Dirty Little Liars Read Online Free PDF Page B

throat.
    “Don’t bother asking,” she said. “We ain’t got no power in half the rooms. The other half are already full.”
    “There aren’t any cars in the lot,” Ty said.
    “I didn’t see you show up in some fancy town car.”
    She had a point. Still, Juliette found it hard to believe that more than one couple had walked to this fine establishment.
    Juliette strode over to the wall of brochures and newspapers. There was nothing interesting, a few pamphlets about camping and other outdoor stuff she didn’t find appealing. She picked up a flyer on kayaking and laughed at the irony. Maybe if they were lucky a canoe would just float right past them and they could paddle their way back to civilization.
    Juliette turned back to the counter, but not before loosening the screws on the leg of the table and nudging it a tad to the right. It leaned precariously forward. Then she stepped back to join Ty who was still trying to convince the woman that they would take any available room no matter what the condition.
    “I’ll pay you double the going rate.”
    She shook her head. “It’s against company policy. I’m not losing my job for you two Yankees.”
    Juliette started to laugh but realized she was serious. She was so used to being in NYC that she sometimes forgot Virginia was south of the Mason-Dixon Line.
    Just as the old woman smacked her palm on the back of the radio the rickety side table collapsed, sending pamphlets and knickknacks flying. Ty and the woman rushed toward the mess. Juliette, on the other hand, tossed the extra pamphlet behind the counter and disappeared on the other side. On her way up she swiped a random key from the board and slipped it into her jeans pocket.
    “Damn table,” the woman swore. “I hate this place. I tell you, something is always breaking. Always.”
    Juliette grabbed Ty by the elbow and pulled him toward the door. “We should go. It looks like you have your hands full and I’m certain if we get some gas and maybe a bag of sand or salt for traction, we can get our car moving again.”
    Ty looked at Juliette as if she had spoken a foreign language. He started to protest but caught the, “we need to get the hell out of here now,” look in her eyes.
    They pushed through the door, another set of chimes bid them well, and they were suddenly back in the rain.
    “We walked two miles in the rain to get here. I’m not trudging back another two in this rain just so we can spend the night in a cramped SUV. Not when there’s a perfectly dry bed right here.”
    “I agree,” Juliette stepped into the darkness, where she was certain the hotel manager could not see her, and fished out the key from her pocket.
    Ty stared at her hand as he processed this new development. A sly grin spread across his face. He pulled Juliette close and kissed her forehead. “Consider me impressed. Did you work that whole thing with the table and the brochures too?”
    Juliette nodded. He kissed her again then took the key from her and squinted down at the number.
    “I’ve never been so happy to spend the night in what might possibly be the world’s shadiest hotel,” Juliette said.
    “This isn’t so bad. Trust me, I’ve seen worse. And there’s no indication that they charge by the hour.”
    They walked to the last door on the far side of the motel and stopped at room 12A. Ty stuck the key into the lock and pushed open the door. He hesitated before entering, as if he expected someone to jump out and yell, “Surprise!” But that didn’t happen. He reached for the switch on the side the wall. It clicked on but there was still no light.
    “She was right. No power.”
    Juliette pulled out her cell phone. She still didn’t have a signal, but the phone was fully charged and the white glow of the screen gave them enough light that they could enter the room without running into furniture.
    From what she could tell, there was a large dresser on the left side of the room with an ancient box TV set and