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Dracula followed me down the stairs, and I dug through the cabinet of cat food to feed him. He rubbed against my legs, and I sat down on the floor with him while he ate.
“Where did you come from, hm?” I asked. He purred while he ate, my heart warming.
Glenda, the housekeeper, was singing along with the radio as she dusted around the living room. An idea occurred to me then, and I peeked around the corner, watching her for a moment. There was no reason not to trust her. I exhaled sharply and walked over to her.
“Hi, Glenda.” I clasped my hands together in front of me. “How was your weekend?”
She turned and smiled at me. “Oh, hi, Nova dear. Very good—we caught lots of lobster, so very good indeed.”
I took a step closer, trying to appear as casual as possible. “You live on the island?”
She shook her head no and swiveled her hips to the music. “No, dear. I’m out on the mainland. Just come here twice a week to clean.”
“Uh-huh. How far is the mainland again?” I glanced around the room and picked off an invisible piece of dust from the fireplace.
“About fifteen miles, dear, about an hour by ferry. It’s not too bad, unless you get seasick like I tend to do.” She chuckled.
An hour. That was all? “And, um, what time does the ferry come?”
She stopped cleaning and gave me a curious look. “Seven a.m. and p.m., twice a week. Are you and Mr. Goodacre planning a trip?”
There was nothing sinister in her tone, but I didn’t want to give anything away.
“Well, his birthday is coming up and I wanted to maybe go to the mainland to get him a present. Um, unless there is a shop nearby where I could find something for him?” I shrugged my shoulders, biting the inside of my cheek.
She shook her head. “Oh, no, dear. There’re a few shops by the ferry drop-off, but oh, gosh, that’s all the way on the other side of the island, about twenty miles.”
Twenty miles? How the hell was I supposed to get twenty miles without a car? And without being seen? That wasn’t going to work. I took a deep breath and cracked my neck. “Just curious, but if someone wanted to get to the mainland without getting on the ferry, how would they?”
She tapped her lips and stared up at the ceiling. “Well, you could take a boat. My nephew does it all the time when he wants the peace and quiet. Takes a good chunk of time though. Four or five hours. Depends on the day and the tide really.”
I glanced down at my arm wrapped in the cast, my shoulders slumping forward. How was I supposed to row a boat with only one good arm? I would have to face that hurdle when I got to it. This was good news. Great, actually. If I was able to find a boat, then I would be just a short few hours from freedom. My pulse quickened at the realization.
“Just one more thing, Glenda, then I’ll get out of your hair.” I walked over so that I was standing in front of her. “Where would someone get a boat around here?”
“Well, Mr. Goodacre has some tied up under the pier, dear, don’t you know that?” She scrunched up her nose.
I slapped my palm against my forehead and chuckled. “Duh, I’ve been a little slow since my accident.”
She tilted her head to the side and gave me a look that resembled pity, and I wrapped my arms around her tightly. “Thank you, Glenda.” I pulled back, her face registering surprise, but I didn’t care. Freedom was close. So damn close.
Valik was out front talking to another guard, which meant it was a perfect time to run down to the pier. I changed my shoes and ran out the back door, only stopping to catch my breath when I got to the tree line. I passed the little shack we had found Dracula in and noticed the door was open. Odd, because Valik had shut it last time. Why would someone be messing around out there? I would have to deal with that later though because I didn’t know how long Ryzen was going to be gone.
I raced through the trees and down the slope, slipping through the rocks. The last thing I needed was to break my damn neck going down the hill, so I slowed down and took my time. The pier was in sight, and I laughed when I finally set foot on it. She’d said the boats were tied under it, so I climbed down the ladder and walked under the planks.
There were three little boats tied together, just like she had said. I pumped my fist in the air and inspected them. They weren’t quite boats, more like dinghies, but smaller. One had a crack on the side with water pouring through it, but the other two looked in perfect shape. There were even oars tucked under the seat. I looked over the water. It was quiet, peaceful, but that didn’t mean rowing a boat across it would be easy. The weather had been nice the past few days, the water calm. Maybe it wouldn’t be that hard to do.
I could do this. Get away tomorrow night when everyone was asleep, get help. I could go to the police. I bit down on my bottom lip and shook my head. And tell them what? That I was scared of my fiancé? That I thought he was drugging me? No, they would think I was crazy and probably just call Ryzen. I would have to stay somewhere for a few days while I tried to get my memory back. Try calling Juliet again. She would help me. I knew she would. It wouldn’t matter if we had fought; she could keep me safe. I just knew it.
The only problem was rowing with only one good arm. But maybe if I tied the oars together? I was a city girl; never in my life had I rowed a damn boat. A million thoughts raced through my head, but it didn’t matter. I had a semblance of a plan now, a plan to get away, and I would make it work no matter what, because nobody was going to help me. I had to help myself.
I climbed back up the ladder and walked down the length of the pier, looking off into the distance. There were lampposts running up and down the pier, so I grabbed a handful of rocks and hurled them. I missed the first few times, but then I smashed the first lightbulb, then the second, and third, until eventually I had gotten them all.
I would leave tomorrow night. Ryzen would think I was asleep, that I was drugged up with all the pills he had given me. He would have no idea that I would be running away. Yes. I could do this.
A sense of peace washed over me as I walked back to the house. Ryzen still wasn’t home, and I took the steps two at a time to the front door. Glenda was still cleaning, the radio blasting as she sang along to the song.
Beautiful moon, so bright and white,
