by Nella Tyler
“All right. See you then,” Meg responded.
“By the way, I left instructions that you have carte blanch at the resort. Just in case you want to do some snooping,” he smiled.
“Great. Thanks,” Beni said.
“You bet.” He waved and left the tent.
“Snooping is a good idea. We’ve put it off for a while now,” Meg said.
“Well, there’s no time like the present. Let’s do it,” Ashlee exclaimed.
They left their tent and headed back to the hotel. They didn’t notice Denise and Doug watching them.
“Where are they going?” Denise muttered.
“I don’t know. But we’re about to find out,” Doug answered.
They hurriedly snatched up their towels and bags to follow Meg and her friends.
*****
They were in the basement of the hotel. It was huge and filled with boxes and beach apparatus such as lounges, chairs, and umbrellas. There were bar stools, rugs, kitchen items, and housekeeping supplies.
“Well, I see where they keep all of their hotel stuff. Almost everything this place needs is down here,” Ashlee said.
“Makes sense. When things break, they need to be replaced immediately,” Meg murmured.
“They certainly can do that. But I wonder if they have too much stock on hand,” Ashlee pondered.
“Me too. They may change their style and go in a different direction and then be stuck with all of the old stuff,” Meg said.
“Good point. It’s something to mention to Drake,” Beni said. “There’s another door over there. Let’s see what’s behind it.”
They moved to the door and Ashlee grabbed the knob and turned. It was hard to turn, as though no one had tried to do so in a very long time. She had to use both hands to twist the knob. Finally the door creaked opened slightly. Ashlee pushed it but found it to be heavy.
“Beni, help me push it open,” Ashlee pleaded.
All three women pushed on the door until it stood completely open.
“Goodness! What a heavy door,” Meg said.
“It’s quite ornate in style. It could have been in a castle centuries ago,” Beni mused.
“I don’t think they had castles in Hawaii, did they?” Ashlee asked.
Meg shrugged.
“I have no idea. I would have to Google it.”
They looked inside the door to find a flight of stairs descending to who knew where. Meg looked for a light switch nearby but there wasn’t one.
“There’s no light switch,” Meg mumbled.
“Well, what do they use for illumination?” Beni cried.
“Candles?” Ashlee sniggered.
“Come on! This is the twenty-first century, not the seventeenth,” Beni retorted.
“There has to be some flashlights in here. They have everything else. Look around,” Meg said.
They rummaged through tons boxes. Thank goodness they were labeled which made the job easier.
“I found them!” Ashlee exclaimed. She pushed up the power button on several of them and they came on. “And they work. Imagine that.”
“Thank goodness they do,” Meg said. “It shows that the staff is prudent in making sure some things always work. You never know when the resort may lose power.”
“True. Well, we’re armed and ready. Let’s go downstairs,” Beni suggested.
They began their trek down the narrow stairs. Reaching the bottom, their lights barely made a dent in the surrounding blackness.
“We need more than three flashlights,” Ashlee complained.
“There has to be a light somewhere down here,” Meg replied. She swung her light about hoping to find any kind of illumination. “There! It’s an overhead light with a pull chain attached to it.” She hurried to yank on the chain. A bright light lit up the space.”
“Ah! That’s better,” Beni exclaimed.
Beni looked nervous.
“This place is eerie.”
There were crates with straw coming out of them. Ashlee looked in one of the crates and moved aside the straw.
“It’s wine. And from the aged label, it’s very good and expensive wine.”
Beni and Meg looked in some more of the crates and saw different types of alcohol. Brandy, Scotch, bourbon and vodka.
“It appears to have been discarded. I wonder why?” Beni mused.
“Maybe it’s not discarded just left unattended for now. To be used when wanted,” Ashlee suggested.
“Maybe,” Meg said.
She looked around the room. There wasn’t much else in it. She then looked at the walls in the space. Three of them were of stone that looked to be hundreds of years old. She remembered Beni’s comment that this place had been a castle at one time. Now the thought didn’t seem so far-fetched. She moved to the fourth wall. It was made of plywood and was stained and sunken in places due to water damage. Meg touched the wall and could feel dampness.
“It’s wet.”
Beni and Ashlee moved to her side and placed their palm on the wall.
“It is. Why is it wet? What could be behind this wall?” Beni asked quietly.
“And why is this wall not made of stone like the others? It’s almost as though it was an entrance at one time then boarded up,” Ashlee said.
“I would love to see what’s behind it,” Beni said excitedly. She put her ear to the old wood. “I think I hear something. It sounds like water trickling.”
Meg and Ashlee put their ear to the wall as well.
“I hear it,” Meg said in awe.
“So do I. Guys, we have got to see behind this wall,” Ashlee insisted.
“We have to speak with Drake before we go tearing down walls. We’ll talk to him about tonight at dinner,” Meg said.
They moved away from the wall and Ashlee suddenly grabbed Beni’s arm.
“Did you hear that?” Ashlee was suddenly alert.
“Hear what?” Beni queried.
They all listened intently. There were footsteps above them. They looked up at the ceiling anxiously.
“Someone is up there,” Beni whispered. “What will we do?”
