Until death, p.25
Until Death, page 25
Raina shrugged then smiled. “It’s a perk to being the daughter of a millionaire,” she teased.
“You should probably think about it before making a decision,” he informed her. “You’ll be the one receiving flack for dating the servant.”
“You’re right. I should give it some serious thought,” she replied then considered the comment and smiled. “Okay, I thought about it. I’ll move back. Of course, that means Miller will also be moving back.”
“I’m sure your father will hate having his children living back at home with him,” Dane laughed. “It’s going to be so crowded around here.”
Raina laughed softly and clung to him. He returned the embrace and shut his eyes.
“This is the best I’ve felt in a long time,” he announced then sighed with content. “I may not even yell at anyone tomorrow.”
The outside light that had kept her room dimly lit suddenly went out. Both looked around with surprise. The digital alarm clock was out as well.
“Isn’t there supposed to be a tropical storm approaching?” she asked with concern while pulling away from him. “I overheard Titus say he wanted to be back before the storm reached our area.”
“No, that storm won’t reach us for a few hours. Besides, the backup generator should have kicked on by now,” he announced then groaned and sat up. “I should probably check on that. We don’t want the drunks fumbling around in the dark.”
Dane got out of her bed and slipped into his discarded clothes on the floor. She sat up in bed while holding the sheet to her naked body and watched him fumble with his clothes through the glow of the moonlight shining into her bedroom.
“Are you worried?” she asked with concern.
“Unexplained power outages always worry me,” he announced. “Call it my former life in crime suspicions. If you want to keep someone from seeing something, you cut the power. It causes disorientation and chaos.”
“I should come with you.”
“There’s no reason to drag you out of bed,” Dane insisted while slipping into his shirt then raised his brows. “It just means more work for me getting you out of your clothes again.”
She smirked at the comment. “I sympathize with you,” Raina muttered, “but I’m coming along.”
Chapter 48
Chickens with Their Heads Cut Off
Raina stood alongside Dane in the basement with a flashlight aimed at the massive generator. She’d seldom seen Dane without his jacket and tie, which he’d left back in her room so they could get to the generator in less time. Raina had dressed quickly as well, wearing her frumpy shorts and sweatshirt rather than slipping back into her dress. Dane looked over the generator and appeared bewildered. The generator should have turned on automatically when the power went out, but it didn’t seem to be working. Dane pressed a button. The generator came to life without hesitation, and a few emergency lights came on within the basement.
She eyed him with a curious stare. “What was wrong with it?”
He stared at the enormous generator while frowning. “It was switched off,” he informed her then looked around with noted concern.
Raina was becoming alarmed by his strange silence and look of deep thought. “Should we be concerned?”
“No, not just yet,” he replied and came back to life. Dane looked at her and attempted a reassuring smile. “Let’s check on the others just to be safe.”
Although he didn’t say it, she was convinced he was hiding his concerns regarding their unusual situation. He took her hand securely in his and led her toward the basement stairs not far from the kitchen. What should have been a romantic gesture felt oddly like a security measure. She sensed he was more worried than he let on. As they entered the grand hallway from the basement, Raina noted how quiet the house suddenly seemed. The backup generator provided enough light to give the grand hallway a creepy feel.
As they walked past several dark rooms, Raina couldn’t help but shiver while keeping close to Dane, who still clung to her hand. They approached the game room where they had left the party nearly an hour earlier. Dane and Raina entered the dimly lit game room but discovered the room was empty. The dirty glasses, beer bottles, and empty plates remained littered around the room. They exchanged puzzled looks.
“Where did everyone go?” she asked in a soft tone while nervously looking around.
Dane still didn’t release her hand. Although he seemed calm, she could feel his hand tensing against hers. “I don’t know.”
“It’s only a little after ten o’clock,” she reminded him. “Do you honestly think everyone went to bed?”
