Darla held out her empty hands as confusion swarmed her thoughts. She looked between Dylan who claimed to care for her and Charles, a man who she thought she could trust, a clearer picture forming.
“You struck a deal together, didn’t you?” Darla dropped her empty arms to her side. Thankfully, she hid the key in a place they wouldn’t think to look.
Dylan stomped over, hand hovering over his gun, and he patted her sides down. “I don’t have pockets in this dress. The old man lied to me. I went to the exact location and there was nothing there.”
“Impossible!” Charles yelled. “I know for a fact that Richard came here shortly after his will was drawn up. I never thought he would hide it here, but you seemed to know the exact path he walked. Where is the key?”
Darla raised her arms, inviting them to go look for themselves.
“If you are convinced it’s here, then feel free to look. I would like to get Meg and go home now. I have had my fill of evil men taking advantage of my good nature.” Darla shot a look at Dylan as she walked past.
She paused next to him, turned, and whispered, “I guess there is a limit to what you will protect and serve, huh?” Dylan looked down, his expression one of anger mixed with regret. He had lost out on the fortune and the girl in one fell swoop.
Darla opened the door and helped Meg out.
“Meg, are you okay if we walk home while these gentlemen go on a wild goose chase for a vault key?” Darla shot one final daggered look at the men.
“Come on, Charles. I have flashlights we can use to start searching for the key. You knew him well, so maybe you will recognize a symbol or something familiar that the key could be hidden in.”
Darla walked to the passenger side and retrieved her purse, then rejoined Meg at the rear of the car before they linked arms and began walking down the road toward town. Darla looked one more time behind them and watched as the two men, with flashlights in hand, disappeared into the forest.
Fresh tears trickled down her face as the women walked together.
I may have the gift to live new lives, but I’ll never find a life with love and happiness. Just money and power.Meg shivered in the cold night.
“Come on, Meg. I’ll get you home in no time.”
Darla feltlike she was an old woman again. Her back ached, and the muscles in her legs screamed out at her with every step she took. Once she made it home, she collapsed into her bed. Her feet were blistered and bloody from walking the five miles to Meg’s car at the police station and then the three flights of stairs up to her apartment in her heels.
Now she was muddy and falling apart at the seams.The shoes can be tossed tomorrow. My emotional and mental state would need to be salvaged another way.
Once she had access to her fortune, she would be able to buy all the shoes she wanted.Maybe there is someone I can talk to about my feelings,she mused as she locked her door.
The events of the evening still hadn’t quite been processed, and she was just ready to forget that those men existed so she could move on with her life.
The key was clutched in her hand. As soon as she was in her car, she removed it. After walking five miles with it jammed inside her, it was all she could think about until she took it out.
She stood and took it to the bathroom, clogged the sink to avoid it being washed away with the water, then rinsed it clean.
I need a place to hide it until morning. I’m worried the men will come here, suspicious that I have it and ransack the place to find it.
She opened her cabinet, eyeing some medicine bottles and landing on some tampons.
Not to mention what they’ll do to me if they find out I lied.She shuddered at the thought. Darla took one out and wrapped the cotton part in toilet paper, then put it in the wastepaper basket. Then, she carefully placed the key in the wrapper and put it back in the box.
It wasn’t the best spot, but it would have to do for the night. Her purse was in the living room, so she limped to grab it. In her wallet she had $100 cash, which was too much. She grabbed the cash and went back to her room and stuffed it in her sock drawer.
She formed a new plan quickly, and she couldn’t have cash on her for it to work. Laying down on the bed, satisfied with what she planned to do tomorrow, she decided it would be safe to attempt to sleep. Still in her dress, she climbed under the sheets and turned off the lamp.
Just as she reached the final point of her plan, she felt her eyelids droop and she drifted off into a soundless sleep.
The sun peekedthrough the blinds and landed directly on her face.
Why a bed would be positioned under a window makes no sense to me.
She opened her eyes and blinked.What time is it?She rolled over and glanced at the clock and jumped up.
“The salon opens soon. I need to get going.” She rushed around and threw together a smart looking outfit, one that showed she was going to run errands today. Just before she left, she remembered the most important part, the key. She retrieved it and tucked the wrapped key into her purse.
