Page 45 of Wrong Cabin, Right Time
He keeps messaging her, still not telling her he’s in Lake Lure. I’ve been watching him, though. Not physically, but digitally. I’ve managed to track his phone to see where he goes and what he does, all thanks to his need to speak to Sage.
She is in the living room with her feet kicked up on the couch and a paperback book in her hands when I find her. “What did I say about putting your feet on the furniture?”
She sits up and makes a show of planting her feet on the carpet as she smiles. “Won’t happen again.”
“Get dressed. We’re going to pay a visit to the motel our friend is staying at,” I say before walking back to my bedroom and riffling through my drawers for appropriate attire. I hear her moving around the cabin and know she’s obeying.
Because we’re not actually killing Eli tonight, we can’t wear anything suspicious. We have to blend in and go unnoticed as we approach the hotel to spy on him. If he sees me and Sage in the car together, then it’s going to raise some red flags. I can’t have that.
Kevin slipped out of my fingers because of Sage, and I won’t let this kill go. Every hour I go without gratification is torture, and I desperately need to quench this thirst.
Soon enough I’ll be able to fully relax, at least for a time. Then I’ll delve into finding my next victim and begin this whole ritual all over again. Now that Sage knows about my proclivities, she won’t be able to hinder me anymore.
She’s waiting for me in the living room when I finish getting dressed, and I sigh, taking in the clothes she chose.
“What?” she asks, looking down at herself.
She’s wearing a pair of denim shorts cut extra short and a vintage oversize Harley-Davidson T-shirt that is tied in the back to fit her.
“People are going to be looking at you,” I say, shaking my head. The idea makes my blood boil, and I try to fight against the feeling. It’s no use. The idea of another man looking at her—and God forbid, touching her—is infuriating. “Let’s just go. We’re staying in the car, anyway. And I’m going to need you to put a hat on—your hair is visible a mile away.”
“Okay, rude,” Sage jokes as she grabs a baseball cap from her bag and puts it on. She follows me out the door and climbs into the passenger seat of my car, putting her seat belt on without prompting. “So what are we doing, anyway? I thought we were waiting to kill him.”
“First of all, we are notkillinghim.” I pause to adjust the mirrors on the car, ensuring I have clear visuals of everything around me. “And all we’re doing is making sure he’s staying where we think he is. I haven’tactually been able to get eyes on him, so I have to make sure he’s alone. I can’t afford any unexpected hang-ups.”
Sage turns on the radio as we’re driving and starts singing along to some sugary pop song that grates on my nerves. I have a choice. I can either turn off the radio and drive in silence, and Sage will drone on and on about something I don’t care about, or I can leave the music on. With the music on, I can at least think without distraction.
Another song comes on, and Sage starts babbling about fruit trees and bees. I slowly increase the volume of the music using my steering wheel controls.
We make it to the Lodge, where I believe Eli is staying, and look around the parking lot for any sign of him. Sage lowers herself in her seat, leaning back incredibly conspicuously. I roll my eyes but don’t say anything.
After a few minutes of driving around, I park the car at the end of the lot so we can keep a close eye on every other car we see.
“Maybe I can try to lure him out of his room?” she offers.
“No, if he sees you, that might be strange. We can’t have him thinking anything could go wrong while he’s here.”
My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I pull it out, seeing a text message from Peter on the screen.Heads up, it’s likely someone is tailing you right now. Be careful. I’m looking into it.
Fuck.
I’ve gone this long without being caught, and whoever it is who’s following me—the same person looking into Amelia—they’re going to throw a wrench in this whole plan. I grip my phone and see my knuckles turn white as I get lost in thought.
“What’s wrong?” Sage asks, sitting upright and staring at me with concern.
I look at her while trying to hold back my anger. If I’m being tailed, in the parking lot of the hotel my next victim is staying at, it’s because of her. If this is going to lead to my downfall, it’s all her fault. I’m going against my routine because of her. I’m looking into Eli because of her.I’m in this car right now, woefully unprepared for my next kill, all because of her.
I don’t answer right away, and I look around the parking lot for any sign of John Doe’s car. I remember the license plate number, but I don’t see it anywhere. Of course, if this guy has any sense, he will have returned that rental car and gotten a new one.
“Talk to me,” Sage urges. She squeezes my arm, and I yank it away.
“Someone’s following us.”
She immediately turns around, not being subtle in the slightest as she looks for whomever it is.
“Will you stop that? It’s already bad enough that somebody might have seen us driving around the parking lot. If Eli comes up missing, this will be his last known location, and I’ll have been seen here.”
She sinks back in the seat and lets out a slow exhale. She turns to me with a half smile on her lips and her eyebrows raised. “What’s there to worry about? It’s not like you’re here to kill anyone.”
