Catching Smoke: Ch. 20
Emmalee is pacing in front of the hotel.
She knows she needs to go in, to take the job, but she isn’t sure she can do it. She doesn’t know what’s going to happen. She takes the job…and then what? What happens to her? What happens to her life?
She wishes she had more information, information she knows she won’t be able to receive until she goes in there and tells Colin she’ll take the job. That’s how this works, right?
“Oh.” Emmalee jumps, but recognizes the voice immediately. It’s Lydia. “It’s you.”
“Lydia, right?” Emmalee says.
Lydia chuckles and walks past Emmalee to lean against the wall outside the door.
“He’s inside. Waiting. For you.” She says before lighting up a cigarette.
Emmalee takes that as her cue, and walks inside. Her heart is pounding with each step toward the room, and echoes the sound of her knock on the door.
Nobody answers.
She knocks again.
Nobody answers.
She presses her ear to the door.
Silence.
Was Lydia lying to her? Is Colin even here? Where else would he be?
“Um…hello? Colin? Are you there?” Emmalee asks.
Silence again.
Emmalee sighs. What is she supposed to do now? Go back and question Lydia? Wait for Lydia to come back?
She decides to confront Lydia, but when she steps outside, Lydia is gone. There’s nothing except a toe-crushed cigarette butt on the pavement to mark that she was even here at all.
Great. Emmalee thinks. Now what?
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