The time passed pleasantly enough as Katrina learned more new games. She even beat Gavin from time to time, although she wasn’t certain if he had simply let her win or if she really had been lucky enough to legitimately win the game.
In the late afternoon, Katrina was startled by a knock at the door. Gavin made her hide in the bathroom while he answered it. It was Sally, returning with bags of groceries and a mysterious shrouded box which was immediately tucked away in Gavin’s half of the suite.
Sally made dinner from some of the groceries she’d brought. Katrina noted the plentitude of groceries, and hoped they weren’t going to stay in the motel long enough to eat all of them.
The peace Katrina had gained during the afternoon allowed her to relax enough to realize the dinner was marvelous; Sally was an excellent cook. After dinner, Gavin went into his side of the suite, and returned with the mysterious box. He handed it to her with a flourish. When Katrina had removed it from the plastic bag, it was revealed to be an ice cream freezer. Katrina was amazed.
Sally soon had her assisting in the kitchenette, where they tripped over each other in the limited space while they made Katrina’s first ever home made ice cream—vanilla with peaches.
Once the dessert had frozen, the three of them settled around the table to eat it, and Katrina showed Sally what a ruthless Sorry player she’d become, as she killed both Sally’s and Gavin’s tokens several times and waltzed all of her men into their home before thy could stop her.
The phone rang in Gavin’s room and he went in to answer it. Katrina could hear Gavin’s voice, but he spoke softly enough she couldn’t make out any of the words. When he returned, he announced it had been Detective Beals, checking to make sure everything was all right. Sally looked sharply at Gavin, and he shook his head almost imperceptibly in answer.
Katrina understood that to mean Charleston hadn’t been caught yet, and they were determined to keep this fact from her. She bit her inner lip to keep silent as anger boiled up inside her. She wasn’t a baby; she was a grown woman. Though she needed protection from her, well, husband, it didn’t mean she needed to be protected from the truth of what was happening around her. She bit her lip in frustration, but wanted to continue her own deception of trust.
Around nine in the evening as they finished another game of Sorry, Gavin announced it was time for bed. Katrina felt a bit sulky; there was no need for him to treat her like a child. One look at his face, though, disabused her of the notion that arguing with him would get her anywhere. She put the game pieces back in the box and rose to go to her room.
She was halfway to her bedroom door when Gavin spoke.
“Katrina.”
She looked over her shoulder at him as he stood and fished around in his shirt pocket. He pulled out her bottle of medication, opened it, and shook out two of the white tablets.
“I want you to take these before you go to bed. The doctor said they’ll help you sleep better, and a good night’s sleep will help you heal faster.”
Katrina nodded, then moved back to the table. She took the pills with the last of her glass of water and went to her room. She changed into her nightie and lay down. The pills worked their magic quickly, and Katrina slid into a deep and dreamless sleep.
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