“That must be the room they were talking about, the one they said we have to set aside.”

Her excitement faded as she confronted the physical reality of a barricaded segment of their new house. Was there really going to be a part of their own home that would be off limits to them, that they would not be allowed to enter? The thought left her dispirited. She tried to remember what the room looked like but for some reason couldn’t seem to recall. On a whim, she walked back outside and around the east side of the house, intending to look in the window. The drapes were closed, however, and there was not even a crack through which she could peek.

Lane had not followed her, and when she returned, she found him in what was going to be their bedroom.

“I don’t want to sleep here tonight,” she told him.

“The first night in our new house and you don’t want to stay here?”

“No.”

“I thought we’d put a mattress on the floor, get a bottle of champagne…It’d be romantic.”

“Romantic? With that boarded-up room ten feet away?”

“It’s not boarded up.”

“It might as well be.” She glanced down the darkened hall. “It’s creepy, Lane. It’s like those rooms in horror movies where the deformed son is tied up or grandma’s stuffed body is in a chair by the window.”

“Come on.”

“What do you mean, ‘come on?’ This is our house...”

“Yeah, but like they said, we got a great deal, and it’s better than renting out a room to some loser.”

“Is it?” She took a deep breath. “I’m happy we have our house. I am. Really.” She stepped into the hallway, and he followed her. “But this…” She rattled the knob on the locked door. “Having a forbidden room right in the middle of our home? It’s creepy, Lane. You know it is.”

“It’s not ideal,” he admitted.

“We should’ve asked for more details. What are they going to use the room for? Can they access it anytime they want? Can they show up at three in the morning and order us to let them in? Or do they have a key to the front door so they can come in anytime they want, whether we’re here or not?”

Lane was silent for a moment. “You’re right.” He grasped the knob himself, tried to turn it. Kneeling down, he peered at the keyhole. “You know, I might be able to pick this lock…”

Panic rose within her. “No!”

He stood, turning, surprised by her outburst.

“Don’t open it.”