Aldrich smiled as he parked the car, noting it was about an hour until sunset. Greyson wanted him gone by then and he would be. He’d planned everything down to the last detail; had all the angles covered. Now he just had to get rid of Taylor, collect the woman, and be on his way. He stepped out of the car, the little tool box in his hand, and casually looked around. Excellent. No one in sight.
Pulling out the key, he unlocked the door, keeping his gun at the ready. He suspected they would try to attack the minute he entered the room. Ha! He was no fool, he was ready for them. Flexing his fingers on the gun, he took a deep breath, turned the handle, and then in a rush shoved the door open.
Muscles tensed, he braced himself for the attack. Somewhere in his mind he registered surprise that it wasn’t happening immediately. His gaze quickly skimmed the room as he wondered from where the ambush would occur. Suddenly, the sweep of his eyes came to an abrupt halt. There was a gaping hole in the floor. Dropping his arm to his side, the gun dangled useless from his fingers. Damn! They found the escape tunnel.
Aldrich pocketed the gun and ran his hands agitatedly through his hair. This wasn’t part of his plan! For a moment he let his fury get the better of him as he slammed his fist into the wall then kicked the table. Then, exerting the self-control he’d cultivated all his life, he pulled himself together and considered the options while rubbing his sore knuckles. He inhaled and exhaled deeply, forcing himself to focus on the end goal... He narrowed his eyes as his thinking came into sharp focus. They hadn’t won yet. There were always other options if one was just clever enough and persistent enough to find them.
He widened his eyes as a possibility occurred to him. The route through the sewers was convoluted, involving crawling through sludge and pulling open a series of grates. There were also a few dead ends if one took the wrong turn. However, the above ground route to the culvert where the sewer ended could be traversed in but a short length of time.
Smirking, Aldrich exited the safe house and locked the door before taking off through the woods to the drainage ditch where his werewolf would be emerging.
*****
Cassandra rolled over in bed, cautious to not make any sounds that would indicate she was awake. She eyed the crack of light that appeared beneath the door that connected her bedroom to the sitting room. The faint sound of voices let her know that the nurse was engrossed in her favourite television show. In the week that the woman had been employed by her uncle, she hadn’t varied in her routine, always watching the latest craze in reality shows at this time. Since the program lasted an hour, Cassandra calculated that she had plenty of time to sneak out, check the small hut at the back of the property, and be back in bed without anyone noticing her absence.
While it was still light outside, her room was dark due to the heavy curtains on the windows. This would work to her advantage on the off chance that anyone peeked inside to check on her. Climbing out of bed, she arranged her pillows to mimic the shape of a body. Then she drew the covers over them and stood back to admire the effect. It was a juvenile trick, but since everyone insisted on treating her as a child, she had no other recourse.
After giving the covers a final twitch, she hurriedly pulled on jeans and a T-shirt, slid her feet into her running shoes, and peered out the window.
She analysed the view. The trees cast long shadows in the late afternoon light; Cassandra’s attention was caught by the vehicle parked on the gravel near the hut. Hmm... There was Mr. Aldrich’s car. And he was exiting the hut and heading off through the woods. Now that was peculiar. Perhaps she’d follow him first rather than checking out the hut. Casting a final glance at the door to the sitting room where the nurse was likely still engrossed in watching TV, she exited her room and stealthily crept down the hallway.
There was an old dumb-waiter at the end of the hall. No one ever used it. In fact, its existence was almost forgotten. Cassie had used the fact to her advantage several times. Despite its age, the miniature elevator worked smoothly due to her application of baby oil to the pulleys and gears. With practised ease, she climbed in and lowered herself to main floor, just inside the kitchen pantry. Holding her breath, she listened as she heard Franklin speaking to Cook.
“Mr. Greyson will be eating by himself tonight.”
“And Miss Cassandra?”
“He said you could send a light meal up to her room, though he doubts she’ll be eating much.”
“Poor dear, plagued with such dreadful headaches.”
“Indeed. Oh, and don’t forget to send something up to the new nurse.”
Cassie heard the cook tsking in what sounded like disapproval.