“Ready?” Travis said, turning to face mewhen I approached the van. His jaw was grim and set. I gave him a sharp nod and we piled in.
"Using pictures from google,I checkedallthe nearest hotels and motels around here. Most places have switched to using keycards, butfour of them haven’t.”
“Can’t we call them and ask if their key hasan engravedpicture of mountains on the back of it?” Irritation slipped into my tone.
Travis arched an eyebrow at me.“Do really want to tip anyoneoff thatwe’re coming?”
“Right.Good job, Nancy Drew,” I said.
“That would be good job HardyBoy, to you.”
Neither of us cracked a smile but the tiniest bit of the tension left my body. We were going to get her. We were going to figure out what the hell she was doing.
“Do you think she is a demon in disguise or maybe controlling one?” I asked, voicingthetheories that spun around my head. My chest felt like someone had poured lead into it.
“Maybe both?” Travis said, his eyes focused intently on the road. “We’ve been through enough ofthisshit to know we can’t assume anything.”
Boy was that the truth.
“We’re going to get herKrystan,” Travis said,his voiceedged in steel.
I looked over at him, still getting used to the new Travis, the fighter, the man. No matter how hard I pushed,he still stayed. That either made him as strong as Iron Man or as stupid as the Hulk.
“I know,” I said.
Two motels and one hotel later, there was only one option left.As wegotout of the van at the red roof inn,I prayed this would be the one.
“Why is it always the last one?” I whispered.
“Because it’s us,” Travis said through gritted teeth. “It’s always like this for us.”
There was a chance we were wrong. The key could be to a hotel in Breckinridge, or not even to a hotel at all. It could be to a locker somewhere.
No, don’t think like that.Thishas towork.
I had batman with me and the duster I wore covered a myriad of other weapons.Travishadhis makeshift utility belton,and a machete sheathed on his back.
Walking as casually up to room 106,a lightwason inside the room showcasing the stained,linen curtainsthat were closed.
I kept watch while Travis slipped the key into the lock. When it turned over with a quiet pop, he looked up at me.
Go time.
Traviskicked the door openand I ranin, wielding Batman overmyhead, ready to strike first.
Hot onmyheels,Travisshut the door,trapping whatever was in the room with us.
The room wasclear,so I rushed into the bathroom whileTravischecked the other side of the bed and under it.After clearing the bathroom, Ithrew open the closet. Nothing but an ironing board and a pair ofwomen’sboots on the ground.
The bed was still rumpled and unmade. Piles of clotheswere left onthefloor, and several empty takeout containers littered the room.The drawers had folded clothes in them.
“Shit,”Ispat. “I don’t think she’s here.”
Travis looked over my shoulder, his eyes glazing over. Turning around, I saw what had grabbed his attention.
“Whoa,”Ibreathed. In our hurry to beat down on the mystery woman, weran past the centerpiece of the room.Over thecrappy moteldesk was a giant map of Denver with push pins all over it, pieces of string tied from pin to pin in varying patterns. Cut up articles of the rampant suicides were tacked up everywhereon the walls
Itouched the bottles of varying herbs. A row of throwingknives were the onlyitems perfectly lined upon the desk.
