The Last Keyholder

by Jamie Summer

  Ten minutes later, I fell into a deep sleep the instant my head hit the pillow.

  It was a dreamless and rejuvenating sleep. The first I had in days.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Noises from outside woke me. The chirps of birds, the sound of leaves swaying, the wind hitting my window. It made me smile, and I took a few minutes to enjoy it before I faced reality.

  After a quick shower, I dressed and went downstairs with my purse in hand. Breakfast was served in the parlor. The old armchairs around small coffee tables didn’t look like your typical breakfast area, but it was part of the charm. I asked one of the waiters where I should pay for breakfast, but he simply smiled and walked off.

  Okay…

  After sitting down, the same waiter brought me coffee and told me to help myself to the buffet on the far side of the room facing the garden. I nodded and walked over. I filled my plate with all kinds of goodies. Toast, croissant, marmalade, cheese, fruit, chocolate. It was enough to last me well into the afternoon, and since I planned on continuing my search for Nathan, I needed all the strength I could get.

  After a half-hour, I had eaten everything my body could take and was ready to face another day filled with uncertainty.

  Back in my room, I found the detective’s card on my bedside table and dialed his number before I could talk myself out of it. He answered on the second ring.

  “Johnson?”

  “Hello, this is Emlyn Cavanagh. You… I’m…” What could I say so he’d know me from the hundreds of people he talked to on a daily basis?

  “Ms. Cavanagh, how nice of you to call me. Have you settled into your new accommodations?”

  “Yes, thank you. Everyone has been more kind than I would’ve expected.”

  “The people of Dublin want to make sure the unfortunate accident isn’t the only thing you’ll think about when telling people about your trip.” I heard the smile in his voice, despite the honking cars and talking in the background.

  “It definitely won’t be. I’m actually calling to see if there’s any news on Nathan Holwell. Have you found any sign of him?”

  He sighed. “I’m sorry, no. We’ve searched the nearby streets, alleys, shops, everything. There is no sign of him at all. We’ve also checked with hospitals, clinics, burn centers. Nothing. I’m really sorry.”

  I hadn’t expected anything, but hearing him say it was still a hard pill to swallow.

  “It’s okay. I guess I had hope, despite knowing you would’ve called me if you had found him.”

  “We haven’t given up hope, and neither should you. We’re using everything we can to locate him.”

  “I can’t thank you enough for that. I imagine you have far better things to do than search for a missing person.”

  “We want to find him. We have people out there looking, distributing his picture, everything.”

  “His picture?” I asked, my interest piquing at the comment. “Where did you get his picture?”

  “From his mother. We called to tell her what was going on and she sent us one.”

  A picture of Nathan? I hadn’t seen any around the area I’d been searching, so I wondered where exactly they were distributing it, but decided it didn’t matter. What mattered was that they did it in the first place.

  “Thank you again.”

  “You can thank me once we find him, Ms. Cavanagh,” he told me.

  After we hung up. I stared at my cell phone for a few minutes longer, hoping Nathan had miraculously gotten to a phone and his first call would be to me.

  After talking to Detective Johnson about the search, I felt more confident in their abilities to help. If they had his picture, people might recognize him and tell us where Nathan was.

  God, I hoped it was true.

  The sound of a phone ringing startled me from my thoughts. With a quick glance at my cell phone, I realized it wasn’t that.

  I walked over to the room phone, which sat on the small table, and saw the light blinking.

  “Hello?” I answered, unsure who would call me in my hotel room.

  “Ms. Cavanagh? This is Danny from reception. I’m sorry to bother you, but we have a note here for you. A man left it early this morning. You can pick it up at your convenience.”

  A note? For me?

  “Thank you. I was on my way out anyway, so I’ll be down in a few minutes.” I knew I drew bad conclusions, but every time I’d received a note in the past few days, it wasn’t a happy one.

  Would this one be any different?

