All Gone (The Curiosity Club of St Foy Book 1) by M. K. Jones

Author:M. K. Jones [Jones, M. K.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-05-25T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 25

Contamination

It was dark and cold when she reached the hotel, battered by driving rain and winds as she ran in. A storm had been forecast with winds up to sixty miles an hour. Walking through the foyer she felt a wave of sickness added to the now profuse sweating. Racing up to her room, the nausea overcame her and she retched in the bathroom. Then, exhausted, she fell onto the bed and slept, but not for long.

Every half an hour for several hours into the night the nausea returned, followed by retching and heaving until she could barely walk. Eventually it slowed and ceased, allowing her a few hours’ sleep before dawn. She was in a deep, dreamless sleep when what sounded like a loud clanging noise raised her to confused consciousness. Phone. She grabbed for it, groggy and finding it difficult to grasp the handset, for a few seconds unable to think where she was. She grunted into the speaker.

‘What’s the matter with you?’

‘Who is this?’

‘Kat Harris. Is something wrong?’

‘Gastric problem. Been ill. Can’t speak now. Call me in an hour.’

It took her almost half an hour of dozing to wake up, each time opening her eyes, trying and failing to raise herself from the bed. Eventually, she reached a sitting position and staggered over to the tea and coffee station to make herself a cup of tea. She drank half the contents of a bottle of water as she waited for the kettle to boil and wondered if she was going to be sick again. The nausea was still there but diminished. She drank the tea and took a few tentative steps around the room, then jumped at a loud knocking on the door.

She looked through the spyhole in the door but couldn’t see a face. ‘Who is it?’

‘Kat Harris.’

Belle groaned. What did the woman think she was doing, turning up here? And how did she know which room was Belle’s, never mind get past reception and up to the floor? Whatever, she couldn’t leave her standing in the corridor. She opened the door and Kat Harris strode past her. Belle stood for a moment, gathering her temper and allowing her stomach to settle before she turned around.

‘You look terrible. Who’s tried to poison you?’

‘No-one has tried to poison me. Unless it was you. I don’t suppose you want to confess.’

Kat Harris shot her a dirty look. ‘What good would that do me? We need each other, I told you that.’

‘All I need right now is to go back to bed. Say what you have to say, then leave. Please.’

Kat looked at her, examining Belle as she swayed slightly.’ OK. I’ll be back at lunchtime. I have interesting news.’

‘I don’t want to hear it. I’m going home as soon as I can.’

‘We’ll discuss it later.’ She left the room as Belle fell back onto the bed and was asleep again within minutes.

**

She awoke with a start at loud knocking on the door, again. What now, she thought.

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