store.”
“Ah, you’re at a crossroads in your relationship,” Arnold said knowingly.
“You could say that,” Jeremiah answered, his tone a bit cool.
Cindy glanced up at him. Jeremiah was smiling, but it was a cold smile that didn’t light up his face like his genuine ones did.
“Well, I can assure you that there is no better place to get away, relax, reflect, and find your way than here. My staff and I will do everything in our power to make your journey as fulfilling as possible.”
“Your staff? Are you the manager?” Cindy asked.
“The owner, actually, but I prefer to think of us as one big, happy family.”
Even the way he said that made her feel slightly uncomfortable. His words were smooth, oily almost, and they seemed to slide over her as though he was seeking to lull her into a false sense of security. The word that bubbled up in her mind was snake .
But she forced herself to smile at the serpent that was smiling at her. She couldn’t help but think that they might have already found the person responsible for Malcolm’s disappearance. It took every ounce of willpower she had to not let her true feelings show.
She felt Jeremiah’s fingers tighten slightly around hers. She wondered if he was sensing her desire to get away from Arnold.
“You have a beautiful facility, it must have cost a fortune to build,” Jeremiah said.
Jeremiah was trying to get something out of the man. Talking about the cost of things was something he wasn’t prone to doing otherwise.
“A little, but I was raised to believe that if you’re going to do something, you have to do it to the best of your ability, give it everything you have. That’s the only way to go through life. Wouldn’t you agree?”
“Of course.”
“And the cost was worth it. Every day I am repaid a thousand times over when a client tells us that we have helped them in some way.”
He was lying. She felt it instinctively. The money was important to him, but she had a feeling the one thing that meant even more than that was image. And he was doing his best to sell an image to them. Only she wasn’t buying and she was sure Jeremiah wasn’t either.
“Could you tell us a little more about the group sessions?” Cindy asked. Jeremiah wasn’t ending the conversation so he must be still acquiring information. The least she could do was help stall until he was ready to leave.
“Actually, I’d prefer to wait until a little later this afternoon when I’ll be able to talk to everyone at once.”
“We understand,” Jeremiah said.
“I appreciate that. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a few things still to prepare before the meet-and-greet.”
“Of course, we’ll just continue our little tour,” Jeremiah said.
They turned and they left the glass building. As they did so, the hair on the back of Cindy’s neck suddenly lifted and she felt a chill dance down her spine. She turned her head and saw Arnold standing in the middle of the room, a smile on his face, but there was a shadow in his eyes.
6
Jeremiah could tell that Cindy was ready to declare Arnold responsible for what happened to Malcolm. He wasn’t convinced yet, but the man did have a sliminess about him that made Jeremiah uncomfortable. They continued walking and soon came upon a couple of smaller rooms that were set up like the glass one only with far fewer cushions on the floor. He guessed these were the smaller group meeting rooms.
As they walked they also discovered a large pool with sand surrounding it to imitate a beach, a restroom area, a small covered hut set up with two massage tables, and three buildings that were marked with Staff Only signs. Throughout it all he only saw three security cameras. A resort hotel would have had more than that. He couldn’t decide if the lack of them here was to protect the privacy of the clientele or the staff. Either way it was good for him as far as being able to have pretty free range of the place. It was bad
“Ah, you’re at a crossroads in your relationship,” Arnold said knowingly.
“You could say that,” Jeremiah answered, his tone a bit cool.
Cindy glanced up at him. Jeremiah was smiling, but it was a cold smile that didn’t light up his face like his genuine ones did.
“Well, I can assure you that there is no better place to get away, relax, reflect, and find your way than here. My staff and I will do everything in our power to make your journey as fulfilling as possible.”
“Your staff? Are you the manager?” Cindy asked.
“The owner, actually, but I prefer to think of us as one big, happy family.”
Even the way he said that made her feel slightly uncomfortable. His words were smooth, oily almost, and they seemed to slide over her as though he was seeking to lull her into a false sense of security. The word that bubbled up in her mind was snake .
But she forced herself to smile at the serpent that was smiling at her. She couldn’t help but think that they might have already found the person responsible for Malcolm’s disappearance. It took every ounce of willpower she had to not let her true feelings show.
She felt Jeremiah’s fingers tighten slightly around hers. She wondered if he was sensing her desire to get away from Arnold.
“You have a beautiful facility, it must have cost a fortune to build,” Jeremiah said.
Jeremiah was trying to get something out of the man. Talking about the cost of things was something he wasn’t prone to doing otherwise.
“A little, but I was raised to believe that if you’re going to do something, you have to do it to the best of your ability, give it everything you have. That’s the only way to go through life. Wouldn’t you agree?”
“Of course.”
“And the cost was worth it. Every day I am repaid a thousand times over when a client tells us that we have helped them in some way.”
He was lying. She felt it instinctively. The money was important to him, but she had a feeling the one thing that meant even more than that was image. And he was doing his best to sell an image to them. Only she wasn’t buying and she was sure Jeremiah wasn’t either.
“Could you tell us a little more about the group sessions?” Cindy asked. Jeremiah wasn’t ending the conversation so he must be still acquiring information. The least she could do was help stall until he was ready to leave.
“Actually, I’d prefer to wait until a little later this afternoon when I’ll be able to talk to everyone at once.”
“We understand,” Jeremiah said.
“I appreciate that. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a few things still to prepare before the meet-and-greet.”
“Of course, we’ll just continue our little tour,” Jeremiah said.
They turned and they left the glass building. As they did so, the hair on the back of Cindy’s neck suddenly lifted and she felt a chill dance down her spine. She turned her head and saw Arnold standing in the middle of the room, a smile on his face, but there was a shadow in his eyes.
6
Jeremiah could tell that Cindy was ready to declare Arnold responsible for what happened to Malcolm. He wasn’t convinced yet, but the man did have a sliminess about him that made Jeremiah uncomfortable. They continued walking and soon came upon a couple of smaller rooms that were set up like the glass one only with far fewer cushions on the floor. He guessed these were the smaller group meeting rooms.
As they walked they also discovered a large pool with sand surrounding it to imitate a beach, a restroom area, a small covered hut set up with two massage tables, and three buildings that were marked with Staff Only signs. Throughout it all he only saw three security cameras. A resort hotel would have had more than that. He couldn’t decide if the lack of them here was to protect the privacy of the clientele or the staff. Either way it was good for him as far as being able to have pretty free range of the place. It was bad
Similar Books
