The Marquesa's Necklace (Oak Grove Mysteries Book 1) by P.J. MacLayne Page B
Authors: P.J. MacLayne
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going to overdose on sugar if I eat any more.” I took a sip of my tea. It tasted off, but the ice hadn’t had time to chill it to the perfect temperature. That wouldn’t take long. I stirred it idly to speed up the process. “So what are you thinking about buying for Sarah?”
“Just a little gift, nothing expensive. I thought about a nice bracelet or something.”
I took another sip of my tea. It was colder already. “She would like that.”
“I can’t remember if she wears more silver or gold.” He coughed. “I’m usually not looking at her jewelry.”
Maybe he wasn’t such a bad guy after all. “So what are you looking at?” I teased.
“Her eyes. Her beautiful eyes.” he answered without having to think about it.
Bonus points scored. “Well, she wears both but silver is her favorite.”
He nodded. “I hoped so. I spotted the perfect bracelet at a store in Pittsburgh. It’s delicate chains woven together into what reminds me of Celtic knots.” He leaned forward. “You won’t tell her, right?”
“Cross my heart and hope to die.” I picked up the ice tea and drank some more. My throat was dry all of a sudden, and there was a furious buzzing in my ears. It must have been the ice cream. And then I got hit by a massive headache, but it was no brain freeze.
He leaned across the table. “Harmony?”
Why was he leering at me? I stood, wobbled a bit, and he was right beside me, grabbing my arm.
“Are you all right?” he asked
No, I wasn’t. I was dizzy and started to sweat. He slipped an arm around my waist. “I’ll take you home,” he said. “Sarah can come get your car when she gets off work.”
I remember wondering how he knew where I lived, but I allowed him to take me out to his car. He opened the door for me and when I slid into the passenger seat he fastened my seat belt for me. I needed to close my eyes for a moment and make the pinwheel in my head stop turning. And why was he chuckling?
Chapter Fourteen
Cold, I reached to pull my blankets up around my neck, but my arms wouldn’t respond. I tried wiggling my fingers, and they worked, but something bit into my wrist when I tried to move my hands. The world wasn’t spinning anymore, so I cautiously opened my eyes.
And closed them again. I needed to wake up. I tried to turn over and look at my alarm clock, but nothing moved. All I saw was a bare tile floor when I opened my eyes. I blinked rapidly trying to focus, but the dim light made it hard to see anything. If I put my glasses on, things would be clearer. I closed my eyes for a second, hoping that would help.
When I woke up again, I realized my legs weren’t responding. Nothing happened when I tried to move them. On the edge of panic, I sat back, took several deep breaths and tried to calm myself.
Wait—I was sitting? I looked down at my legs. As my eyes adjusted to the lack of light, I tried to raise my left foot, but my ankle was attached to the chair. My right leg was in the same predicament.
Reality slowly made its way into my addled brain. My wrists, too, were bound to the chair with some sort of plastic strap, pulled so tight I had no wiggle room. And a cord of some sort wrapped around my chest and held me snugly against the back of the chair.
But somehow I was falling off a cliff while a neon-pink sun shot a kaleidoscope of orange and green flames towards a purple ocean. I jerked awake and opened my mouth to yell for help. At the same time a bright light burned into my eyes, blinding me. The yell turned into a scream, which turned into a muffled grunt when something was jammed into my mouth.
“’Bout time you woke up,” a man’s voice said. A rough hand lifted my chin and a light was shone into my now tearful eyes, one eye at a time. I started to gag. “Promise not to scream, I’ll take that rag out of your mouth.” I nodded, and coughed as the musty air hit my lungs. Then I gasped, and swallowed hard to clear my throat.
The flashlight was turned off
“Just a little gift, nothing expensive. I thought about a nice bracelet or something.”
I took another sip of my tea. It was colder already. “She would like that.”
“I can’t remember if she wears more silver or gold.” He coughed. “I’m usually not looking at her jewelry.”
Maybe he wasn’t such a bad guy after all. “So what are you looking at?” I teased.
“Her eyes. Her beautiful eyes.” he answered without having to think about it.
Bonus points scored. “Well, she wears both but silver is her favorite.”
He nodded. “I hoped so. I spotted the perfect bracelet at a store in Pittsburgh. It’s delicate chains woven together into what reminds me of Celtic knots.” He leaned forward. “You won’t tell her, right?”
“Cross my heart and hope to die.” I picked up the ice tea and drank some more. My throat was dry all of a sudden, and there was a furious buzzing in my ears. It must have been the ice cream. And then I got hit by a massive headache, but it was no brain freeze.
He leaned across the table. “Harmony?”
Why was he leering at me? I stood, wobbled a bit, and he was right beside me, grabbing my arm.
“Are you all right?” he asked
No, I wasn’t. I was dizzy and started to sweat. He slipped an arm around my waist. “I’ll take you home,” he said. “Sarah can come get your car when she gets off work.”
I remember wondering how he knew where I lived, but I allowed him to take me out to his car. He opened the door for me and when I slid into the passenger seat he fastened my seat belt for me. I needed to close my eyes for a moment and make the pinwheel in my head stop turning. And why was he chuckling?
Chapter Fourteen
Cold, I reached to pull my blankets up around my neck, but my arms wouldn’t respond. I tried wiggling my fingers, and they worked, but something bit into my wrist when I tried to move my hands. The world wasn’t spinning anymore, so I cautiously opened my eyes.
And closed them again. I needed to wake up. I tried to turn over and look at my alarm clock, but nothing moved. All I saw was a bare tile floor when I opened my eyes. I blinked rapidly trying to focus, but the dim light made it hard to see anything. If I put my glasses on, things would be clearer. I closed my eyes for a second, hoping that would help.
When I woke up again, I realized my legs weren’t responding. Nothing happened when I tried to move them. On the edge of panic, I sat back, took several deep breaths and tried to calm myself.
Wait—I was sitting? I looked down at my legs. As my eyes adjusted to the lack of light, I tried to raise my left foot, but my ankle was attached to the chair. My right leg was in the same predicament.
Reality slowly made its way into my addled brain. My wrists, too, were bound to the chair with some sort of plastic strap, pulled so tight I had no wiggle room. And a cord of some sort wrapped around my chest and held me snugly against the back of the chair.
But somehow I was falling off a cliff while a neon-pink sun shot a kaleidoscope of orange and green flames towards a purple ocean. I jerked awake and opened my mouth to yell for help. At the same time a bright light burned into my eyes, blinding me. The yell turned into a scream, which turned into a muffled grunt when something was jammed into my mouth.
“’Bout time you woke up,” a man’s voice said. A rough hand lifted my chin and a light was shone into my now tearful eyes, one eye at a time. I started to gag. “Promise not to scream, I’ll take that rag out of your mouth.” I nodded, and coughed as the musty air hit my lungs. Then I gasped, and swallowed hard to clear my throat.
The flashlight was turned off
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