Page 30 of Shattering Dawn

“You’re sure they were doing drugs?” Gideon asked.

“Oh, yeah,” Pete said. “No doubt about it. And whatever they were using must have been some strong stuff. I talked to Wilton, the police captain at the time. He told me the women were hallucinating like nothing he’d ever seen before. Totally bonkers.”

Amelia fought the urge to jump the counter and wrap both hands around Pete’s throat.

“Were they talking about UFOs and little green visitors from outer space?” Gideon asked with a chuckle.

“No.” Pete snorted. “Even better. They claimed they had amnesia. Couldn’t remember anything after they walked into the lobby of the old hotel but they were sure they had been kidnapped. Wilton said they sobered up real quick when he threatened to throw them in jail on suspicion of arson.”

Another wave of outrage slammed through Amelia, threatening to overwhelm her. It took every ounce of control she possessed to keep from losing her temper. She wanted to scream at Pete Ellerbeck.No one believed us and now my life and the lives of my friends are in danger. Someone tried to kidnap or murder me last night because no one believed us seven months ago. My life has been put on hold for seven months because no one believed us. I’m as afraid of the dark as a five-year-old child because no one believed us.

Gideon must have sensed her inner turmoil, because he closed a hand around her arm in what probably looked like a casual gesture. It was anything but. His touch sent an electric shock through her. She did not have to be a mind reader to get the message.Keep it together.We’re making progress here. Don’t screw this up.Or maybe that was her intuition warning her to get a grip on her emotions.

She managed another, not-so-shiny smile for Pete. “We look forward to doing the interview with you.”

“Anytime,” Pete said, oblivious to the undercurrents in the atmosphere.

Gideon picked up the two keys. “Got any recommendations for dinner?”

“Closest place is the restaurant at the Sunrise Springs Lodge. A couple of miles back toward town. Can’t miss it. There’s also a pizza place that will deliver. The number is in the room. You don’t need toworry about breakfast. It’s free with your rooms. Six a.m. to ten. Served out on the pool patio in good weather. Indoors if it’s too chilly.”

“Thanks,” Gideon said. He looked at Amelia. “Let’s go get settled.”

“Sure,” she muttered.

She waited until they were unloading their luggage from the back of the SUV before she spoke again.

“There was no need to worry,” she said, slinging the strap of her camera bag over her shoulder. “I wasn’t going to cause a scene.”

“I know,” he said.

“No, you didn’t know. You were afraid I would blow our cover.”

“Not for a minute,” Gideon said. He unlocked the door of room ten and disappeared inside with his duffel.

She set her teeth but she did not call him out on the lie. Okay, maybe she had been a little tense there in the office for a minute or two. She’d been under a lot of stress lately.

Opening the door of room eleven, she hauled her stuff inside and set the bags on the floor. A quick walk-through assured her that the place was clean. There were two double beds and a connecting door, as promised. In addition to the parking lot door, there was another one on the far side of the room that opened onto the courtyard.

The amenities consisted of a table, a television, a small coffee maker, and a little refrigerator. The price list for the various items in the refrigerator was taped to the top.

She went to the connecting door and unlocked it. Gideon did the same on his side. When he opened the door she found herself looking into a mirror image of her own room.

“I’ve got to hand it to you,” she said. “Your request for a couple of rooms next to the ice machine was brilliant.”

He looked amused. “Thanks. That means a lot coming from you. I know you haven’t been too impressed with my investigative skills.”

She flushed. “Don’t push it, Sweetwater. I’ve been under a lot of stress lately.”

“Understood.”

She looked past him into room ten. “So that’s the room that goes with the key I found in the ruins. Creepy, isn’t it?”

“Thanks for putting that idea in my head,” Gideon said. “I hadn’t thought of it that way until you mentioned the creep factor.”

She frowned. “Are you sure you want to sleep in there? We don’t know what happened to whoever lost the key that I found.”

“Are you sure you’re not in the ghost-hunting business?”