  I quickly grabbed the few items I needed—my cell phone, money, and my key—and put them into my bag. A minute later, I walked downstairs and toward the reception area. A guy I presumed to be Danny stood behind the desk, talking to someone on the phone. I waited until he was finished before I approached.

  “Hello, I’m—”

  “Ms. Cavanagh, yes.” He smiled and pulled something from a drawer. “Here’s the note. I can’t say when it was delivered exactly since it was already here when I started my shift. I hope it wasn’t a time-sensitive issue. If it was, my sincerest apologies.”

  I nodded as he handed me the small piece of paper. It wasn’t the old parchment paper I’d begun to fear, and my heart rate slowed at the sight of the regular hotel stationary. The emblem was openly visible on the outside of the note.

  I sat down on a nearby stool and unfolded it.

  There were no threats.

  No danger.

  Nothing.

  All that was written on it was an address.

  The handwriting was different than the threatening ones. It was also different than Nathan’s. I had hoped he sent me a message, but the letters were too hard, ending too abruptly. Nathan’s writing flowed more easily.

  So who had left it?

  I walked up to Danny again. “Excuse me. Do you know this address?”

  He looked at the paper. “Clarendon Street? Sure do. That’s in downtown Dublin, not too far from Trinity College.”

  I pulled out the same map the receptionist had given me yesterday and handed it to him.

  He pointed to it. “This is us, and that’s Clarendon Street. I’d say it would take you about ten minutes to walk there.” I nodded as he showed me the easiest way. “I could also call you a cab, if you’d like.”

  I waved him off. I needed the fresh air. “Thank you for your help, Danny.” I gave him a smile and left the hotel. I didn’t think about what the note meant, or if it were a possible trap to lure me to certain death. I honestly didn’t care. It was naïve of me, but I kind of hoped Nathan had somehow told someone to leave me a message. Or maybe someone had taken him and now wanted to make ransom demands. One thought was more ludicrous than the other, but they kept me going.

  As Danny promised, it didn’t take long to reach my destination. There wasn’t a number on the note, only the street name, so I had no idea where I was supposed to go. The street itself was void of any pedestrians. There wasn’t much in the area that I would deem important. One side housed a few high-end shops, like Louis Vuitton and Versace, but there wasn’t much else. I walked up and down the street three times, waiting for something to happen, for someone to show up.

  Nothing.

  I gazed around, trying to find anything familiar, anything that would let me in on what I was doing here.

  Nothing.

  Then I caught sight of the parking garage sign. The words “Pedestrian Walkway” were on it, but that wasn’t what caught my attention. It was the drawing right next to it that had my steps faltering.

  A grave. A familiar-looking one.

  I took my phone out and scrolled through the pictures Nathan and I had taken on the day we went through St. Stephen’s Green. There it was. The grave that seemed out of place.

  It had the exact same look as the drawing I stared at right now.

  I held my phone up and took a picture. While the note might not have been on parchment, this was definitely connected to the keyholder. Either that, or it was highl
y coincidental.

  I hesitated a few moments before walking into the parking garage. My curiosity propelled me forward. It was dark, the small lamps at various spots in the garage barely glowing brightly enough for me to see much. There were only a few cars parked there, but considering it was merely nine a.m., I wasn’t the least bit surprised.

  At first glance, there wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. Just your regular parking garage. I walked through, my eyes wandering over every inch of the structure.

  Why had they led me here? What was I supposed to be looking for?

  A few minutes into my search, a noise shocked me into stillness. I wasn’t exactly sure what it had been, but it sounded like a moan.

  Glancing around the immediate area, I listened for the sound to repeat itself, but there was only silence. Maybe I had made the noise. Maybe my mind was playing tricks on me.

  There it was again. I walked faster, rounding cars, peering into each one I passed.

  Then there he was.

  I gasped. “Nathan!”

  He lay on the back seat of an old black Honda, his body badly burned. I got out my phone and cursed when I realized I had no reception. I couldn’t call the police or paramedics. When Nathan groaned again, I saw the reason why I had heard the sound so well. The window was open slightly, as if someone wanted me to find him here.

