A Sticky Inheritance by Emily James

Author:Emily James [James, Emily]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Cozy, Crime, Fiction, Mystery & Detective, Thriller, Women Sleuths
ISBN: 9781988480442
Google: inIrxwEACAAJ
Publisher: Stronghold Books
Published: 2019-07-02T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

I stumbled to my feet, but the world spun around me and my stomach rolled. Every step felt like the floor tipped under me in a different direction.

How long I had been breathing this in? The smell, like a mix of rotten eggs and skunk, was strong, but didn’t they make it that way on purpose so you’d know in time if you had a leak? What happened to Uncle Stan’s carbon monoxide detectors? Back when he lived in Virginia, he was the kind of man who changed his fire alarm batteries with the twice-yearly time change and had not one but two carbon monoxide detectors in his thousand-square-foot apartment.

I focused on dragging my mind back from the rabbit trails it wanted to run down. Had to be the effect of the gas.

I couldn’t remember if I was supposed to open a window if I smelled gas or if I was supposed to leave the house and call the gas company. My brain felt fuzzy, like someone took an eraser to it. I picked up my purse and headed for the stairs. I wasn’t going to risk taking the time to open a window. I needed to get out.

I tripped over my own feet and caught myself on the railing, inches from tumbling head-first down the stairs.

One step at a time. I reached the bottom.

It was dark outside. Dark in the house. But I didn’t dare turn on any lights.

I ran my shin into something, and pain spiraled up my leg.

The door had to be somewhere to the left. I limped toward it and groped around until I located the doorknob. It didn’t budge.

My heart punched up into my throat. Don’t let it be stuck. Don’t let it be stuck.

I tugged again, straining all the muscles in my back. Wait. It couldn’t be stuck. I’d come in through this door a few hours ago. Had I locked it?

I felt for the lock switch and turned it. I wrenched the knob again. This time the door flew open easily and I half raced, half fell out the door and into the yard. I left the door hanging open behind me.

I gulped in breaths of air so cold it burned down into my lungs. My coat was inside, but I wasn’t going back for it.

I glanced behind me, barely able to make out the bulk of the house. Dark clouds blocked out all but the tiniest sliver of light from the moon.

My head started to clear, and my teeth chattered. I still felt too close. I backed up right to the edge of the trees and took out my phone, dialing 9-1-1.

The dispatcher assured me she was sending help. She wanted me to stay on the line, but my hands shook so hard I couldn’t hold the phone. I accidentally dropped it, and the call disconnected.

The eerie darkness closed in on me, along with a sense of absolute vulnerability. I wrapped my arms around my waist. Somehow I needed to focus my mind on something other than the fact that I could have died and that I was alone out here.

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