John Manning - The Killing Room

Any flicker of guilt Philip had been harboring disappeared in that moment. When it came time to draw up the lottery, the names of himself and his children would not be entered. Instead, there would be three additional slips of paper bearing the name “Douglas.”

Standing there looking at the old man’s hand on Douglas’s shoulder, Philip did not feel even the slightest twinge of guilt.

Carolyn had expected there might be a curious reaction to Diana from the family, but she could hardly have anticipated Chelsea’s scream.

“Oh my God!” she cried. “What is it?”

“It’s only what you would look like, my dear,” Diana replied, “if you were thirty years older and had had your arms and legs chopped off.”

That shut the girl up.

Diana was strapped into a specially designed motorized wheelchair with a long lever that she could operate with her chin, if need be. But at the moment Huldah was behind her, her hands grasping the handles of the chair tightly, her hard German eyes glaring at Chelsea.

“I apologize for my niece,” Mr. Young said, bowing slightly at his waist. Chelsea, meanwhile, was slinking back into the parlor, whether humiliated, revolted, or chagrined, Carolyn couldn’t tell. Philip Young stood staring wide-eyed, his look matched by his son Ryan. Douglas stood beside Carolyn. She wondered what thoughts were going through his mind.

“Welcome to my home,” Mr. Young was continuing. “And thank you for your assistance with our terrible curse.”

“I’m here to do what I can,” Diana said. “And one thing that I cannot do is make any promise.”

“Understood,” Mr. Young said.

“Carolyn has told me of your experience,” Douglas managed to say. “Have you ever encountered anything like this?”

“No,” Diana told him. “Nothing. But I hope to learn something if I can be brought down into the room. I have a certain…knack.”

Carolyn turned as she heard Philip Young chuckle. “And what kind of knack would that be?” he asked.

Diana stared at him. “A knack that tells me who I can trust and who I can’t.”

Carolyn noticed the smile quickly fade from Philip’s face.

She didn’t like Philip Young any more than she liked his children. She’d known him for just a few minutes, but she’d already marked him as smarmy and untrustworthy. Even without Diana’s ability to read minds, Carolyn had known right away that she’d have to keep an eye on him. She’d have to ask Diana later if she had seen anything specific in Philip’s thoughts that she should be aware of.

It had been an unsettling few days. Ever since seeing David Cooke on the street outside her apartment, Carolyn had been constantly looking over her shoulder. She had called the police, of course. A massive manhunt was immediately enacted. Guards were stationed outside her house and followed her at a discreet distance for the rest of her time in New York. They had accompanied her and Diana and Huldah to the airport and were with them until just moments before they boarded Mr. Young’s private plane. There was no way David could follow them here. He had no idea where she was going. In a strange twist of fate, she suddenly felt safer coming back to Maine than she had when she left it.

They all dispersed to their rooms so they could clean up after their trip. Huldah wheeled Diana into a room on the first floor. Carolyn headed up the stairs to her own room.

“Carolyn, wait,” Douglas said behind her.

She paused. Her heart was racing. She turned and looked at him.

They were alone in the foyer. He approached her.

“I just wanted to say…” His voice faltered. “That I missed you.”

“Oh, Douglas,” she said in a small voice.

Before she knew it, they were kissing. They came together without consideration for who might see them and embraced each other tightly. His lips tasted sweet. It took some effort to break away.

“Not here,” Carolyn said.

Douglas took her hand and led her to the study. He closed the doors behind them. Once again they fell into each other’s arms with a hunger that surprised Carolyn.

“I wanted to do this so much before you left,” Douglas said, moving his lips off hers just long enough to speak.

She smiled. “Oh, Douglas, I’m so glad to be back here. Even with all of the terrors here…to be with you…”

He stroked her hair. “What is it, Carolyn? What’s happened?”

She told him about seeing David Cooke outside her window.

“Christ,” Douglas said, gripping her by the shoulders. “I wish I had gone with you to New York! Do you think he could have followed you here?”

“No, there’s no way he could have known where I was going.” She smiled wryly. “Even David can’t follow an airplane.”

She let herself take comfort in Douglas’s embrace, resting her head against his chest. Once again, the irony of feeling safe in a place that held only danger for Douglas struck her.

“I think Diana can help us,” she said, looking up at Douglas.

His reply was to kiss her again.

“All I want,” he said, moving his lips to her ear, “is to spend my life with you. Even if that life just lasts another week…”

“Don’t say that,” Carolyn said.

“But it may be the case,” Douglas said.

Their eyes held each other.

Without saying another word, they turned and left the study. They walked silently up the stairs to Carolyn’s room. Once inside, the door locked behind them, Carolyn unbuttoned Douglas’s shirt, She ran her hands over his chiseled chest. The light blond hairs there seemed to electrify at her touch. He kissed her neck, her ears, her throat. He unbuttoned her blouse, letting it drop to the floor. He kissed her shoulders. He reached around and unsnapped her bra, letting it, too, fall away. Cupping her breasts in each hand, he kissed them tenderly. Then they lay gently down upon the bed.

When they had finished making love, Carolyn sat up, cradling Douglas’s head in her lap. It had felt good. Very good. Douglas was a kind, considerate lover. He had made sure she was satisfied before thinking about any kind of satisfaction for himself. Now, in that dreamy state after sex, Carolyn realized she’d never had such an experience. She had thought David had been a good lover. He had been exciting. But she realized now she could never have called him considerate.

She reached down and kissed the top of Douglas’s head. He made a sound of contentment.

Once again, Carolyn’s thoughts turned to that room in the basement. She hoped fervently that Diana could help her find a way to put an end to the cycle of death.

And failing that…

She knew it wasn’t right.

But if the lottery went on as scheduled, she hoped it wouldn’t be Douglas who was chosen. Let it be any of the others.

Just not Douglas.

Douglas couldn’t take his eyes off Carolyn. If he had been looking for sparks, he had found them. Now he understood what Dad had meant when he described falling in love with Mom. Finally Douglas knew what it felt like to be in love. He found himself in the bizarre situation of feeling giddy and joyful-even as he might be facing the most terrible death in just a week’s time.

“You’ll be all right carrying her?” Carolyn asked.

He beamed. He would do anything she wanted him to. He nodded.

“I don’t weigh very much,” Diana said, her blue eyes looking up at Douglas.

He smiled down at her. “I’m sure I can manage,” he assured her.

With ease, he lifted the small woman in his arms. She couldn’t be more than fifty pounds. He held her carefully, like a baby.

“Huldah used to carry me around,” Diana said. “But she’s got a bad back these days.”