CHAPTER 49 - Molly

CHAPTER 49MollyWHEN THE MOVIE ENDS, I GET UP AND RUN A BRUSH THROUGH MY hair and grab Sadie’s leash. We head to the hotel’s restaurant, and I order dinner. There’s hardly anyone here since it’s January. The holidays are over. It’s the dead of winter. It suits me.A couple of businessmen sit at a table in the center of the room, and that’s it. Sadie and I are snugged into a corner table. She sits patiently next to me while I eat grilled salmon and string beans, a healthy meal to make up for the bag of cookies. Afterward, Sadie and I go for a quick walk, and I’m freezing since I forgot to bring my jacket with me when I came down for dinner.When we get back to the room, I close the curtains as the town’s lights flicker below. I look at my phone. No messages. Corrine is respecting my need to disappear, but I call her anyway.“How are you, Molly?” I hear concern in her voice, barely tamped below her words.“I’m fine, really. Sadie and I just went for a walk. Now I’m going to stretch out on the bed and watch another movie.” I feel prickles of guilt.Corrine blows out a breath. “Good. Relax. When are you coming back?”“Probably Thursday. Not sure.”“Okay. Stay safe.”“I will.”“You’re feeling okay, right?”“Yes. I’m fine. Don’t worry. I’ll be back soon.”“You’ll call me if you need to talk?”“Promise.”I hear the reluctance to let go in her voice as we say our goodbyes and end the call.I go through my suitcase and hang up my clothes for tomorrow. I should’ve done it sooner. If the wrinkles don’t fall out, I’ll have to drag out the iron. The online instructions listed a dress code to make sure people don’t show up looking like hookers, I guess. No chance of that for me. I brought my most business-like clothes, not exactly a power suit, but the closest I have—gray pants, a white cotton blouse, and a black blazer.I double-check that the door is locked. Take a look around the room and bathroom, open the closet door. I put on my pajamas and get into bed. Thoughts, scenarios of what tomorrow might bring, swirl through my brain, and it’s difficult to shut them off. One of my therapists when I was in college was big on relaxation exercises. Close your eyes, clear your mind, and imagine each part of your body, each muscle tensing, then letting go. I dutifully tried her techniques every night before going to sleep, with little success in actually relaxing, but I still do them sometimes. I try now, hoping to banish thoughts of tomorrow as I work from one muscle to the next.My phone vibrates next to me and startles me awake. The room is dark, and my phone’s screen seems to pulse in the night. UNKNOWN C ALLER. I glance at Sadie, but she’s sleeping contentedly, no bad guys lurking, I hope. Just some sicko who’s getting a thrill out of scaring me. I turn off the phone, shudder, and stick it under a pillow.