The Waiting Room
~ Chapter Fifty-One
The Skeleton Key
“Wait
a minute!” Gilbert cried out, holding a defensive hand up to stop
Blake.
“What do you think you are doing?” Gilbert had never
had anyone attack him so viciously, let alone with a loaded gun.
‘I
told you, Grape. Forget to put back the key and you were a dead man.
I’m done giving you warnings. That key is from Angie...the only
thing I have of my girl in here and you have it. Hand it over before
I shoot you full of holes.”
Blake held his hand out, waiting
for the key, keeping his gun trained on the young boy.
Gilbert
shrugged and shook his head.
“I don’t have it,” he told
the cowboy, showing him his empty hands, then pulled out his pockets
to show that they too were just as empty.
“You mean you’ve
lost it? Why you no-good-for-nothing…” Blake pulled the hammer
back on his gun. Grape stepped back, his eyes pleading for help from
the others. Gilbert watched as the barrel was pulled down by a hand,
Roux’s hand.
“No, William. This doesn’t solve
anything.” The gypsy’s voice was soft and soothing.
“But
he stole my key!” Blake yelled.
“Stole? Did somebody else
steal something around here?” came a southern voice from the couch.
“Please, Mort...Shooter…Mort…whoever,” Roux tried to
decide. “I am trying to diffuse the situation.” Roux turned back
to Blake whose anger was still rising.
“I don’t have your
key. I didn’t take your key, Mr. Blake,” Gilbert told him. “I
haven’t touched it since the last time Roux went down in the
basement several days ago and you took it back from me. Remember?”
Blake did remember. That was the day he hidden it up on top
of the bookcase. Up there in the shadows, next to the two carved
names.
“Wait a minute,” Blake said aloud. “The other
day there were two carved names up there.” He pointed to the top of
the shelves.
“Megan and Carrie. But now there were three…Ally’s
name was up there. You!”
Blake pointed to the man at the
bar. Sparrow turned at the accusation but did not deny it.
Instead,
he held the key up in his hand, dangling it by the ribbon.
“Finders, keepers, as they say.” Sparrow taunted Blake.
“That is my key, Sparrow! Hand it over!” Blake crossed the
room with fury and had his gun in Jack’s face before he could move.
The pirate narrowed his eyes down the barrel, then lifted his
hand, casually pushing the gun away from his face.
“Tell
me, what is it that is down in that basement that has to stay locked
up? Why are there so many bloody secrets in this Room? Why should you
be able to have your things are safe and sound and up here someone
can blow holes in his computer?”
Despite his anger Sparrow
held the key out to Blake.
“Here. Here’s your bloody key.”
He dropped it into Blake’s opened hand and turned back to the bar.
“Jess…why won’t they let me talk to ye?”
Jack
emptied his glass with one large gulp and demanded another rum.
Sands moved his hand away from the hidden gun, confident all
was safe for now.