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They were almost to a nothing special, could-be-anywhere rural area called Kimble when Diana’s black SUV started to signal. She pulled off onto a long strip mall, went a couple of miles, and signaled again right before a Days Inn.
Her first big dilemma. Becca circled around a big block, her mind racing. Jesus, now what? She could hardly follow the woman in.
She reasoned it out. The front was short-term parking. Guests parked in the bigger lot out back. Therefore, Diana would have to drive her car around to the back, no matter where her room was.
Once parked in the back, Becca fretted some more, chewing her nails. So now she could watch Diana walk from car to hotel. Big freaking deal. Becca got out, on impulse, and walked in the back door. The janitor had propped it open with a mop. Thanks, buddy. No key card required.
Once inside, there were two wings that led to the guest rooms, one to the right and one to the left. She could see through the lobby corridor, past food and beverage machines, ice machines, bathrooms, all the way to the front desk. Diana was still at the desk, checking in. The clerk was a woman with very big red hair.
Diana took her key card and went out to pull her car around. Becca got busy with her cell phone, making a big show of staring down into the display and texting a bogus message.
Diana came in the back door, and turned to the right.
Becca waited until she was sure the other woman was using the stairwell rather than the elevator, and sprinted after her. Best not to ask herself if this exercise was as stupid and pointless as it was dangerous.
Don’t ask. Don’t wonder. Don’t stop. Just do it, damn it.
She bounded up the stairs two at a time, peered out onto the second floor corridor. No one. Back to the stairs, two at a time, heart thudding. This time when she poked her head out of the stairwell, she saw a flash of beige, and a door closing. She exhaled. Her eyes locked onto it. Third from the end. She sneaked down the corridor. Room 317.
OK, great. She knew the room number. What she could do with that information was a complete blank. Her mind stalled out.
The next dilemma was what the hell to do with herself. She’d never before in her life lurked or loitered in a space where she had no right to be. Of course, she could simply check into the hotel, but then what? Hang around in the corridor till the woman came out?
Deflated, she headed downstairs and back out to the parking lot and sat in her car, staring at the hotel. Staring at her useless phone.
She was about to get out and go call Nick from the pay phone in the lobby when something blocked the light from the streetlamp. A large gleaming black SUV with tinted windows swept past, pulling up in front of the back door.
Diana burst out, kicking over the propped mop, and got in. The SUV sped up towards the parking lot exit. Becca jolted into action, put her car in gear, and followed, but a Jeep Cherokee pulled into the exit and proceeded to sit there like a goddamn mountain while its driver decided what to do.
The black SUV with Diana in it accelerated on the main strip, went around the corner, and was lost to sight.
Becca screamed, honked, gestured madly. The driver, a soccer mom type, frowned at her as if to say, what’s your damn hurry, lady, and punished her by oh-so-sloooooowly driving into the parking lot.
Her tires squealed as she zoomed onto the empty street, turned right, looked for taillights. Nothing. There was a cross street up ahead, at the light. She peered to the right, the left, straight ahead.
Fuck. She chose a direction at random. She came back, tried all the others, already knowing it was futile. She’d lost them.
After over a half hour of aimless driving around, staring at parking lots and cars parked on residential streets, she finally gave up and went back to the Days Inn. She slumped down in the seat and stared out at the blank, prefab building, feeling foolish and glum. Thwarted by a soccer mom from hell. How dumb.
So should she wait? Diana could be gone all night. For that matter, she could be gone for days, or for good. This involved Zhoglo, after all. She glanced at her watch. 10:40. She would wait another half hour before going in, renting a room where she could recharge that phone and call Nick. Just in case Diana’s errand was a quick one. Not that Becca had any clue what to do if the other woman did come back.
Oh, well. One thing at a time. She shouldn’t expect this to be easy or obvious. Diana’s car was her only point of reference. She had to come back to it sometime. Becca would chew her nails, wait, and watch.
God, how she’d love to have something concrete to offer Nick when she finally saw him to offset the craziness of this stunt. Maybe he’d be too astonished to yell at her. Maybe he’d be impressed with her nerve and her initiative. Maybe he’d even be happy for the help.
Uh-huh. And maybe pigs in pink tutus ice-skated in hell.
CHAPTER20
Sveti and little Rachel were the last ones to go into the examining room to see the American lady doctor. The oldest, and the youngest. The others had gone in, one after the other, clutching their containers of pee. Marina had passed out the containers that morning, and it had been Sveti’s stinky job to supervise the spraying and splashing of the little ones. Her one pair of pants had gotten soaked with everyone’s piss. Not that they could get much dirtier or smellier.
All but Rachel. Marina had given her plastic bags with sticky tape to put over Rachel’s privates inside her diaper to collect the baby’s urine, but Rachel had tugged at them all day. None of the bags were more than slightly damp, but her diapers were soaked.
They’d tried to send Sveti in first, but Rachel clutched and screamed so hard, Yuri shoved her back and grabbed Sasha instead. Rachel got clingier every day. Sveti couldn’t even go into the toilet without her anymore. Her back ached from carrying the baby around.
Sasha had been back a quarter of an hour later, and slanted her an eyes-rolling grimace, making a syringe gesture at his elbow.
Blood taking. Again. Sveti wanted to cry. The little ones would be screaming, and she was the one they all turned to for comfort. It scared her to death and it made her feel guilty. Couldn’t they understand that she was as helpless, as desperate and powerless as they were?
