The End Of Desire: A Rowan Gant Investigation by M. R. Sellars Page A

and nonchalantly turn my
head toward the distant room in hopes that I could hide any
expression it might involuntarily evoke.
    A second later I sighed then turned back to
her and said, “I’m sorry. I’ve really kept you long enough,
ma’am.”
    If she had noticed my slip-up, there was
nothing in her face that said as much. She simply pointed to the
mail slot in the door and replied, “It’s no problem, hun. You can
just drop the key in here when you’re finished.”
    “Will do, and thank you very much. Again, I’m
sorry I had to disturb you at this hour.” I was doing my best to
recover from my stumble and sound official, so I added, “Now, make
sure you lock the door behind you.”
    She simply nodded in reply, but I waited
until she was back inside and I heard the click of the deadbolt
before I turned and headed toward the room.
    “Dammit! Stupid. Stupid.” I muttered the
admonishment to myself as I walked.
    Concerned that I might need to simply veer
toward my car instead of continuing on with this insanity, I cast a
furtive glance back over my shoulder. Fortunately, I didn’t notice
anything unusual, such as her spying on me from the window, so I
mutely worked at convincing myself she was half asleep and had
completely missed the gaffe.
    It didn’t take me very long to cover the
distance between the office and the far corner of the building, and
though I made it a point to walk at a modest pace, my heart was
thumping hard against my ribcage by the time I arrived at the
door.
    I stood there for a minute, simply inspecting
the surroundings. The physical characteristics of the building made
room 7 an obvious choice even over and above Miranda’s penchant for
the number. The way this particular end of the structure
terminated, there was an open stairwell leading up to the second
story of the addition. That dead space would have acted as a sound
barrier to dull any errant cries from her victim. Still, there was
a room on the opposite side of this one and, given the limited
availability of lodging in the city lately, it almost had to have
been occupied by someone. Had that been the case, surely the guest
would have heard something.
    I gave my head a small shake then reached up
and massaged my temples. I was tired, I had a headache, and I had
just lied my way into a crime scene. My brain was launching into
rampant speculation while ignoring the facts. It remained that a
murder had occurred in room 7, and no one had reported anything
suspicious, so I needed to stop over thinking the situation and
just do what I came here to do.
    Glancing back toward the office, I still
didn’t see anything to raise any alarms. Turning in place, I saw
nothing on the parking lot to worry me either. Giving up and
deciding I must be in the clear, I stuck the key into the lock.
    The moment metal touched metal, I felt the
chill on my spine once again. This one, however, was just like the
first, carrying with it not fear but a feeling of excitement. As
sick as it seemed, the sense of elation literally felt like the
passionate rush of anticipated sexual release, and it coursed
through me, branching out to touch every nerve. At that instant,
there was no doubt in my mind that Annalise and Miranda had been
here.
    I closed my eyes, drew in a deep breath, and
then let it back out slowly as I struggled to ground myself,
mentally fighting to maintain a solid earthly connection and not
allow the cries of the dead to drag me across the veil. Then,
opening my eyes once again, I twisted the key in the lock and
pushed the door open, tearing the tape seal between it and the jamb
in the process.
    Ducking beneath the yellow crime scene
tape, I stepped into her world.
     
     
     
     

CHAPTER 5:
     
     
    I froze in place, an
involuntary physical pause brought about purely by things felt,
rather than seen.
    I had only taken a single step across the
threshold and then come back upright before hitting the invisible
wall. Now, as I stood there motionless,