  I tried the doors. Locked. I knew I wouldn’t get so lucky. Bracing myself, I slammed my elbow into the back window, but it didn’t give. I tried another time. The glass cracked. One more hit made it break enough for me to reach through and unlock the door. Quickly opening it, I climbed in. I was careful not to touch him, placing my feet between the back and front seat.

  “Nathan?” A groan was the only answer I got. My heart raced in my chest. I had no idea how much time I had, how badly he was hurt. The mere thought of him dying right in front of me made my panic flare up. “Calm down,” I told myself, knowing I needed to in order to help him. “Nathan, can you hear me?” I pleaded, leaning over him.

  His face was covered with blisters, some worse than others, and there were cuts all over. I had no idea what those were from, but they didn’t look good at all.

  “Em…” His voice was barely above a whisper, but it was enough to get my blood pumping.

  “Yes, I’m here. You’re gonna be okay.” I heard another noise then, my heart racing.

  A car.

  “Stay right here,” I told Nathan and climbed out. I saw a car park about ten feet from where I stood, the man behind the wheel looking at me with a mixture of fear and curiosity. I didn’t blame him. For all he knew, I was responsible for Nathan’s injuries.

  “Sir, can you help me, please? My friend is badly injured and we need an ambulance,” I called out. The guy got out, studying me carefully. “Please, we need help.” I pointed at the car. He walked over. The moment he caught sight of Nathan, he gasped in shock.

  “I’ll call an ambulance. I’ll be right back.” He ran off. A few minutes later, he was back. “They said they’d be here in a few minutes.” He put his hand on my shoulder, squeezing it. “He’ll be okay.”

  God, I hope he’s right.

  I climbed back into the car, despite his protests, and started trying to soothe Nathan. I repeatedly told him I was here. That I wouldn’t leave his side and would make sure he was okay. He didn’t show any signs of understanding, but I was okay with that. His chest moved slowly, and that was all I cared about.

  The ambulance came exactly seven minutes later. I climbed out as they pulled up.

  “Ma’am, we need you to move and let us work,” one of the paramedics told me. I hadn’t even realized I blocked their path to the car.

  “Sorry.”

  I stepped aside and watched a young woman, maybe a few years older than I was, climb through the door.

  “His breathing is shallow, but he’s alive. Second- and third-degree burns, so we need to be careful when moving him,” she called out to the paramedic standing next to me. He walked back to the ambulance and grabbed a stretcher and several other items.

  I heard sirens. Seconds later, a police cruiser sped around the corner and screeched to a stop. Detective Johnson and Officer Langston got out, walking over to me.

  “Ms. Cavanagh,” the detective greeted. I merely nodded at him before turning my focus back to the paramedics and Nathan. “You found him?” Again, I only nodded. “How is he?”

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw he wasn’t directing the question at me, but at the paramedics next to us. They had gotten Nathan out of the car and were currently trying to lay him onto the stretcher, being careful not to move him too much.

  “He’ll live. Besides that, I can’t say for sure. We have to get him to the hospital to know more.” I watched them carefully place Nathan onto the stretcher, pushing him over to the ambulance.

  “Can I ride with you?” I asked the paramedic. He was about to argue when Detective Johnson’s deep voice interrupted him.

  “As far as I know, she’s the only friend he has here. Let her ride along.”

  The paramedic’s eyes switched back and forth between the detective and me before he nodded. “Okay. Hop in.”

  I looked at the detective. Thank you, I mouthed. I climbed in and we were soon on our way to the hospital. The paramedic kept a close watch on Nathan’s vitals while the woman drove. Nathan looked pale in the bright ambulance light, his cuts and blisters even more on display.

  “Is he gonna be okay?” I asked, my voice timid and unsure. I wasn’t certain I wanted to hear the answer.

  The paramedic turned to face me. “You found him in time. An hour later, he might’ve died. He has a lot of bad burns that will probably leave scars. There’s also the issue of any internal injuries, but only a CT or MRI will show those. At this point, I can’t tell you exactly what will happen with him, but take comfort in the fact he wouldn’t be alive if it weren’t for you.” He smiled, which made me feel oddly warm.

