Page 48 of Hooked
Jeremy put his arm around her waist. “Agreed.”
She turned left and led them down a corridor that moved from industrial grey to wood paneling. At the end of the hallway was a frosted-glass door with the wordsFrank Cartwright, Private Detectiveetched into the glass.
“Okay, I’m going to start the clock. You usually get twenty minutes, so I’ll set it to forty since it’s just the two of you.” She gave them a little smile. “You get three hints, so press the intercom on the desk if you run into trouble. After the three hints are gone, you have to wait until the time runs out for the door to open or solve the puzzle on your own.”
“Got it.” Tayla felt a rush of excitement. She loved puzzles, and this promised to be a good one.
“You’re the first people to actually try this other than my kids.”
Jeremy said, “I’m really excited. Thanks so much for letting us preview.”
“I don’t think there will be any problems—there weren’t when Austin and Devon did it with their friends—but I’ll be on the other end of the intercom.”
“Thanks, May.” Tayla gripped Jeremy’s hand. “You ready?”
He held up a finger. “Should we go to the bathroom first?”
“Oooh, good thinking. You go first.”
“Thanks.”
When Jeremy had walked down the hall, Mrs. Baylor cleared her throat.
“I should let you know—because you’re on a date—that the rooms are video monitored. Just… to let you know.”
Tayla let out a sharp laugh. “Thanks. We’ll try not to shock anyone.”
“Oh, I used to work in a library.” She started down the hall toward reception. “I’m pretty much impossible to shock. Just open the door and close it when you’re ready to start. The room sets when you close the door.”
Tayla waited for Jeremy, then took her turn in the bathroom. When she walked back, he was leaning against the doorframe of the detective room, legs crossed casually at the ankles.
“Heya, doll.”
She smiled. “I see you’ve gotten into the spirit of things.”
His grin looked like a little kid’s. “I am so ready for this. You?”
“Yep.” She opened the door. “Let’s do it.”
The interior of the escape room looked exactly like a detective’s dim office from the 1940s. A cluttered desk with a green glass lamp. Papers scattered over messy filing cabinets and a low sofa with cushions tossed around. The taped outline of a body was stuck to the industrial carpet between the desk and a coat closet.
“This is so cool.” Jeremy shut the door, and the lights flickered.
A record player began a scratchy tune, and Billie Holiday’s voice started singing “I’ll Be Seeing You.” Tayla walked over to the oversized desk and picked up a piece of paper.
“‘Welcome to the office of the late detective Frank Cartwright. Unfortunately, Frank met his end working on a case, and no one has been able to solve it or his murder. Find the clues, solve Frank’s murder, and escape the room.’” Tayla looked up. “That’s it.”
“That’s all we get to start?” Jeremy walked over. “What’s all this?”
Tayla leaned over the desk and started spreading papers. “Files and… there’s some photo— Hi!” Jeremy had walked behind her and grabbed her hips. “Hey. Hi there.” She couldn’t stop the smile.
“Hey.” He bent over her back and ran his lips against her ear. “Before we get too busy with this mystery—”
“I should let you know there is video surveillance of these rooms.” She felt a laugh start to work its way up.
“With a desk this big”—he snugged his hips against her ass—“and a dress like this, that’s probably a good idea.”
He fully covered her, bracing his arms on the desk and kissing the sensitive spot below her ear. Tayla’s instinct was to press her ass back and into his hips, tease him like he was teasing her, but she didn’t want an audience.
