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Plus, I needed to wash the graffiti off the front of the building. That alone was going to take a while.
I didn’t know if I’d be able to do it in one go without Jude. The chances of someone stopping to yell at me or shame me were high.
Tossing my phone on Bessie’s passenger seat, I rolled my eyes. I was still getting texts and voice mails from people. Some friendly, and some…not so much. Today, I didn’t want to see any of them. Jude would check in later, and that was the only thing I’d answer. Otherwise, I didn’t even want to look at the thing.
I left it in the car. By the time I was finished here and heading home, Jude would be in Idaho Falls.
Evie would probably scold me too if she knew I was doing this alone, but I felt like being alone right now. I needed to figure out a way to win the town back over once they caught Allison. Since spotting her at the barn, I was completely sure it was she who’d done this.
Maybe I could do a grand reopening? All new recipes and plenty of things to eat. But even if people knew I didn’t put copper in my baked goods, if the positions were reversed, I’d be wary too.
No, this was going to take some thought and some effort. I didn’t have any ideas at the moment, but I was already closed. Might as well take the time I needed to build back trust. The savings I had would tide me over for a while.
A bang! sound came from the back in the kitchen. That was weird. “Hello?”
Nobody should be in here, but a few people did have keys. I wouldn’t put it past Evie to sneak in the back and try to clean things up without my knowing.
No one was in the kitchen, and none of the equipment was running. The only sound now was the gentle hum of the refrigerator. The door to the patio was shut, and it didn’t look like anything had slipped onto the floor.
But there was a piece of paper on the back worktable. I didn’t remember it being there, but I could have missed it the last time I was here. Maybe it was a note saying the lab techs had finished.
It wasn’t that. I picked it up, staring at the handwritten words, in handwriting that wasn’t mine.
I can’t take the guilt and the hate. I think everyone is better off if I’m not here anymore. I’m sorry if you’re hurt by this decision, but trust me, it’s better this way.
-Lena
My stomach dropped. What the hell was this? I didn’t write it, and it was a sick joke. I wasn’t killing myself. If this was the same person…
Someone had to have left it here. The banging must have been the back door. They were in here while I was here? Panic started to rise, and I held it back. They weren’t here now. Maybe they’d left some sign behind.
Breathe, Lena.
I grabbed the handle of the back door, and it only moved an inch. I heard a scraping metal sound as I pushed. The door wasn’t jammed… There was something blocking it.
Our back door was a fire exit. It should never be blocked. Ever.
Another bang! sounded—this one louder. Another one and another one. Six in total. I couldn’t pinpoint the source of that sound, but it felt final. Too big to be ignored. Jude told me to go with my instincts, and they were telling me to get out now.
I couldn’t push down the panic anymore, and I sprinted for the front door. Jude was already gone, but I’d go to Resting Warrior. There, I’d be safe while I called Charlie and told him about the note.
My hands shook as I tried to unlock the door, adrenaline pulsing through me, but I managed to get the lock turned on the second try.
The door didn’t open. I pushed, and it wasn’t moving an inch.
“Shit.”
Something rattled, but the door wouldn’t budge. The graffiti on the outside blocked nearly everything. The small spaces I could see through told me there was something in front of the door. And a chain. Someone had moved it there once I came inside, trapped me in here, and chained the doors shut.
Which meant they were watching.
The graffiti also meant no one could see inside. There was no way for me to wave down someone on the street or to get anyone’s attention.
My phone was still sitting on Bessie’s passenger seat where I’d left it, like an idiot. I’d have to call from the landline in my tiny office in the back in a hurry.
I needed to get out of here, because if someone went to all this trouble, they would go all the way.
What was that smell?