“No, I don’t. It’s early. I’d think most of the guests should still be up,” Dane informed her. “Let’s take a quick look around.”
He led her from the game room, keeping her close behind him as they entered the hallway. Dane paused and looked down the hall to the foyer. The front door was partially open. He pulled her behind him as he hurried for the foyer. She clung to his hand and had to jog to keep up with his fast gait. He headed up the foyer steps and pulled the door open. They looked outside at the dark driveway and the parked cars near the fountain.
“It doesn’t look as if anyone had left,” Dane announced more to himself then looked around. “I wonder why the front door was open.”
Raina noted one of the familiar expensive cars and nudged Dane while indicating the car. “Isn’t that Nole’s car?” she asked with surprise. “I thought he left.”
“I only saw him to the door,” Dane replied while staring at Nole’s car while in thought. “I’ll admit; I didn’t actually watch him drive away.” He stared at Nole’s car a moment longer then looked at Raina. “Let’s find the others.”
§
After a quick search of the first floor common rooms, Dane and Raina entered the dimly lit kitchen a few minutes later. They startled Levi, who was sitting at the kitchen table working on eating an entire plate of leftover appetizers. It was uncertain whether their sudden appearance startled him or the fact that he was caught binge snacking, which he often did after a night of excessive drinking.
“You scared me, Dane,” Levi announced with a mouthful of food.
With how drunk the cook appeared, it was surprising he was still conscious. Dane remained suspicious and looked around the eerily silent kitchen.
“Where is everyone?” Dane asked.
“Sloan went with Titus to take some of the guests home, so he’d have company on the return trip, and Mr. Steele was going to his study,” Levi informed him. “I’m not sure what happened to the others. I vaguely remember someone offering to show Jimmy Love the Rolls in the garage. Before I knew it, I was alone in the game room, so I came in here to, uh, clean up a little. I think the power went out.”
“Good observation,” Dane muttered. “We didn’t find anyone in any of the common areas.”
“I guess they all went to the garage with Jimmy Love,” Levi remarked.
“We’re running on the backup generator,” Dane reminded him. “There won’t be any power out there. They’ll be fumbling around in the dark.”
“Do you want me to go out there with a flashlight and make sure they’re all right?” Levi asked.
“If you don’t mind,” Dane replied and again looked around while deep in thought. “I’m a little concerned that Nole never left. There’s no telling what he’s up to. Mr. Steele may need our assistance.”
“Yeah, sure,” Levi announced and stood with some unsteadiness. He grabbed a flashlight and headed out the back kitchen door.
Raina turned toward Dane with a concerned look on her face. “I’m worried about my father, Dane,” she announced. “There’s no telling what Nole might do. I mean, what if Nole had killed Callie?”
“I’m sure he’s fine,” Dane assured her. “But we’ll check the master bedroom. He’d been drinking quite a bit. Maybe he went to sleep it off.”
They headed for the back stairs and nearly collided with Sloan entering through the back kitchen door.
“What’s going on?” Sloan demanded. “Levi said you were worried because Nole’s car is still here. All the outside lights are out. Are we on the backup generator?”
“Yes, the power’s out,” Dane replied. “Did you see anyone on your way inside?”
“No, just Levi,” she replied.
“Where’s Titus?” Dane asked.
“He saw one of the garage bay doors open and went to close it,” she announced. “Levi said you asked him to check the garage for some of the guests. Is something wrong?”
“No, I just want to do a quick headcount,” Dane informed her. “We’ll check the guestrooms and the master bedroom and see who’s accounted for.”
§
Raina entered the dimly lit second floor hallway from the master bedroom and joined Dane and Sloan as they approached from the opposite end.
“No one is answering in any of the occupied rooms,” Sloan announced.
“Miller didn’t answer either,” Dane reported.
“My father isn’t in his room,” Raina informed them and met Dane’s gaze with her own concerned one. “I’m getting worried, Dane.”
