Page 62 of The Attic on Queen Street
“It’s from that number—the pay phone at Buist Rivers.”
Thomas took a step forward. “What does it say?”
With a hesitant thumb, I clicked to open the text and read it out loud. “ ‘Now you know what it feels like.’ ”
I looked up and met Veronica’s gaze. Before I could say anything, a sudden shove from behind threw me against the wall, then sent me tumbling down the stairs headfirst. The last thing I remembered before blacking out was the tinny noise of distant music that sounded a lot like “O Superman.”
CHAPTER 18
At the sound of tapping on my bedroom door, I quickly shut my laptop and slid it under the covers before calling out, “Come in.”
The door opened and Jack appeared carrying a breakfast tray that contained a very large and steaming cup of coffee and, less exciting, a bowl of oatmeal. He was followed closely by Nola, wearing her Ashley Hall uniform and carrying a paper bag that smelled suspiciously like doughnuts. She clutched the bag to her chest as Jack settled the tray over my lap. He leaned over me, and I closed my eyes, anticipating at least a kiss on the forehead. Instead, I felt my laptop being slid out from beneath the covers. My eyes popped open to see Jack holding up my computer while sending me one of his signature raised-eyebrow looks of reproach.
Nola placed her bag on the far side of the tray. “You can have a doughnut only after you finish your oatmeal. And only one. Save the second one for later.”
“Thank you,” I said, adjusting myself so the tray didn’t wobble and spill a single precious drop of coffee. “Really, I do appreciate it. But I’m totally fine. I blacked out for just a minute. There’s no reason to be put on bed rest....”
“Doctor’s orders—just until tomorrow.” Jack held up my laptop again. “And you’re supposed to be resting.”
I leaned back against my pillows in defeat. “Do you know how many more sales Catherine is making while I’m being held prisoner here? The only positive is that Jayne didn’t drag me out for a run this morning.” I pointed at the coffee. “I hope that’s not decaf. You know what happened last time.”
Nola shook her head. “Trust me, we learned our lesson. Keeping you fully caffeinated is for our protection.”
“Seriously, though,” I said to Jack, “I’m completely fine. You didn’t need to send the film crew away.”
Jack stuck a spoon into the oatmeal and rotated the handle in my direction. “Oh, they’re still working. They’re doing the scene where the skeletal remains are discovered in the fountain.”
Nola sat down on the edge of my bed and plucked a blueberry from the top of my oatmeal before popping it into her mouth. “I hope Louisa’s fine with that.”
I kept my smile to myself. “Yeah. Me, too. And if she isn’t, there’s nothing I can do. I already warned Marc that I have no control over the unexplainable.”
Nola took another blueberry. “I’ve invited Lindsey and Alston to come watch the filming after lacrosse practice. I promise we’ll be quiet and not bother you.”
“Please bother me—and bring the twins. Jayne allowed only a brief supervised visit this morning, but I say the more the merrier. I’m bored out of my mind. Anyway, you brought me doughnuts, so you’re allowed to make as much noise as you’d like.”
There was another tap on the door. I pulled up the high neck of my heavy flannel nightgown when I spotted Beau Ryan. He wore a sheepish grin and had a newspaper tucked under one arm while carrying a small and lumpy paper bag with his other. “Good morning.” He looked uncertainly into the room, relaxing as he spotted Nola. “Nola told me to wait outside, but I brought something for Melanie. Before I couldring the doorbell, the front door just opened. I called out. Nobody answered. I wasn’t sure what to do, so I let myself in. You might need to check that latch. Anyway, I was going to wait in the foyer, but the nice lady told me I could go up. So I just followed the voices. I’m sorry if I’m interrupting.”
“Absolutely not,” I said, eyeing the bag.
“You are,” Jack said at the same time, his narrowed gaze focused on Nola.
“He’s joking,” I said, motioning for Beau to come in.
He stood awkwardly by the side of the bed, then placed the newspaper on the breakfast tray. “I found today’s paper on the hall table downstairs, so I brought it up. I figured you might need some reading material while you’re cooped up in bed.”
“Thank you, Beau.” I squinted at my bedside clock.
Jack slid it closer to me.
“It’s seven fifteen.” I thought for a moment about Beau’s “nice lady” comment. “I guess Mrs.Houlihan is early—she didn’t say anything to me yesterday when she left.”
“That wasn’t Mrs.Houlihan. The lady who let me in was much younger and, um, smaller.”
“Right.” I felt Nola and Jack looking at me. “That must be her sister. She comes to help Mrs.Houlihan sometimes.” My gaze drifted to the paper bag again.
“Oh, sorry!” Beau handed the bag to me. “Nola told me how much you like boiled peanuts. The best are from the Rosebank Farms produce stand, but they don’t open until April. Still, these are pretty good.” He handed me the bag. “Opening the shells before eating should help pass the time.”
“That’s so thoughtful. Thank you, Beau.”
