Page 61 of The Night the Lights Went Out
Something fluttered in her chest. “Sorry, I forgot.”
She began walking again, hoping to make it clear that she wasn’t interested in pursuing the conversation.
“Well, I brought something to jimmy the lock, if that’s all right. Merilee and I were worried that since it’s an army footlocker there might be guns or ammunition or something that might be dangerous if kids got into it. Not just Merilee’s kids, but any future tenants. So if you have no objections...”
Turning to face him, she cupped her hand over her eyes to shade them from the sun. “Remember what curiosity did to the cat.”
He laughed, that little-boy laugh that had always made her smile. “Unless you think it’s really an Egyptian sarcophagus, I think we’re safe. So is it all right if we go ahead and open it?”
She knew what happened when a person said no enough times to Wade. He eventually turned it into a yes. She wasn’t even sure why she didn’t want them to open it. She wasn’t the one who’d put the trunk in there or locked it, so it had nothing to do with her. But it did. In the same way a single drop of water was in the end responsible for the flood.You are the bravest and strongest woman I’ve ever known.
“You might as well,” she said quickly, before she could change her mind. “But I’m coming with you. Just in case there’s anything valuable inside.”
Wade frowned. “Don’t you trust me?”
“Almost as far as I can throw you.”
He winked at her, then offered her his elbow. “I hope it’s not a body. I don’t think I could carry two unconscious females back to the house by myself.”
Sugar stared straight ahead as Merilee followed behind them. “Really, Wade?” Merilee said. “I don’t think so.”
Wade hugged Sugar’s hand against his side. “I’m just speculating. Nobody could live as long as Sugar without a skeleton or two in the closet.”
Sugar pressed her lips together and allowed Wade to lead her around the corner of the house to the cellar. He let go of her arm and leaned over the padlock. “You pick a good code?” he asked Merilee.
“Um...”
Without asking her to elaborate, Wade starting dialing numbers. “One-one-one-one. I sure hope that doesn’t unlock this—” The lock snapped open.
“You said you wanted it to be something easy that both the kids and I could remember,” Merilee protested. “It’s the same password I use on my phone so we don’t have to think during an emergency.”
“This isn’t so critical,” Wade said as he slid the lock from the metal loops of the door. “But your phone?” He shook his head. “Pardon me for saying this, but that’s just not very smart. Did you know there are people trained to hijack phones and make your life a living hell? Of course, a toddler could hijack your phone, because there’s no challenge to getting past your password.”
“I know, I know. Give me another month or two, when I should be able to free up a few more brain cells to devote to things like changing passwords and balancing my checkbook.”
“You don’t balance your checkbook?”
Merilee gave him a pointed stare, and Sugar wanted to say something about the importance of always knowing what the bank was doing with your money, but she couldn’t. The sight of the opened cellar doors seemed to be restricting her ability not only to speak but also to breathe.
“Do you want to stay here?” Wade asked her. “The steps are kind of steep and narrow.”
She shook her head, avoiding his gaze. He took her arm again and led her into the cellar, one step at a time. Merilee paused for a long moment, then ran down the steps as if someone might be chasing her.
He turned on several camping lamps, giving a bright glow to the small, cramped space. “It’s over here,” he said, leading them to a spot against the wall. He moved aside several blankets that had been piled on the floor in front of the trunk. Picking up a lamp, he held it closer. “Looks like a standard-issue army footlocker—but any identifying marks have been removed.”
She’d already seen enough. Backing up, she struck the side of a chair with her leg, and she gratefully sat.
“Who else had access to the cellar?” Wade asked as he removed a long, pointed tool from his tool belt and crouched in front of the trunk. “If it’s full of cocaine or something, I’ll need to explain it to the authorities.”
Sugar pressed her lips together again to show her disapproval. “Until my tenants, just my daddy. After Tom died, I moved back to the main house to take care of my mother, and he pretty much took care of the place after that. I didn’t cross the threshold until I hired you to clean it up before my first tenant moved in about ten years ago.”
Merilee stood within the circle of light from the lamp, glancing behind her every once in a while, watching as Wade moved the tool back and forth several times before a loud click sounded in the damp cellar.
The fluttering began in her chest again, and she had to close her eyes and take a deep breath before opening them. Placing the lock on the ground, Wade grabbed hold of the sides of the trunk lid and lifted it. “Oh.”
Both Sugar and Merilee leaned forward to see what Wade was looking at. The trunk was completely empty except for wadded clothing shoved in a corner and a pair of russet brown lace-up boots sitting in the facing corner, as if they’d just been placed there, awaiting their owner.
“Here,” Wade said as he handed Merilee the lamp. “Hold this up so I can see better.” He reached inside and lifted up what appeared to be a uniform of khaki shirt and trousers.