They heard footsteps walking toward the door at the top of the stairs. The door slammed shut.
“No!” Meg called out.
They ran up the stairs and pushed against the door. It didn’t bulge. They banged on it and screamed. Silence greeted them. They looked at each other in terror. They were trapped.
Chapter 16
The girls screamed until their throats were raw and their fists were sore and red. The door did not open.
“Try calling,” Beni wailed.
Meg tried to call Drake but could not get a signal.
“Nothing,” Meg sighed. “We’re in the bowels of the hotel and a signal can’t get through.”
“Great! Just terrific,” Ashlee grumbled. She descended the stairs and sat on a crate. “What are we going to do?” she asked fearfully.
Beni and Meg joined her to sit on crates.
“Someone will find us. If nothing else, Drake will start looking when he doesn’t hear from us,” Meg reasoned. “We have to sit tight and not panic.”
“Well, we have no choice but to sit tight. It’s the panicking that will be more difficult,” Ash whispered.
“Try to look on the bright side. There’s no need for us to be thirsty. We’ve got plenty of booze,” Beni said philosophically.
“That is a plus,” Ashlee cheered a bit. She bent over the open crate next to her and pulled out a bottle. She read the label. “2007 Gaja Barbaresco. Nice. And 1988 Dom Pérignon Champagne.”
“Fancy,” Beni said. “Now with all of this wine, there has to be a corkscrew here somewhere.” She started digging through the boxes.
“And could we hope for glasses,” Meg added as she rummaged through the crates.
“Bingo!” Beni waved the corkscrew about.
“I haven’t found any glasses or cups. We’ll just have to drink from the bottle,” Meg shrugged.
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Beni opened the Dom Pérignon and took a swig.
“Mmm. That’s so good,” she said as she wiped the top of the bottle off with her sleeve.
“Pass the bottle, Beni,” Ashlee encouraged.
Beni passed the champagne to her and Ashlee drank. “You’re right. It’s fabulous.” She passed the bottle to Meg.
Meg took a sip then another. They shared the wine until the bottle was empty. Beni opened another bottle and they toasted to everything under the sun. The wine was having its effect on them and they were soon giggling about their situation.
“I’m getting so sleepy,” Meg slurred. “I could sleep for hours.”
“Shouldn’t we try to open the door again?” Beni slurred.
“Nope. Drake will find us. All I want to do is sleep,” Meg mumbled.
“Sounds like a plan,” Ashlee muttered.
They all fell into a sound sleep. Several hours later, they were still in a deep slumber and didn’t hear the heavy door creak open.
*****
“I happened to see them come into the basement and wondered about it. I hope they are all right,” Doug said anxiously.
Drake was annoyed that it was Doug who was giving him the information. He would have rather that the information had come from anyone else than him. He’d been looking for the girls for quite a while. He’d called Meg but she hadn’t answered, which was very unusual for her. He’d become alarmed when she didn’t call him back and started looking for them. He ran into Doug in the back corridor. He thought it an odd place to see him but when Doug told him about seeing the girls go down to the basement he put his annoyance aside. But his constant chattering was wearing on his nerves.
“I’m sure they are,” Drake replied.
“Why do you think they would go down there?”
Drake knew the answer to that but he wasn’t about to share it with Doug.
“I don’t know.”
“Seems an odd place for them to go, don’t you think?”
“I guess,” Drake mumbled.
Drake moved away from Doug to look around the basement. Doug saw that Drake’s back was turned and he quickly moved to the medieval door. He saw a green scarf on the floor and knew it belonged to Meg. He saw her wearing it when she was leaving the beach.
“Drake! Look. Here’s a scarf on the floor.”
Drake ran over to the door and bent to pick up the scarf.
“It’s Meg’s. She was wearing it this morning.”
“That means she was near this door at some point,” Doug said.
“Yes.”
Drake stuffed the scarf in his pocket then turned the ancient looking knob on the door. The door did not open easily. He tugged on the door until it slowly opened with an eerie groan.
“That gives me the creeps,” Doug said with a smirk from behind Drake’s back.
Drake didn’t answer He pushed the door back with no help from Doug and looked down the stairs. He could tell there was a light on below from the cast of the shadows. He slowly descended the steps, not sure of what he was walking into. He reached the bottom of the steps and stared in shock. There they lay completely oblivious to what was happening around them. Drake took in the empty wine bottles scattered about the floor and the soft snore coming from all three of them. Laughter bubbled in his chest and it would have erupted had Doug not been with him. He knew they would be embarrassed for him to see them in their inebriated state. But even more so for Doug to see them. He turned Doug.
“I’ve got this. You can go. Thank you for the information.”
“Oh, I want to help with the ladies. I think you will need an extra set of hands.” Doug managed to hide his smirk.
“No. I’ve got this. Thanks for the offer but there’s no need for you to stay,” Drake said firmly.
Doug had no choice but to leave, although it would have given him great pleasure to see Meg’s humiliation upon seeing him.
“All right, if you’re sure.”
“I am,” Drake insisted.