“There’s no cause for alarm yet,” he replied. “We still don’t know who went to the garage. We’ll check with Levi. Maybe everyone went out there. Your father is proud of that Rolls. He probably went out with them. They could just be fumbling around in the dark with the power out.”
As they approached the back stairs, Dane took Raina’s hand and led the way down the mostly dark, narrow staircase to the kitchen. They entered the kitchen from the back stairs and looked around, but there was no sign of Levi. Dane appeared frustrated as he approached the side cupboard. He removed two flashlights and handed one to Sloan.
“Sloan, would you check the staff quarters for Levi?” he asked.
Sloan nodded while accepting the flashlight and entered the staff wing through the kitchen door. Not all the areas would be well lit, and he didn’t want her fumbling around in the dark by herself.
Dane fiddled with his flashlight while deep in thought. He finally looked at Raina with a strange seriousness. “I need you to wait here,” he announced. “I’m going to the garage and see what’s going on.”
“By yourself?” she asked with concern.
“Someone needs to wait here for Sloan,” he reminded her. “I don’t want her left alone in the house.”
The outer kitchen door opened, startling both. Titus entered the kitchen and received bewildered looks from Dane and Raina.
“Where’s Levi?” Dane asked.
“I wouldn’t know. I haven’t seen him,” Titus announced. “I just got back from dropping off some of the guests. What’s with the power?”
“Sloan said she went with you,” Dane insisted while appearing mildly suspicious. “She’s been back fifteen minutes now.”
“Yeah, I know. I went to check on the open garage door,” Titus announced and again looked around. “It was totally dark in there. I was afraid someone was trying to steal the Rolls. What happened to the power?”
“Your guess is as good as mine,” Dane replied. “Levi said Hanson was showing Jimmy Love Mr. Steele’s classic Rolls. They weren’t out there?”
“No, no one was out there.”
“Not even Levi?” Raina asked with concern now feeling her anxiety rising.
“It was pitch-black out there. I had my flashlight, but I didn’t see anyone,” Titus informed them. “I’m sure I would have seen the glimmer of Jimmy Love’s bold outfit by the glow of my flashlight had he been out there.”
Raina turned to Dane with concern. “Dane, I’m really getting worried now.”
Dane didn’t respond to her concerns and instead focused his attention on Titus. “I want you to find Sloan in the staff wing in case Levi came back inside,” he firmly instructed. “I don’t want the two of you out of each other’s sight. Raina and I are going to the garage and look for Levi and the others.”
“Maybe we should call the police,” Raina suggested while nervously fidgeting.
“It’s just a power outage,” Titus informed her making light of her concerns. “The last thing we need is the police crawling around here again.”
“Why does that make me even more nervous?” Raina muttered.
“There’s no reason to get all worked up,” Titus again announced.
“I’m getting a bad feeling too, Titus,” Dane insisted. “Just stay with Sloan. If Raina and I don’t return in fifteen minutes, I want you to call the police.”
“And tell them what?” he demanded. “It’s a power outage. Why are you wigging out?”
“Because unexplained power outages and mischief often travel together,” Dane snapped.
Titus shook his head. “You’re one weird dude, Dane,” he scoffed.
“Fifteen minutes, Titus,” Dane commanded while glaring at him and pointing a warning finger. “Find Sloan. Don’t leave her out of your sight.”
Dane captured Raina’s hand and pulled her close to his side. Titus eyed the way Dane held Raina’s hand as if he feared letting her go.
Titus appeared concerned for the first time and nodded. “Yeah, okay,” he replied and headed for the staff wing as Dane led Raina out the back kitchen door. Titus hurried along the dimly lit corridor. “Sloan,” he called out. “Sloan, where are you?”
All the doors to the staff rooms were closed except Dane’s door near the end of the corridor. Sloan didn’t respond. Typically, the staff kept their bedroom doors closed, and the vacant rooms were kept locked. Titus hurried to the only open door and peered into Dane’s dark room. Sloan lay face down on the floor with the lit flashlight not far from her outstretched hand.
