Terri Reed - Chasing Shadows

Sadie shrugged. “It didn’t go off when I opened it, so I’d say no. Come on.”

“Wait. Gabe’s on his way here.”

Sadie’s eyes widened. “Who?”

Kris’s stomach clenched. She couldn’t have forgotten him, could she? “Detective Burke.”

“That’s good thinking, Krissy girl. But I have to show you. Now.”

Sadie rapidly shuffled away, leaving Kris no choice but to follow. The darkened center sent a chill creeping up Kris’s spine. Dim lights along the edges of the floor illuminated the hallways.

Sadie took Kris to the infirmary. “They wheeled a body in here.”

“A body?” Kris repeated, not sure she really wanted clarification.

“You know. A body under a sheet. A dead body.”

Kris swallowed back the distaste that image brought and told herself it was just another of Gram’s shadows. A nightmare she mistook for reality. Sadie pushed open the door and Kris peered over her head into the medical room. Glass-paned cabinets lined the walls, a desk with a stiff-backed chair occupied one corner. A gurney had been pushed against the far wall.

Kris sighed with relief. No body. “Well, it’s gone now. And who are they?”

“Ms. Faust and a man.”

Odd. Ms. Faust hardly seemed the type to go sneaking around at night. “Grams, you probably had a nightmare.”

Sadie’s chin jutted out slightly. “I couldn’t sleep.”

Kris raised an eyebrow. “So you went wandering.”

“I—”

A door slammed. Sadie shuffled quickly to a window facing the service entrance. Reluctantly, Kris followed. A white van had backed up to the double doors off the kitchen. The rear doors of the van were open, but at this angle Kris couldn’t see the contents. Ms. Faust and two men stood talking.

“Hey, that’s the van that passed me on the way here,” Kris whispered.

“I’ll bet they put the dead body in there,” Sadie said. “I wish the detective would hurry up.”

“He’s probably out front. Come on,” Kris urged Sadie away from the window.

One of the men shut the doors before rounding the vehicle and getting in on the passenger side. The other man climbed into the driver’s seat. Ms. Faust waved curtly and disappeared inside the center as the van drove away.

“We better get you out of here before she sets the alarm.”

Sadie’s urgent whisper galvanized Kris into panic mode. “Let’s get you to your room first.”

“I can take care of myself,” Sadie groused. “You need to leave before we’re caught.” She shuffled back toward the side entrance.

With a rueful shake of her head, Kris followed. Just as Sadie reached for the handle, Kris noticed the black box on the wall next to the door. The green light hadn’t been flashing when they came in. Now the light seemed as bright as a camera flash.

“Grams, no!”

Sadie pushed the door open and a loud screeching siren filled the air. Kris’s warning came a second too late.

Sadie groaned. “Rats!”

“Busted,” Kris said and sagged against the wall.

For the next several minutes chaos reined as the security guard, the night nurses, Ms. Faust and several blurry-eyed residents flooded the hallway. Ms. Faust turned off the siren. The ensuing peace was welcome.

“What is the meaning of this?” Ms. Faust bellowed, looking decidedly uptight. Her gray eyes flashed behind square-framed glasses. Her brown wool dress hung on her broad shoulders. Her stiff posture revealed her distress.

Before Kris could explain, police sirens and flashing lights brought more chaos. Perfect. Gabe rushing to her aid. How embarrassing.

Her glower deepening, Ms. Faust instructed the staff to take the residents back to their rooms. With the security guard standing watch over Kris and Sadie, Ms. Faust motioned for them to follow her to the foyer.

Two cars came to a screeching halt. One a police cruiser and the other, Gabe’s SUV.

Gabe stalked forward. The thunderous expression on his face let Kris know she was in deep trouble.

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