Page 66 of Last Ticket to Paradise

“It’s number 305. Around the corner and against the back wall.” She wagged a finger sporting a long, French-tipped nail. “No blow torches or crowbars. You can’t break into the locker, Jake.”

“No need to.” He smacked his hand on the counter. “Thanks. Drop by the Falls anytime for your freebie...but you really need to hang out with a better class of man.”

Georgette’s heart fluttered in her chest as she and Jake rounded the corner to a hallway boasting a row of lockers on either side.

Jake pointed down the corridor. “Felicia said it was against the back wall.”

“Those are the large size. What could she and Jean-Claude have stored in there? Jamie had all her suitcases in her room, as far as I could tell.” Georgette followed Jake on wobbly legs and hooked one finger in his waistband.

He veered to the left. “Three hundred on the top and then 301 below it. Even numbers on the top and odd on the bottom. Here it is.”

Jake didn’t even have to crouch to reach the digital combination lock. He tapped the display of keys. “Okay, five, eight, two, and I’ll try one, as I’m not sure about that last number.”

“I thought you weren’t sure about the second number. You said six or eight.”

“No, I figured out that number was eight.” He entered the four numbers. “It’s not one.”

He tried the number two next as a cold dread began building in Georgette’s chest. She wedged a shoulder against the top locker and swallowed the lump in her throat.

“Three...” Jake banged his fist against the locker. “Nope.”

He cleared the digits and tried again, muttering, “Five, eight, two, four.”

The click seemed to echo down the hallway, echo in her brain. She held her breath as Jake lifted the handle and swing open the door.

Georgette shoved off the wall of lockers and took a step back, covering her mouth. “What’s that smell? Chemicals?”

“A suitcase.” Jake grabbed the handle of the bag and yanked it out of the locker. It fell to the floor with a thud.

Her gaze pinned to the bag, Georgette put out her hands. “No. Don’t open it, Jake.”

“Are you afraid it’s a bomb or something with that smell?” He rested a hand on her hip. “Maybe you should wait down the hallway while I open it.”

Georgette’s feet seemed rooted to the linoleum floor. “No, it’s what we came here for. Go ahead.”

Jake grabbed the zipper, which had a small lock attached to it. He pulled a knife out of his pocket and hit the lock with the butt until it broke open. He dragged one zipper one way and the other another way and lifted the lid.

Icy fingers gripped the back of Georgette’s neck, and a scream barreled up from her chest as she stared into the empty eye sockets of a human skull.

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