because she was in Freewild Cove due to a possessed television.
In. Out. In. Out.
She steadied her breath to match the rhythm of her pace. The sound of interstate traffic zoomed above the frontage road she traveled. The busyness contrasted with the lonely walk. If she didn’t think about it, the suitcase wasn’t too heavy. The streets created pockets of light on the ground between stretches of shadows. She quickened her steps when she went through the dark.
In. Out. In. Out.
As she walked around a curve, a hotel sign lit up the sky, boasting vacancies. She sighed in relief and hurried toward it. No one would know she was there. Sue had no choice but to keep moving forward. She could hide away in a room, surrounded by people but alone. One scream, and they’d come running.
In. Out. In. Out.
Sue went into the lobby. The woman behind the front desk reversed her coffee cup mid-drink as she smiled. “Welcome to Dicken’s Inn. Do you have a reservation?”
“No, I’m sorry. I saw you had vacancies on the sign.” Sue wasn’t sure why she was apologizing for being a walk-in. She hated that about herself, always saying sorry even when it wasn’t necessary. The word had always fallen out of her mouth like a preemptive strike against Hank’s moods.
“That’s quite all right. Is there just one?” The woman went to her computed and began typing.
“Yes. I’m alone.” Sue glanced at the woman’s name tag. “Agnes. That’s a pretty name.”
“Thank you, hon. Smoking or non?”
“Non.” Could she ask for a room without a television?
“I have a king- or queen-size bed.” Agnes glanced up and smiled. “Actually, it’s late. I’m going to give you a suite for the regular room price.”
“Oh, ah, thank you,” Sue said in surprise. She reached into her purse and grabbed her license and credit card.
“License plate number?”
“No car. I was on a bus, and it broke down at the gas station down the road. I walked here.” Sue glanced out the window, half expecting other passengers to show up.
“No worries.” Agnes took her credit card, ran it through the reader, and then handed it back to her. “You’re all set, Susan Jewel. Checkout is normally ten, but I’ll write you in for a late check out so you can stay until noon. Breakfast is complimentary. It opens at six. Wi-fi password is right here.” She circled the room number printed on the envelope holding the key card and then handed it to Sue. “You’re in room 336. Elevators are down the hall to your left.”
“Thank you.” She started to turn, only to stop. “Any food delivery nearby?”
“Pizza. Numbers are in the binder in the room. Or, if you’re desperate, there are cookies around the corner under the plastic dome.”
Sue gave a small laugh. “Yeah, desperate.”
The front desk phone began to ring.
“Help yourself, sweetie.” Agnes waved Sue toward the cookies as she picked up the phone.
The chocolate chip cookies looked a little sad on their plate, but she grabbed a handful on her way to the elevator. A grinding, creaking noise sounded over her head as the elevator moved. She shoved a cookie into her mouth and chewed. The taste of hard liquor-filled her mouth and she coughed the cookie into her hand. She stared at the moist blob, going so far as to sniff it. It smelled like chocolate, but the aftertaste in her mouth was all smoky bar and cheap booze.
No. It was Hank’s kisses. His mouth tasted like bourbon and cigarettes after he’d been out drinking with his buddies.
The elevator jerked to a stop, and the doors opened on the third floor. She trembled as she stepped into the hall, dragging her suitcase in one hand while clutching the cookie mash in her other. A maid cart was parked in the hall, and she grabbed a fresh towel to wipe the cookie off her hand before dropping it into the dirty laundry bag on the side.
Sue had to look at the key card envelope for her room number and instantly forgot it again as she moved her tongue around her mouth in a failed attempt to get rid of the taste. She looked yet again and whispered, “Three-three-six. Three-three-six.”
In her over-concentration to find it, she almost walked past it. Shaking, she shoved the card into the key slot and then pressed the door open with her shoulder. Once inside, she released a breath she felt as if she’d been holding for hours.
Sue dropped her bags on the floor