Chapter
10
When Jack left the main office, the morning sun had
barely begun to peek over the horizon. Despite being up nearly
twenty-four hours, he wasn't the least bit tired and found himself
roaming the spa grounds. He needed to talk to Bobby and Sue, but
after what she'd been through the night before, he knew she needed
her rest. Wishing he could be there for her, he felt a pang of
jealousy, but knew his best friend would take care of her.
Though peaceful, several outbuildings had taken on a macabre look in the early dawn light. Unable to explain it, Jack found himself drawn toward a specific shadowy alcove, just on the other side of the pool area.
The late autumn morning had taken on a decidedly bitter chill, but Jack didn't feel it as he concentrated on the sinister shadows around him. Though he could see nothing out of place, he expected someone to step out of the darkness at any moment and slipped his gun out of the holster on his hip as he approached.
Fortunately, nothing happened as he paused with his back against the wall next to the door. Scanning the area he'd just come from, Jack wondered if he should call for back up. For what? he asked himself. Spooky shadows? he scoffed, laughing at himself as he tried to relax a little.
Flipping open the door, Jack peered inside, trying to make out the shapes in the darkness, his gun at the ready. Seeing nothing, he slid his hand inside, searching for a light switch along the inside wall. Soon, a single overhead fixture in the center of the ceiling illuminated the room. Stepping through the doorway, he realized this outbuilding housed the pool pump as well as cleaning equipment for the pool and sauna.
At first glance, everything seemed normal, but Jack couldn't shake the uneasy feeling plaguing him. Something wasn't right, he thought, scanning the room closer. Nothing appeared out of place, until he saw a pile of cigarette butts underneath the main window. It was evident from their position someone had been standing there for a while. Who? he wondered helplessly, knowing the spa staff were cautioned not to smoke anywhere on the grounds except the break room.
Stepping closer, Jack wondered if the person was watching someone at the pool. Equipped with shaded glass so the spa visitors couldn't see the machines inside, the light inside coupled with the pale dawn made it impossible to see out. Flipping off the switch again, he stood by the window over the pile of butts and peered out. With a perfect view from the window, Jack's heart almost stopped when he saw the number of the bungalow just across the way.
Bobby and Sue's suite, Jack thought, his body shocked into inactivity as he just stared. Someone had been standing there watching them…watching her, he corrected himself, his blood boiling knowing who it had to have been.
What he had to figure out was how long he'd been standing here, and if he just saw her or if someone told him she was coming. Did he know this place well enough to know this place would be a perfect hideaway as he watched her? Jack wondered, absentmindedly running his fingers through his dark hair. Or did someone set Sue up, putting her into this room on purpose? he asked himself frustrated that he couldn't know for sure.
Movement at the door of the bungalow caught his attention as a food service employee wheeled a breakfast cart up to the room and knocked. They're up! he thought silently. Making a mental note to have Tara get an ERT team down here to check on fingerprints and DNA from the cigarettes, Jack made his way back across the yard.