Mitch agreed. He had picked the right room to hide the paper. Since it was an office, the door had a lock with an old fashioned key and Mitch planned to use that to his advantage.
"Where is it?" West demanded.
Mitch pointed toward the roll top desk in the corner. "It's in an envelope. I'll get it," he offered.
"No! Stay back! Which envelope?" West said as he went over there himself and started pulling out envelopes from the cubby holes.
"It's marked 'nest egg numbers'," Mitch told him.
All along, Mitch knew that West wouldn't let him touch the paper and that's just how he wanted it. He needed to stay on this side of the room, closer to the door.
Unlike in the basement, the key wasn't just sitting there in the lock. Mitch had put it away. It was on top of the shelf of the bookcase next to the door. Mitch had put it there so Sammy couldn't play with it, and now he couldn't reach for it without West noticing.
Waiting for West to find the envelope, Mitch got ready for the moment when he was at his most distracted. The envelope was sealed. When West found it and started to tear it open, Mitch moved.
He grabbed the key and in the same motion brought the bookshelf crashing down. It hit a filing cabinet and leaned across the way, blocking West from getting to him.
Mitch wasn't safe though. West could still shoot at him. As he ran out the door, Mitch heard two shots but felt nothing. West likely hit the bookshelf. Rushing to lock the door, Mitch quickly got away from it in case the guy decided to start shooting again.
The china cabinet from the living room was right there in the hall, and Mitch pushed it in front of the door. As quickly as he could, he searched for the hammer he knew he left around there somewhere. He found it and went back to the door. If West came through that door, Mitch wanted to be ready.
Tense and breathing hard, Mitch listened. From behind the door, he could hear West cursing and crashing as he probably tried to move the bookshelf out of the way.
Waiting outside the door with a hammer in his hand, Mitch called out to him, "Mr. West, don't waste your time trying to get through this door. Use the window to get the hell out of here before someone comes to check on us. People will worry when we don't show up at the festival and don't answer our phones."
West didn't seem to be listening though. "I knew you were gonna pull something!" he yelled through the door.
"You have what you came for. Now leave!" Mitch yelled back at him. "You try to come through this door, you won't like what you find. Use the damn window and get the hell out of here. And don't try to come back into this house or—gun or no gun—I'll make you regret it."
There was more cursing then silence behind the office door. Mitch heard more crashing, but it sounded further from the door this time. He was pretty sure he heard the window opening.
To make sure West was really leaving and not doubling back to come in another way, Mitch went to the rose sitting room. He picked up the phone in there and dialed the sheriff's office.
While quickly relaying the information about West, Mitch stared out the window. Through the shrubbery, he only caught a glimpse of West, but it certainly looked like he was getting the fuck out of there.
Mitch still waited and listened. Faintly, he heard the sound of a car starting up then after a little bit the sound of the engine faded to nothing.
Once he had given the information to the sheriff's office, Mitch ran down the basement steps and went straight to the door of the shelter.
"Hey, Sammy, Enrico. I'm back. The mean guy is gone. I'm getting the key now."
"Daddy!" Sammy called out.
Mitch could hear Enrico unbolting the door and telling her, "Your dad is going to open the door any minute now. Then you can give him a big hug." He sounded much calmer than he must have felt, and Mitch was amazed by him. He really held it together.
"I'm here, honey. I'm going to give you the biggest hug in one minute," Mitch promised Sammy as he fished out the key from behind the water heater.
He got it then unlocked the door with shaking hands. As soon as the door was open, Sammy and Enrico launched themselves into his arms. Enrico was holding Sammy, and now Mitch was holding them both so tight he didn't think he could unlock his arms and ever let them go.
For a long moment he couldn't even breathe. He couldn't talk. He just felt them in his arms—their warmth, their relief, their arms around him, and Mitch was sure his heart would burst from so much love.
Chapter 36
For a while everything was so quiet. The only sounds Rico could hear were the thumping of his heart and Sammy saying "Daddy" like she wanted to convince herself that Mitch was really there, really holding them.
The whole time, Rico didn't want to move. He just wanted to breathe Mitch in and live in his arms, but he had to let go and find out what happened.
Sammy beat him to it though. "Where did you go, Daddy?"