Doug took his time going up the stairs. He was hoping that Meg would wake and see him but no such luck. He shrugged. He knew that she would feel indebted to him and he would be able to use it to force a renewed friendship. Things were falling into place. He laughed heartily as he left the basement. Drake heard the laughter and felt uneasy as he bent to shake Meg’s shoulder.
“Meg. Meg. Wake up.”
She groaned and rolled her head.
“Wake up, Meg.”
His voice penetrated her slumber and she slowly opened her eyes.
“Drake?” she mumbled. “Drake!” She sat up quickly then immediately put her hands to her forehead, “Oooh! My head.”
“I imagine you have quite the headache. Ashlee and Beni will feel much the same way,” he smiled.
“Ugh! Why did I drink so much?” she questioned.
He picked up an empty bottle and read the Dom Pérignon label. He smiled wryly.
“Because it tasted so good,” he returned.
She groaned again. Drake moved to nudge Beni’s foot with his own. She slowly opened her eyes.
“Drake!” she said loudly. “Meg! Drake is here!”
“I know. Stop shouting,” Meg muttered.
“Be quiet,” Ashlee mumbled. “What are you yapping about?” Ashlee grumbled as she sat up straight. Her eyes were still shut.
“Drake is here,” Beni said.
“What?” Ashlee queried loudly.
“Stop yelling,” Meg shouted.
“I’m not yelling. You are!” Ashlee retorted.
Drake could not hold it in any longer. He burst out laughing.
Ashlee stared at him for the first time.
“Drake!” she exclaimed happily. “You guys! Drake is here.”
“We know!” Meg and Beni said simultaneously.
“You guys could be the revamped Golden Girls,” he laughed.
“Oh, hush,” Meg mumbled. “We drank too much.”
“No kidding! Come on. Let’s get you out of here,” he smiled.
“What time is it?” Meg asked.
“Seven-thirty,” he answered.
“You’re joking! We were trapped down there for over five hours?” Meg questioned.
“Yes. When you didn’t answer my call, I became worried and began looking for you.”
“I tried calling but there’s no signal down there,” Meg responded.
“I’m not surprised.”
He helped Meg up and sat her on a crate. Then he assisted Beni and Ashlee.
“Can you walk?” he asked.
“I think so,” Beni answered. She seemed better able to walk on her own and made it to the staircase. “Thank goodness for the railing.”
Drake put an arm around both Meg and Ashlee and assisted them to the stairs. Beni slowly made her way up the steps and the others followed. They finally made it to the basement and seemed more clear-headed.
“Drake, somebody trapped us down there on purpose,” Meg said angrily.
“We’ll talk about it later.”
“And we need to show you something, Drake,” Beni exclaimed. “There’s a wall in that room that feels wet. We think there’s something behind it.”
“Does there happen to be a door in the wall?” he asked sardonically.
“No. We need to break the wall down,” Ashlee added.
“It’s built of plywood, so it shouldn’t be too hard to cut through it,” Meg added.
“Tomorrow. The only thing you’re doing tonight is going to bed,” Drake replied.
“But—”
“No buts, Meg. We will talk about your adventure later.” His tone was final and no one tried to refute him.
He led them to the service elevator which took them to the main floor. Exiting the elevator, they finally made it to their suite. Ashlee and Beni said goodnight to him.
“Goodnight, ladies. Sleep well,” he smiled.
Meg stood beside him in the corridor.
“Do you w
ant to spend tonight in your suite or mine?” he asked.
“Yours.”
“Good answer,” he purred.
He led her to the elevator. They arrived at his suite within minutes. Meg managed to change into her nightgown then got into bed. He climbed in shortly thereafter and pulled her close.
“Drake,” she whispered.
“Go to sleep, babe. We’ll talk in the morning.”
He had barely gotten the words out and she was asleep. He smiled wryly and drifted to sleep as well.
*****
Drake had an early video call with his construction team the next morning and was on the call when Meg was ready to leave the suite. She gave him a note saying where she would be, waved, and left the room. As she rode the elevator down, it stopped on the third floor. The elevator door opened and Denise and Doug entered. They were the last two people that Meg wanted to see.
“Meg! How lovely to run into you. Doug told me about your misfortune last night,” Denise greeted her. “How are you feeling, dear?”
Denise was smug and Meg could have slapped her.
“I am fine,” Meg said curtly. She knew it was only right to thank Doug for his part in finding them. “Thank you, Doug, for telling Drake where you’d seen us. It led him to finding us and I am grateful.”
“And so you should be,” Denise began. “Had it—”
“You are very welcome, Meggie,” Doug cut Denise off. “I’m just glad I was in the right place to be of help.”
Meg could see the wheels turning in Doug’s head. He was going to use situation to his advantage.
“Perhaps we can get together over drinks for old times’ sake,” he suggested.
Meg tried to hide her grimace. She would rather drink sour milk than have a glass of anything with Doug. He had found a way of pressing his agenda on her. But perhaps this could be her way of discovering what he really wanted, because it wasn’t true friendship.
“Sure. We could do that,” she returned.
“Great! I’ll call you later to set something up for tonight,” he said eagerly.
“All right,” Meg mumbled.
The elevator stopped at the main floor and the doors opened. They exited. Meg began walking toward her suite.
“See you tonight,” Doug called.
