Storm of Suspicion - 13. Chapter 13

“Hey Sam, do you think you can raise the house lights a bit? I like seeing where my audience is”, Misty yelled out across the lounge.

“Got it,” he called back. “How’s the sound?”

“Well actually…” she began to reply. As the lights came up, she noticed a portly older man in a dark suit walking down the side aisle of the theater, followed by two police officers and another proceeding down the aisle of the other side.

“Can I help you?” Misty yelled out nervously. “We are trying to rehearse here, the show isn’t open tonight,'' she continued. “Fuck, what the hell are the cops doing here”, she mumbled to herself.

“Misty Lane?” the man in the suit asked.

“That’s what it says on the marquee out front,'' she sarcastically replied.

“I’m Captain Chance with the Orange County Sheriff's Department. Were you in Provincetown Massachusetts two days ago?`` he continued.

As she saw Ron and Tony enter the back of the room, Misty yelled over the officer. “Tony, What the hell is going on here?”

The detective then turned taking a bag from the officer behind him. “I believe this belongs to you…” he spoke, holding the bag up towards Misty as she knelt down on the edge of the stage to get a better look.

“Yeah that’s…” Misty’s eyes bulged as she realized that was the dress she had discarded in her room and that it had been splattered with blood. “Oh shit….” she groaned.

“Oh shit is right. I think you need to come with us and answer some questions”, Chance replied, motioning for the officers to his side.

“Really this is all just a big misunderstanding,'' she pleaded as the officers began to escort her towards the back of the room. Passing Ron and Tony, she couldn’t help but notice the expressions on their faces. “Ron…” she started.

“I think it’s best if we just clean out your room”, he stated coldly.

“This is all a mistake, I’ll be back in a couple of hours, you’ll see,” Misty pleaded as the officers rushed her along to a squad car waiting outside. As the officers placed her in the back she turned and saw Tony standing in the doorway with his head lowered. “I’ll explain everything when I get back,” she yelled out to him but he quickly turned away and disappeared back inside. “Oh I’m gonna get that cunt housekeeper,” she sputtered as the officer shut the car door, circled around to the driver's seat, and started the engine.

§

Karla continued driving along the road but had slowed nearly to a crawl. The wind and rain had picked up to the point she could barely see more than a few feet in front of the cruiser with tree branches and random debris crossing the road. As she glanced over at the map on the computer screen and then back at the road, she stopped momentarily trying to figure out where she was. “Fuck this storm, I don’t even know what direction I’m going anymore”, she cursed. “I hope I didn’t circle around back to the lighthouse!” Finally she reached an area where she began to see mailboxes along the road and silhouettes of buildings with the flashes of lightning. “I must be at the far end of Bradford Street”, she speculated, looking again at the screen. As she did another bolt of lightning illuminated the sky around her that made the hairs on the back of her neck tingle with a thunderous roar that seemed to shake the whole car. “Shit that was close,” she commented as a telephone pole dropped across the road directly in front of her, blocking the roadway. It’s wires still hanging, sparking in the wind. “Grrrreat”. Karla sputtered as she reached over and turned on the police radio, “No, I can’t even call for help,” she decided flipping the switch back off. “I don’t know if the whole town is messed up in this or just Peters”. To her left, she could barely make out a white fence and walkway that appeared to lead up to a house. “Well I can’t stay here all night and just freeze to death” Karla mumbled, preparing to go see if anyone was around to help her. Pushing against the wind, Karla made her way to the house and began beating on the door. “No lights on,'' she commented knowing that the power was likely still out anyway. “Hello…” she yelled out, beating harder yet at the door. Through the window in the door she could see a dim light nearer the back of the house getting brighter as it moved towards the front door. “Oh thank goodness” she sighed as an older heavy set woman carrying an oil lamp appeared. “Hello…” Karla repeated as the woman quickly opened the door and ushered her inside, shutting it behind her. “I’m so sorry to intrude,” Karla began.

“What on earth are you doing out in this storm?” the woman asked, almost as if scolding Karla.

“It’s kinda a long story,” Karla replied.

“Well just come back here into the parlor and get warm. Let me grab some towels to dry you off,” the woman said as she directed Karla to the back of the house.

“I was actually hoping you had a phone I could use”, Karla responded. “I left mine at the hotel this morning and I really need to let someone know where I am.”

“Oh well I’m afraid the phones aren’t working at all right now with the storm and all,'' the woman replied, handing Karla a brightly colored beach towel. “They may even be out for a few days after the storm passes,” she explained. “Being this far out on the Cape we tend to be the last to get power and phone lines repaired.”

“Well then, I really need to get back to the Admirals Inn”, Karla insisted.

“It’s much too dangerous for that,'' the woman persisted.”Let me make you some tea and you’ll stay the night here. You can get back there in the morning.”

§

Tom laid on the bed with his eyes wide open. “Where the fuck is Karla?” he mumbled, as if she were to suddenly appear. Beside him, Nathan laid snoring almost as a reply to Toms questioning.

“Well There’s nothing we can do tonight,” Michael replied, looking up at Thom over his half rim glasses. Closing the book he’d been reading and placing in on the table next to him he stood up and walked toward the other bed. “Thom, try to get some sleep, you know how cranky you get…”

Sighing heavily Thom reached over and turned off the lamp next to the bed. “I know. I’m glad you guys stayed here tonight though. I think I’d gone stir crazy here by myself.”

“That’s what friends are for,” Michael replied. “In the morning the sun will come out and everything will be all better,” he said, trying to be reassuring yet not really convinced himself. “You know though, after this is all over you might try to get away for awhile. Maybe even start something new, get a fresh start away from all the bad memories here…”

“You trying to get me to sell out now too?” Thom quipped back. “I didn’t think I’d ever get that from you”.

“Thom, you know I’ll support whatever you want but I just thought maybe a change after all this could be good for you. I’ll even get you going if you want to come out to Seattle with me,” Michael explained. “Just think about it.”

“Ok, I’ll think about it” he replied. “But don’t count on it, I’m actually pretty settled in around here”.

“Offer stands anytime you do decide to,” Michael said as he turned to turn off the light at his bedside. Outside the winds continued to whip around, occasionally slamming tree branches against the side of the Inn while flashes of lightning illuminated the room. “Do you think we’ll be alright here?” Michael asked.

“Should be ok,” Thom assured. “We are off the shore far enough and there are buildings all around us, I doubt there’ll be anything too terrible, just some cosmetic damage to the building, maybe.”

§

Along Commercial Street, the water began to splash along the sides of the buildings with each wave, receding only to the edge of the sidewalk while the winds continued throwing foam into the air like feathers from a pillow fight. Hail began to beat against the window as Detective Wallace stood staring out into the night. “Better bring the prisoner up from downstairs,'' he called out to an officer seated at a nearby desk. “Looks like we may get flooded again,'' he explained, turning around to survey the room. “Harris, go grab a cot from the storage and a few extra blankets. This generator isn’t going to last us through the night.”

In the corner of the room, the radio began to squelch, as if receiving a transmission, but no discernible voice could be heard through the noise and the storm.