Jingle Bell Rock Tonight by Tracey Devlyn

Author:Tracey Devlyn [Devlyn, Tracey]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Steele Ridge Publishing

3

Twenty-five minutes.

Deke’s analytical mind zipped through several scenarios, discarding them as fast as they surfaced. In the end, he went with his gut. “Check the clocks for a secret compartment, unusual marking, anything that might point us to the right lock.”

As the group dispersed, he headed for the closest timepiece, but a small hand held him back.

Evie peered up at him with troubled eyes.

“What’s the matter?”

She held up the fetish. “Something isn’t right about this place.”

He bit back his told-you-so quip. “In what way?”

“I find it too coincidental that these clues tie in with elements of our lives.”

“You didn’t feed Nora the information when you registered?” It was the one possibility that had kept his let’s-get-everyone-the-hell-out-of-here instincts in check.

She shook her head. “All I gave her was a count of how many people would be here and their names for the rooms.”

Without thought, his elbow searched for the comforting hardness of his sidearm but found only air. Given the nature of this weekend’s activities, he’d left his service weapon locked up in his gun safe at home.

“What do you think we should do?” she asked.

“Play the game.”

“Really? That's your solution?”

“Our game master is odd, but that doesn’t make her a murderer or psychopath.”

“Deke!”

“Nora and Georgie are probably playing parts to create a mysterious atmosphere.”

“What about the clues and their links to my family?”

Those he couldn’t explain away. One coincidence he could buy, but two? No-go. But he was trying to abide by her wishes and keep his law enforcement training in balance with her family’s desire for fun. The practice might kill him, but he would do anything to make Evie happy. Even a bit of misdirection to calm her fears. “Maybe the gamers did a search on social media and found a mention about the vase and fetish.”

“If it was anyone but Britt, I would agree with you. But he only set up an account a few years ago, when he opened his research center. And I can tell you there’s nothing personal posted on his account.”

“Maybe someone from your family posted about his bear fetish, at some point. That’s how social engineering works. Scammers troll your or your family’s social media, pick up an interesting fact, and then call or e-mail you in an attempt to get you to divulge personal information or click on a link that will infect your computer with malicious malware.”

“That’s disgusting.”

“And, unfortunately, effective.”

A dinner bell chimed, and they all swiveled toward the TV screen.

The black light will show you time’s secret.

“Search for something that looks like a flashlight,” Reid said.

“Got it.” Deke scooped up a small Maglite and aimed it at the furniture near him, then the ceiling, and finally the wall. A blue-black hue haloed against the white-and-gold damask wallpaper.

“Sweep the light over the clocks,” Evie suggested.

The moment the beam hit the clock face, a luminous dot appeared next to the number five. He moved to each clock and found dots on four of them.

5 - 2 - 7 - 1

As he called out the numbers, the four blank lines on the screen appeared in the correct sequence—7125.

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