen him.

“You don't suppose”—Kara paused, as though she couldn't bring herself to speak the words, then swallowed hard—“something's happened?”

“I-I dunno.” Quinn's eyes flashed from the mirrored surface of the pool, up the sides of the hotel, and then back along the deck. Yes. She definitely thought something had happened. “Let's go back to the room and make a plan.”

“A plan?” said Kara.

“To find everyone,” was what she said to Kara.
To get out of this place,
was what she was thinking.

They arrived in front of the room and Kara took out the key. Something Persephone had said popped into Quinn's mind and she realized something about the number. “Our room number is 0708.”

“So?” said Kara.

“We arrived here on the eighth of July,” said Quinn, “0708.”

Kara looked at the key in her hand. She looked back at the embossed brass plate on the door.

A soft cry echoed through the hall.

 

15

“E
MMA,” WHISPERED
Q
UINN, HER EYES FRANTIC AND WIDE
.

“What?” Kara sighed. “Not again.”

“Listen! Can't you hear her? She's here. She needs my help.”

Quinn was about to dash in the direction of the sound when Kara grabbed hold of her arms and held tight.

“We need to focus on finding Josh and my parents. Emma's not here. Your mind is playing tricks.”

“Emma
is
here. Why can't you believe me?”

Kara's eyes were fixed on Quinn. She had a strange, almost frightened look. “Emma is gone, Quinn.”

The sobbing grew louder. It rippled through the hall. Then silence. Then it began again. It sounded just like Emma.

Quinn struggled to break free from Kara's grasp. “I saw her. In the window. She's here. I swear!”

“Think about what you're saying,” said Kara. “It makes no sense.”

“Nothing makes sense!” shouted Quinn, pulling herself free. “How can someone be there one moment and then gone the next? What sense does that make?”

Hot tears welled in Quinn's eyes. Tears of anger and frustration. She swiped at them. “Listen, Kara. Someone took Emma. What if they brought her here? What if they're holding her captive? I need to find her. Before it's too late.”

“You have to stop this, Quinn. You have to stop thinking you see Emma everywhere. Hear her everywhere. Smell her everywhere.”

“If it were Josh, wouldn't you want to know? What if he's the one crying? Don't you want to be sure?”

Quinn had hit a nerve. Something in Kara shifted.

“Okay,” said Kara softly. “Let's make sure.”

Quinn wiped her face with her arm and hugged Kara. Together they raced down the winding hallway, following all the twists and turns. They came across several intersections and each time paused to listen. Between the two of them, they figured out which direction the sound was coming from.

Finally, they ended up at the far end of a hall, in front of a room. The number was 0707. The number made no sense unless Quinn's theory was right. Whoever was in the room had arrived a day before them.

The door was shut, but beyond it the crying was clear. It was definitely a kid. Quinn pounded on the door. “Emma? Emma—is that you? Open up!”

The crying stopped. It didn't start up again.

“Are you sure this is the right room?” Kara said, staring down the long line of dark doors.

“Positive,” said Quinn. She knocked again loudly. “Emma, open the door.”

No response.

“Josh, is that you?” tried Kara. “Open up right now.”

Silence.

Quinn took a deep breath. “Emma. Please. We'll stay here until you open the door. Or … or we'll call the front desk. We'll get a maid to open it for us. We'll bring the whole staff here if we have to.”

Quinn heard a faint shuffling from the other side of the door, a rattle of a chain as it dropped into place, a click and a turn, and the door opened a crack, not enough to pull the chain tight. A pale blue eye stared out, looking her up and down.

Quinn's heart plummeted into her boots. It wasn't Emma. Or Josh, for that matter. Their eyes weren't blue.

The door opened a little more, revealing a round face and a thatch of blond hair, and Quinn took a step back. She knew this face. She'd seen it before. Her mind scrambled to recall.

“Wh-who are you?” said the boy. “What do you want?”

“I know you,” breathed Quinn. “You're the boy—”

But before she could finish her thought, a dark shadow filled the far end of the hallway. Even in the dim light, she recognized the silhouette. It was the tall man with the ball cap.

“Let us in!” she said, her voice tight and trembling. She grabbed Kara's arm and pulled her close.

The boy startled. He was about to shut the door but Quinn stuck her hand into the gap. She yelped as he pushed against the heavy door.

“What are you doing?” asked Kara, trying to free Quinn's hand.

The man with the ball cap was walking toward them. “You!” he growled.

“Let us in!” begged Quinn. “Please.”

Perhaps it was the way she said it—her voice thick and pleading—because the pressure on her arm eased and the boy stared out again.

“Please,” she repeated. “We won't hurt you.”

The man was halfway down the long hall. Soon he'd be on them.

“Quinn,” said Kara. But Quinn pointed to the man and for the first time Kara saw him—his disheveled hair, his wild eyes glaring at them.

“You've got to let us in,” said Quinn, her mind stumbling for a shred of something—anything that might help. Then it came to her. “If you help us, we'll help you find your brother.”

The chain rattled and dropped. The door swung open, and the boy stepped aside. Quinn and Kara practically fell in. Quinn slammed the door behind her just as the man reached the threshold. She clicked the dead bolt and fumbled for the chain. It dropped into place and she backed up until she felt the wall at her back. Both Kara and the boy trembled beside her.

“I'm scared,” he said.

Quinn put a hand on his shoulder.

“Let me in,” said the man. His voice was gruff, as though crushed by years of smoking.

Quinn pulled Kara and the boy close. She huddled with them at the far end of the room, under the window, holding her breath.