CHAPTER
31
MERCURY AND FORD exchanged backpacks, and then the four of them each pulled out a change of clothes from their packs and made their way through the silent halls to the gymnasium. From there it was easy to find the locker rooms. Mercury wanted to stand in the stream of hot water forever, but whether Amber was nefarious or not, it wasn’t right to selfishly use up generator power.
Newly showered and wearing clean clothes, the women joined Ford—who looked well scrubbed and relaxed—to explore the cafeteria. The two women working there nodded politely and offered them delicious spaghetti and a succulent salad bar loaded with fresh greens and veggies. The four of them ate ravenously, talking of nothing in particular as they were all too aware how often the two women stopped by their table to “just check in” on them.
At the open door to their classroom, Ford stopped. “Ladies, I’ll say goodnight here. I don’t think I’ve ever been this tired.”
Mercury studied the dark circles under his amber eyes. “How’s your head?”
“It wishes Gemma was here, but it’s definitely better. Hey, I’d really like to be sure we stay together—the four of us. I suspect I’m going to sleep longer than usual. If I’m up, I’ll prop the door to my classroom open. If you wake before me, please knock on my door and get me up. I don’t know how else to put this, but it isn’t a comfort to think about sleeping late,” Ford said.
“No worries. We’ll be sure you’re up,” Stella said. “And we do need to stay together. Plus, we have a festival to go to.”
“We’re actually going to that?” Mercury said.
“Oh, absolutely,” said Stella.
“I for one am looking forward to it,” said Karen. “Goodnight, Ford.” She went to the cot she’d already claimed as hers and began untying her shoes.
“Night.” He grinned at Mercury and Stella before exiting their classroom and closing the door behind him.
Mercury picked up her backpack and went to the cot adjacent to the one by which Stella had tossed her pack. She unzipped her backpack and held her carefully folded dirty clothes with one hand as she reached inside the main part of the pack for the holstered .38. Mercury frowned. She put the clothes on her bed and crouched beside the bag, opening its mouth wider so she could look inside.
“Fuck! The gun’s gone.”
“What?” Stella hurried to her.
“Yeah, I put it in the main part here, inside a plastic bag I found in the truck, and then I packed my clean clothes over it. It’s gone.”
“Oh no!” Karen rubbed her crucifix. “What could’ve happened?”
Mercury frantically felt around her pack. “I don’t know! I—” Her words broke off and she unzipped the small pouch in the front of the pack and pulled out the crumpled plastic bag. She opened it to find the pistol inside its holster. Mercury took it out and checked the magazine and the safety.
“Is it okay? Loaded and everything?” Stella asked.
“Yeah,” Mercury put it back in the plastic bag, tucked it inside the main part of the pack, placed her dirty clothes over it, and zipped it shut.
“Well, that’s a relief,” Karen said. “You must have forgotten you put it in the outside pouch.”
“I didn’t,” said Mercury.
“But that’s where you found it,” Karen insisted.
“I know. But I did not put it there.”
Karen pressed her lips together and returned to her cot.
Mercury met Stella’s gaze. “I seriously didn’t put it there.”
“I seriously believe you. We’ll ask Ford tomorrow if he moved it. He was carrying your backpack,” Stella said.
Mercury blew out a relieved sigh. “You’re right. Ford could’ve moved it.”
“Well, that’s the only thing that makes sense,” said Karen from across the room.
“It would also make sense that someone went through our things while we were gone,” said Mercury.