“Yes…” I agree with them in theory. I don’t want to leave this cabin and go back out there. But at the same time, something about this place is making me very uncomfortable. “But what if the person living here comes back?”
“That would be good,” Jack says. “They probably have a car and might be able to drive us to the inn.”
“Yeah…” I look around the cabin, which is reeking with the presence of another person who was here very recently. “But what happened to the person who is living here? I mean, who leaves their home with a half-eaten sandwich on the table?”
Jack raises his hand. “I’ve done that.”
“You have?”
He shrugged. “Sure. You make yourself a sandwich. Then you forget about it when you get a phone call. And then you leave the house with the sandwich still on the table.”
I don’t entirely buy it. I look over at Noah, who has the same uneasy expression on his face that I do. Someone is living here. Someone left this house in a great hurry. And I would like to know what happened to them.
Chapter 32
CLAIRE
Even though I probably shouldn’t, I investigate the bedroom. Meaning I go through the drawers, looking for a clue as to who lives here.
It doesn’t take long to verify that the occupant of this cabin is a man. There’s absolutely nothing feminine about this rustic cabin in the middle of nowhere. The bedroom has one unfinished wooden dresser, and I pull the top drawer open. The first thing I see is a heavy hardcover copy of the Bible. Apparently, a religious person lives here.
I shove the Bible to the side and pull out a pair of blue jeans. I hold them up against my chest. It looks like the owner of these pants is about a foot taller than I am and quite a bit heavier. I don’t feel like running into this person. Not when I’m intruding in his house.
He has a little night table by the bed. There’s a glass of water on the table with about an inch of water inside. I imagine the big, tall man lying in his bed and taking a drink of water before going to sleep. Maybe reading a little bit of the Bible first.
I haven’t read the Bible in years. My family always made me go to church when I was a kid, but I dropped the habit as an adult. Noah is also a non-practicing Christian, who never seemed terribly interested in organized religion. But there’s something about having the Bible in the room with me that’s comforting.
I pick up the hardcover book. It feels lighter than I would have expected. I wonder if there’s an inscription inside that will tell me the name of the owner. I turn to the first page and my mouth falls open.
The Bible has been hollowed out. There’s an imprint inside in the shape of a small gun. Except it’s empty.
I drop the copy of the Bible back onto the dresser, my hands shaking. What’s going on here? Where is the gun that used to be kept in this Bible?
Noah comes running in at the sound of the book falling onto the floor. His hazel eyes are wide and his hair looks even more disheveled than usual. “What happened? I heard a noise.”
I back away from the dresser, suddenly embarrassed for having been snooping. Noah is looking at me with his brow furrowed, and I know I should tell him about the Bible. But somehow, I don’t.
“I’m fine,” I say.
He rubs his eyes. “I started dozing off on the sofa. It’s not very comfortable, but I’m so goddamn tired.”
I slept horribly last night, but I’ve never been so awake in my life. “Maybe you should try out the bed.”
“Yeah.” Noah glances at the unmade bed. “I feel bad about stealing the guy’s bed, but… Well, I can change the sheets before we leave.”
I nod. “I… I think I’m going to go outside and get some fresh air.”
He frowns. “Do you want me to go with you?”
I shake my head. “No, you get some rest. I just need to clear my head.”
Noah is quiet for a moment, and I wonder if he’s going to insist on going with me. Part of me hopes he does. Through this entire thing, he’s been so reassuring. He keeps telling me he’s going to get us home. He doesn’t seem scared at all.
But finally, he says, “Okay. But if you change your mind, wake me up.”
“I will.” I glance past his shoulder into the living room. “Where did Jack go?”
“Off to get some firewood for tonight.” He cocks his head to the side. “Why? Do you need him?”
Am I imagining it or is there a slight edge to his voice? “No, just wondering.”