Ezoic
“Unlock this door,” I said. “Right now. Or I swear to God I’ll put this chair through the window.”
I put my hand on the back of the wooden chair by the brochure rack.
The clerk hung up the phone.
He looked at me. And for the first time, I saw that he wasn’t scared of whatever was in Room 18.
Ezoic
He was scared for it.
“Ma’am,” he said. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you. Nobody’s in danger. Your husband’s safe. I promise you.”
“Then why did you lock the door?”
“Because I need you to stay calm,” he said. “And I need you to stay out of that hallway. Just for a few minutes. Until Gabby gets here.” He took a breath. “If somebody comes running down that hallway and starts banging on doors, it’ll scare her. And when she gets scared, she runs. And last time she ran, she went out the back door and halfway across the wheat field in her nightgown before we found her.”
