“Maybe a couple…”
“Don’t lie.” His voice is sharp now, not quite yelling but just on the verge. There’s a glint in his eyes that makes me take a step back. “Have you been listening to these tapes?”
“Not that many. Maybe five or six.”
I’m still lying. I listened to far more tapes than that. If Ethan went back into Dr. Hale’s office and looked in her desk drawer, he would see more tapes than that. I’m taking a chance he won’t do that.
“Don’t listen to any more tapes,” he says in a voice that doesn’t sound like the man I married. “Promise me you won’t.”
“I promise,” I gasp.
He stands there for a moment, studying my face. I try not to squirm under his gaze. It’s yet another reminder that I’ve only known this man for a little over a year. There’s so much I still don’t know about him, even though I’ve pledged to spend my life with him and I’ve got his child growing inside me. He doesn’t want to share his past with me, and whenever I bring it up, he shuts down.
I’m his wife. He should feel comfortable telling me anything. It’s upsetting that he feels there are things he can’t tell me. That needs to change. Maybe not this minute, but everything needs to get laid out on the table. Soon. If we’re starting a family together, there can’t be any secrets.
Ethan finally rips his eyes away from my face. He turns around and closes the door to the hidden room. I hear the snap as it closes. When he turns back to look at me, the color in his face has gone back to normal.
“I’m going out now to try to find help,” he says. “I’ll be back soon, okay?”
I nod, not wanting him to leave, although realizing it has to be this way.
He reaches out and grabs my arm hard enough that it hurts. But not enough to leave behind bruises. “Don’t go in that room again.”
“I won’t…”
“I mean it.” His grip tightens. “That’s private patient information. We could get in a lot of trouble for listening to it. We should turn it over to the police.”
“Yes, of course.” But there’s something in his eyes that tells me this isn’t the reason he doesn’t want me to listen to those tapes. He isn’t being entirely honest with me.
He runs his tongue over his lips. “How did you get it open, anyway?
“The Shining. I was going to read it, but it unlocked the door when I tried to pull it open.”
He considers this for a moment, then he nods. He yanks his black beanie out of his coat pocket and shoves it onto his golden hair. He’s got on his black boots, and he stomps across the living room on his way to the front door. He gives me one last look before he slams the door shut behind him.
The sound of the door slamming echoes through the giant living room. For a full minute after he’s gone, I just stand there. Trying to figure out my next move.
Ethan knows about the hidden room with the cassette tapes in it. I don’t know if he’s going to make good on his promise to tell the police about it, but if there’s any chance of that, I’ve got to put back all the tapes I removed from the room. I don’t want to be accused of tampering with evidence.
There’s only one problem:
If I want those tapes back, I have to go back into Dr. Hale’s office.
Chapter 44
This is not a big deal. All I have to do is walk into the office, take the tapes out of the desk and put them in my coat pocket, then leave the room.
I don’t have to talk to Luke. I don’t have to interact with him. He’s tied up—there’s no way he can hurt me.
I hate the idea of doing this while Ethan is gone. And it’s not like he’s upstairs or something. He’s not even in the house. He’s not reachable by phone. If Luke tries to attack me, it will just be me and him in the house.
But he won’t attack me. I used plenty of duct tape. He’s probably exactly like he was when I left him. Lying on the couch, helpless. I’d bet my life on it.
And I can’t possibly wait for Ethan to come back. What if he comes back with the police? I have a feeling he won’t, but if he does, I’m screwed.
I approach the door to the office. I press my ear against it, listening for any ominous sounds. I don’t hear anything. But that doesn’t necessarily mean anything.
Ethan left that knife on one of the bookshelves. I debate bringing it with me into the room but then decide against it. Luke is tied up. I should be fine.