Vacation Therapy by Lance Zarimba

Author:Lance Zarimba
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: MLR Press, LLC

Chapter 31—Exposed

"Where the hell have you been?” Sergio demanded when I stepped back into the room. His eyes focused on what I carried. “And what do you have there?"

"Wait until you see this.” I hurried over and sat on the bed. Flipping through the pile, I pulled out his folder, turned it around, and flashed him his name.

He read Sergio Wyzlic and snatched it from my hands. “Where did you get this?” he asked, sitting down on the bed next to me.

"I searched Duane's room and found a briefcase full of files. It looks like he had files on everyone at the resort. Let me tell you, it was pretty creepy, but I really flipped out when I saw your name on a file.” I motioned to the one in his hands.

Tentatively, he opened the manila folder. The top sheet contained a Xeroxed copy of his South Dakota driver's license.

"How did they get that?” he asked.

"When's your birthday? And what year were you born?” I asked, trying to peer over his shoulder to see how old he really was.

Sergio quickly flipped the sheet over. “Let's see what else is in here."

Copies of his cosmetology license, birth certificate, credit card bills, and bank statement came next. The last sheet had “Arrest Record” written in fine black print. “What's this?” I pulled the sheet out.

"Nothing,” Sergio said, grabbing it out of my hands. He quickly crumpled it into a ball and shoved it between his legs.

"You were arrested?” My eyebrows wrinkled. “For what?"

"It was all a mistake.” He shifted on the bed, trying hard to protect the crumpled paper.

"You're kidding, right? You were never arrested."

"That's right. The sheet is wrong. The case was thrown out of court. Dismissed."

"Dismissed?” I was confused. “So, you were arrested? Really?"

"I don't want to talk about it.” He closed his file and set it down on the other side of him. He folded his arms across his chest and hugged himself tightly.

With his defensive posturing, I had to approach this carefully. “Maybe it would help us understand what Duane had on everyone, that is, if we knew whether the information was true or not."

Suddenly, a new idea struck. “Could he have been blackmailing people?” I lifted the pile of folders off my lap and shook them. “Maybe there's something in these files that someone would kill to keep under wraps?"

Sergio's skinny legs gently tremored up and down, and he avoided making eye contact.

"How bad could it be?” I nudged him in the shoulder. “You didn't kill anyone, did you?"

He stopped tapping his leg, and his body tensed visibly.

"Come on, you can trust me.” I placed my hand on his folder.

He flinched, but didn't pull away. He took a deep breath and exhaled. “When I was in cosmo school...” He swallowed hard. “I can't."

"I've done a lot of stupid things in my life. Things I'm not proud of, but I've learned from them, and they made me who I am today. For better or for worse."

He struggled with himself for a while and then finally started.

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