Once he has what he needs, he glances at the bedroom and the messy bed. The scent of sex is heavy in the air, and Will can’t think of a single good moment he experienced here during the years he’s been doing this.
Telling himself that this was the last fucking time, hequietly steps out of the room.
*
The music downstairs is upbeat, and the men’s laughter echoes through the hallway. Will isn’t going to hide one of the devices inside the living room, but he can at least hide one in the mayor’s bedroom as well as one in his office.
The main bedroom is at the end of the hallway, facing the back garden. It’s dark when he walks inside, but there’s a bit of light coming from the hallway. The king-sized bed is underneath the window, with a walk-in closet to the right. Will steps into the closet room. He takes one of the devices from his backpack and hides it at the back of the lowest shelf.
With that small victory, he’s ready to move on to the main target.
Climbing barefoot down the stairs, he watches for any sign of Veronica or the mayor, but it seems they are still in the living room with the remaining guests. At the bottom of the stairs, he sees the shadows from the fireplace dancing on the walls at the end of the hallway. Luckily, the mayor’s office faces the stairs, far enough from the living room. He walks on the cold, wooden floor, counting on the music to drown out the subtle creaking sounds he’s making. Inside the office, he carefully shuts the door behind him. The room is wide andsmells of old wood and books, with a tall window behind the desk. He’d been here once as a kid and thought it was a magical room, but the next time he was here, years later, Ray had offered him a deal that changed everything.
Luckily, the lamp by the entrance is already turned on, so he doesn’t need to risk adding more light.
He walks past the desk and moves aside the long curtains to make sure the car with the police officers is still outside. It is, and though he can barely see their silhouettes in the dark, it’s comforting knowing they’re there. He lets go of the curtains and turns around to examine the large desk, which is well organized with a small collection of iron paperweights, the largest one shaped like an eagle spreading its wings. There are some documents stacked in the corner, next to a silvery letter opener. He’ll first need to hide the device before he can look through the documents.
He searches for a spot that won’t be too hidden so that it won’t interfere with the reception, but also not somewhere someone might check often. He would have liked to hide it inside one of the drawers, but it’s too risky. On both sides of the room are tall bookcases, packed with thick books. He walks to face one of the bookcases and reaches for the highest shelf. He runs his fingers over the books, then examines his fingertips. As he hoped, there is dust over there, meaning that those books are usually left untouched. They are alsonot arranged in a straight line because they’re different in size, which means hiding something behind them won’t stand out. He hopes.
He slides his backpack off his shoulder and sets it quietly on the floor. He then takes out the second device and pulls out two books from the top shelf. He rises onto his tiptoes and slides the device into the gap between the books, careful not to let it slip behind the bookcase. Once he’s satisfied with the position, he reaches up to put the two books in place. With his arm still outstretched, he almost doesn’t recognize the sound to his left.
He’s been mindful of the possibility of the door opening, but he counted on hearing footsteps a few seconds in advance so he could hide. He turns his head and freezes. Veronica stands by the open door, watching with a blank expression. She’s barefoot, as if she knew he’d be in here.
Don’t panic,he thinks as he panics. He places the two books on the table because there’s no point putting them back now. With his mind shooting blanks, he says the most useless thing he can say. “It’s not what it looks like.”
She tilts her head and calls, “Mayor!”
He takes a step forward to run out of the house, but she moves to block his way. Her little smile tells him she’s eager for him to try going past her, and that makes him hesitate. He can try hitting her, but something tellshim she wasn’t hired for her cleaning skills as much as for her ability to handle trouble.
Footsteps approach from the hallway. His heart hammers, and a wave of heat washes over his face. He should think of what to say, but he can’t collect his thoughts.
The mayor enters the room, with Hal and the rest standing behind him.
None of them seem surprised.
“You outdid yourself, boy,” the mayor says.
Will opens his mouth, then shuts it. He won’t waste time trying to convince someone who already knows the truth.
The mayor walks forward, making Will tense, but he ignores him and reaches into the gap in the bookcase to grab the recording device. He watches it closely before giving it to Veronica, who silently takes it out of the office.
“You had a phone call,” Will says, his mouth dry.
The mayor, who has returned to stand with the four men by the door, says, “That was Nate, calling from the police station. He still has friends there.”
Will stands as still as he can, but he feels unstable. “Get out of my way, Ray.” If he can’t lie his way out of this, he should focus on escaping. For all these years, he came to this house and left of his own free will, and he’s going to do the same right now, even if it means moving each of them by force.
“You heard that?” Hal chuckles and glances at his watch. “He thinks he’s gonna walk out of here.” He tells the mayor, “They’ll be here in about ten minutes.”
Still watching Will, the mayor nods. “Coming through the back garden, yes?”
“That’s what I told them.” Hal smiles at Will. “You’ll be staying with me from now on. I’ll make sure you behave. Ain’t no rebels on my property.”
“And I’ll be sure to visit,” Doctor Levi says with a wink.
“Get the hell out of my way.” Will’s voice isn’t as stable as he wishes it to be, but his fists will be when he starts swinging them.
“Enough,” the mayor says. “You came into my house to bring me down, and you failed. Now you will be somebody else’s problem. I promise to take care of Julie until her time comes.”
