“I think so. Worst case is we get a grumpy-looking waitress in her pajamas answering the door.”
“Honestly, if it’s a member of the waitstaff, they probably wouldn’t answer at all,” Bianca says. “My sister wants to minimize their contact with the outside world as much as possible, so they’re instructed to stay inside their rooms, opening them to no one, once they get there.”
“That’s fair, at least from her twisted point of view,” I say. “Who knows? Some missionary could come knocking and take them to a church or community meeting and put ideas in their head about striking out on their own. Then Rouge would be out of her cheap labor.”
“If they’re even paid at all,” Bianca says. “Rouge has always been tightlipped when it comes to her employees’ wages.”
“That, too.”
Bianca kicks a nearby pebble. “She wants to keep them dependent on her. If there’s one thing my sister cares about in this life, it’s control. If any of the waitstaff caught wind of the fact that they could get a job somewhere else and start paying their own bills, she’d no longer have that perfectly crafted influence over their every move.”
“She won’t have that much longer if we’re right about Alissa and Maddox.” I approach the door and knock. “Alissa? Are you in there?”
No response.
“It is late,” Dinah says. “She might be asleep.”
“If there’s anyone in there at all,” Bianca adds.
I knock harder. “Alissa! Are you there?”
“It might be a thick door,” Bianca says. “In case she tried to get out. Maybe if all three of us knock, she’ll be able to hear.”
“Good idea.” I wave Bianca and Dinah toward me. “On the count of three. One…two…three!”
We all pound our fists on the door at once. Once, twice, three times. Four. Five… Six…
Finally, an extremely weak rasp of a voice right as we’re about to come down for a seventh knock comes from behind the door. “H-Hello?”
Dinah gasps. “Oh my God, I think it’s her.” She puts her mouth right against the door and enunciates very clearly. “Alissa, is that you?”
A few seconds pass. Then, “D-D-Dinah?”
Tears stream down Dinah’s face. “Yes, Liss. It’s me, babe. Me and Dr. O’Rourke.”
“How did you…?”
“Don’t worry about that now,” I say. “Alissa, I need you to step away from the door. We’re going to get you out of here.”
“O-Okay.”
“Give her a few seconds. She sounds weak,” Bianca says.
I nod. At first I try the door. It’s locked, of course.
I have some experience with breaking down doors. I look around. “Is there a fire extinguisher around somewhere?”
Bianca runs down the line of hotel rooms and calls back. “There’s one over here.”
“Great. Break the glass and bring it over.”
She nods, takes off her jacket to protect her hand, and rams a fist through the glass. She carries the fire extinguisher over. “But what do you need this for?”
I point to the doorknob. “Discharge it onto the doorknob. That’ll help freeze the locking mechanism.”
“How on earth do you know that, Doctor?” Dinah asks.
I swallow. “Never you mind. Just do it.”
