is one of the good people. You know he lent me one of his cars once, when my kid was sick. My old truck doesn’t run very well. He let me use one of his sports cars to go to urgent care. The car was worth more than 20 of my gas stations.”
She looked around and saw a selection of knives. “Mike, sorry, Mikey. I don’t have any money with me. Could I borrow one of those knives, the hunting one? I promise I’ll have Alex pay you for it.”
“Of course! Take your pick. I owe him a lot more than the cost of the knife; consider it on the house.”
She picked out one of the larger hunting knives.
“Do you have something to write on?”
He brought her a pen and paper, still looking totally confused.
“Please, will you promise me something?” Nikki asked.
“Anything.”
“Here’s my name, address, everything. And the name of my friend back at the police station. If I don’t call you in five hours, will you call her and say I need help.”
He looked stunned. “OK, I mean, of course. You will be at Alex’s estate?”
She nodded.
“You sure you don’t need a drive to the hospital? I can drive you in Alex’s car.”
“That’s OK, I feel fine actually. I just need to figure some things out. Can you write down your number; make it your home number if you won’t be here. Five hours, are you with me?”
“Five hours, it is then. I hope it works out with Sir Alex. He is a good man, I swear to it.”
The mansion looked even bigger from this angle. She drove up past the perfectly manicured lawns and stopped by the front entrance. There he was, the man in the suit. Waiting.
“You came back.”
She looked at him closely this time. “How long have I been here?”
“I think almost a year, miss. He was so very worried for you.”
A year? She was dead. She had to be dead. No way she would be alive a year later. Two months was a long shot. It was more like one. A year? Not possible.
She had realized something back at the gas station. It was the reason she didn’t call 911, the reason she drove back here. The pain was gone. Completely gone. And not only that, she felt strong again. She couldn’t remember the last time she didn’t feel the pain. And there was something else. It had been the start of winter when she was last awake. It was clearly near the end of summer now. It had been a long time. After what Dianne had said, her gut told her to return to the mansion. Why, she had no clue. I must be crazy , she thought to herself.
“Please come in. You should eat. You must eat, you know,” the older man said.
She walked back in with him. She found herself scarfing down food in some dining hall, a room that looked like something out of a museum. The whole place looked like a museum. Her mind felt like a rudderless boat. She had lost all fear at this point. She was already dead, it seemed, so she couldn’t be killed again. Maybe this was just a dream. It didn’t seem like a dream. But what about the pain? The pain was gone. That was impossible. Even if he had given her the strongest painkillers, she would feel the pain. And she didn’t feel drugged, not at all; in fact, she felt strong and sharp, except, of course, she must be dead.
“When will Alex be back?”
“He should be back soon, miss. I apologize for all this. He didn’t want this, you know. Don’t tell him I said that, please.”
“Didn’t want what?”
“Oh, I talk too much. I’m an old man. Alex is a good person. He is the most generous man I have ever known. He saved my family, you know.”
“Saved them?”
“There was a fire, many years back. He ran in and saved my dear wife and children. He ran right in. The entire house was engulfed in flames.”
She felt calmer now. She could still feel the buzzing in her head, but it was less. All that seemed to matter now was the lack of pain. What else should matter? she thought. Dead or not dead, questions seemed to blur into grey. Things that mattered before didn’t seem to be
She looked around and saw a selection of knives. “Mike, sorry, Mikey. I don’t have any money with me. Could I borrow one of those knives, the hunting one? I promise I’ll have Alex pay you for it.”
“Of course! Take your pick. I owe him a lot more than the cost of the knife; consider it on the house.”
She picked out one of the larger hunting knives.
“Do you have something to write on?”
He brought her a pen and paper, still looking totally confused.
“Please, will you promise me something?” Nikki asked.
“Anything.”
“Here’s my name, address, everything. And the name of my friend back at the police station. If I don’t call you in five hours, will you call her and say I need help.”
He looked stunned. “OK, I mean, of course. You will be at Alex’s estate?”
She nodded.
“You sure you don’t need a drive to the hospital? I can drive you in Alex’s car.”
“That’s OK, I feel fine actually. I just need to figure some things out. Can you write down your number; make it your home number if you won’t be here. Five hours, are you with me?”
“Five hours, it is then. I hope it works out with Sir Alex. He is a good man, I swear to it.”
The mansion looked even bigger from this angle. She drove up past the perfectly manicured lawns and stopped by the front entrance. There he was, the man in the suit. Waiting.
“You came back.”
She looked at him closely this time. “How long have I been here?”
“I think almost a year, miss. He was so very worried for you.”
A year? She was dead. She had to be dead. No way she would be alive a year later. Two months was a long shot. It was more like one. A year? Not possible.
She had realized something back at the gas station. It was the reason she didn’t call 911, the reason she drove back here. The pain was gone. Completely gone. And not only that, she felt strong again. She couldn’t remember the last time she didn’t feel the pain. And there was something else. It had been the start of winter when she was last awake. It was clearly near the end of summer now. It had been a long time. After what Dianne had said, her gut told her to return to the mansion. Why, she had no clue. I must be crazy , she thought to herself.
“Please come in. You should eat. You must eat, you know,” the older man said.
She walked back in with him. She found herself scarfing down food in some dining hall, a room that looked like something out of a museum. The whole place looked like a museum. Her mind felt like a rudderless boat. She had lost all fear at this point. She was already dead, it seemed, so she couldn’t be killed again. Maybe this was just a dream. It didn’t seem like a dream. But what about the pain? The pain was gone. That was impossible. Even if he had given her the strongest painkillers, she would feel the pain. And she didn’t feel drugged, not at all; in fact, she felt strong and sharp, except, of course, she must be dead.
“When will Alex be back?”
“He should be back soon, miss. I apologize for all this. He didn’t want this, you know. Don’t tell him I said that, please.”
“Didn’t want what?”
“Oh, I talk too much. I’m an old man. Alex is a good person. He is the most generous man I have ever known. He saved my family, you know.”
“Saved them?”
“There was a fire, many years back. He ran in and saved my dear wife and children. He ran right in. The entire house was engulfed in flames.”
She felt calmer now. She could still feel the buzzing in her head, but it was less. All that seemed to matter now was the lack of pain. What else should matter? she thought. Dead or not dead, questions seemed to blur into grey. Things that mattered before didn’t seem to be
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