“Sloan,” Titus gasped and ran into the room.
As he fell to his knees alongside her, the bedroom door shut behind him. Titus spun on his knee toward the closed door in the nearly dark room and reached for the flashlight.
§
Dane held Raina’s hand as he led her across the dark patio and along the walkway toward the dark garage. Raina clung to Dane’s hand and looked around. There was just enough light to see the garage from the house, but she wondered why he didn’t use the flashlight he carried in his free hand. Once they reached the garage, Dane turned on his flashlight and checked the bay doors. They were all closed and locked. Everything appeared eerily silent. They approached the limo parked outside the garage where Titus had left it. He opened the back door of the limousine, briefly glanced inside, and then shut the door. He looked back at Raina as she nervously wrung her fingers together while scanning the area surrounding the garage.
“This is starting to feel like some horror movie,” she insisted. “Everyone from the party mysteriously vanishes. It’s never a good sign.”
Dane drew a deep breath while looking around the silent garage area. “Okay, it’s time to call the police,” he announced a little too quickly.
Chapter 49
What the Hell?
Dane and Raina entered the empty kitchen and looked around with bewilderment. They weren’t out back long, but Titus should have found Sloan and returned to the kitchen by the time they got back.
“I thought you told Titus to wait here for us,” Raina remarked while nervously looking around.
“Yeah, I did,” he muttered.
“Should we check the staff wing?” she gasped with concern while squeezing his hand.
“No.”
Dane pulled her to the island counter, keeping her only inches from him, and opened the secret compartment. He removed his service pistol from the pillowcase, checked the magazine, cocked it, and handed it to her. She uncertainly took the gun and stared at it with surprise. He shut the compartment and grabbed the phone. His look was concerned as he set the phone back down without completing his call.
“It’s dead, isn’t it?” she gasped.
Dane felt for his jacket and realized he wasn’t wearing it. He looked at Raina. “I left my jacket upstairs,” he announced. “Do you have your cell phone on you?”
“I rarely keep it on me when I’m in the house,” she replied.
Dane pulled her from the kitchen toward the hallway door. They left the kitchen and hurried along the grand hall and toward the foyer. Once they reached the front door, he pressed the security code into the panel, setting the alarm, and then opened the door. Lights on the panel flashed. Within seconds, the alarm wailed within the house. He then opened the foyer closet door and removed a baseball bat, keeping it clutched in his right hand. Dane pulled Raina into his arms and held her close to him while listening to the alarm wail and flash. Raina clung to the gun and looked around.
“Where is everyone?” she demanded with concern. “Why aren’t they reacting to the alarm?”
Dane nervously looked around as well. “Because they can’t.”
She looked back at him with horror in her eyes. “What?” Raina gasped.
Dane clung to her hand and pulled her down the hall for the game room. He looked inside before pulling her in behind him. They approached the bar containing several empty and partially full glasses. Dane picked up several glasses and smelled each, leaving Raina puzzled.
“What is it?” she asked not understanding.
“Nothing,” he replied and set the glass down. “That’s a good thing.”
“How’s that a good thing?”
“That means it probably wasn’t poison,” he informed her as he looked around.
Raina stared at him and held back her gasp. She wasn’t sure what he was implying, but it frightened her. Dane checked the martini pitcher and studied it. A white film coated the bottom.
“What’s that?” Raina asked with concern.
“I’m guessing sedatives,” he replied and then looked around the game room while the alarm continued to wail.
“So we’re not being paranoid?” she demanded and felt her entire body tense.
“Maybe you’re not, but I sure as hell am,” he announced. “We’ll wait for the police by the front door.”
He pulled her from the game room and back to the foyer where they waited by the front door as the alarm continued to wail throughout the house. They barely heard a thump from upstairs over the wailing alarm. Both looked to the ceiling with concern.