  Before long, we came to a stop. The back door opened again, revealing the female paramedic, as well as a nurse.

  “Let’s get him inside.”

  I was pushed out of the way as they rushed Nathan out of the ambulance and into the hospital.

  “If you go inside and tell them you’re with the him, they will keep you updated on his progress.”

  I hadn’t noticed the paramedic had stayed with me until I heard his voice.

  “Thank you. For everything,” I said and walked off.

  Inside the hospital, there was a flurry of activity. Patients waiting, doctors and nurses talking to families or walking from one room to another. I saw the reception desk five feet away and stalked over like a woman on a mission.

  “Hello. My name is Emlyn Cavanagh. My friend, Nathan Holwell, was just brought in by the paramedics. I was wondering if there’s any news?”

  The nurse sitting behind the counter glanced up at me from the patient report she was filling out. “What’s the name again?”

  “Nathan Holwell.”

  “If he only just came in, there probably isn’t much to tell you. If you take a seat over in the waiting area, we’ll notify you if there’s any new development.” She smiled.

  I thanked her and stepped away from the desk to sit down. There was a sea of people occupying the white plastic chairs—a family with a small child, who held her arm, an elderly couple holding onto each other, and a very pregnant girl all by herself, to name just a few. I sat near her and gave her an encouraging smile. I had no idea why she was in the emergency room, but whatever the reason, maybe a smile went a long way to ease her worries. I know it helped me these past twenty-four hours. She returned the sentiment, then was called by a nurse.

  I tried to focus my attention on something else, but there was little to keep me occupied. Instead, my mind wandered and came up with all kinds of different scenarios of what could’ve happened had I not gotten to Nathan in time. The paramedic said he might have only had a mere hour. What if I would’ve
slept longer? What if the receptionist would’ve called me about the note later? There were so many possibilities how it could’ve gone wrong.

  The doors to the ER opened way too frequently, people coming and going. I must’ve dozed off at some point because the next thing I heard was a soft voice calling my name.

  “Ms. Cavanagh?” I jerked upright and stared into the dark eyes of Detective Johnson. He smiled. “Sorry.”

  “No, it’s fine. I must’ve fallen asleep. What time is it?”

  “Shortly after noon. And there’s nothing wrong with falling asleep. Sitting here can be a rather lengthy process.” He pointed to the empty seat next to me. I nodded, and the detective sat down.

  “Is there any news?” I asked, suddenly feeling panic that I might’ve missed something.

  “Nothing yet. They are still running tests on him. He has severe burns and some cuts, likely from trying to break through the window of the hotel. We won’t know for sure until he wakes up. Currently, they are checking for possible internal injuries. As soon as they are done with that, they’ll put him in a room and notify you.”

  I breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn’t anything different than what the paramedic had said, but I knew if Nathan had a serious injury, he would’ve been in surgery.

  “Do you mind if I ask you a few questions regarding this morning?” he asked. I shook my head, knowing it had been coming. “How did you find Mr. Holwell?”

  I told him the receptionist called me down because someone had left me a note. There was a street on it that I decided to check out, and a parking garage seemed like a good place to start. I didn’t mention the small fact that the grave drawing beside the parking lot entrance had actually gotten me to check it out. Detective Johnson made notes on his little pad.

  “Do you have any idea who left the note for you?”

  “None whatsoever. I racked my brain about it, but I don’t know. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s quite all right. You’ve done more than enough today. From what I hear, you saved your friend’s life. It doesn’t matter how, just that you did.” His voice was sincere, but there was something underlying I couldn’t quite figure out. “If you find any other mysterious notes, can you call us before you go off and check them out?” I doubted that would happen, but nodded nonetheless. “Thank you. We’ll be back once Mr. Holwell wakes up. Goodbye, Ms. Cavanagh. I really am glad your friend is okay.” And with that, he walked off.