268 Alex - Key to Your Heart
Alex smiled.
She refused to break eye contact. She made a resolution last night. From now on, Logan's tricks won't faze her. He wasn't the only one who could play this game. It wasn't the first time they happened either. He should actually know better by now.
Bumping her nose against his, Alex whispered. "Sure, why not?"
She felt him froze. A smirk played on her lips. She shifted her weight to her toes, rising up slowly. Her breath tickled his skin. She paused and waited.
Her gray eyes watched him as he hooded his eyes.
It was perfect.
At the next second, Alex wiped a hand on her lips then, slapped it on Logan's. She seized the chance and shoved him away from the drawer. "There you go. A hand delivered flying kiss. I'm not sure if my hand tastes better than the keys though."
Logan stepped back. He needed to unless he wanted to fall over. Sometimes he wondered why he didn't fall for a sweet girl. If Alex had asked for a reward, he would have given it in a heartbeat.
A vault and a white folder sat inside the drawer.
Alex took them out and placed them on the table. The vault had a keypad, asking for another combination. She figured that was what the folder was for. She opened it and found several police records. Each sheet contained the details of a crime.
She began to read one out loud. "On November 5th, 1995, Lawrence Nightingale was shot. His body laid on an empty street. The autopsies reported that he didn't die right away. No evidence of the gun was found. The crime scene only had a pack of cigarettes."
Logan snatched the next piece of paper.
"On October 27th, 2000, drug dealers were detained from an abandoned apartment. One of them slipped and caused a fire. It spread out across the building. Marijuana littered the floor of their living room."
He frowned and checked out the other paper. "These dates are oddly specific. Do you think that's relevant? It's the only thing that could tell us the order of the password's digits."
"They're describing crime scenes." Alex bit her inner cheek. Her gray eyes flickered to the corkboard beside the height chart. "I think it's those hazy dark photos."
Her feet went into action. She scanned each picture. Their lack of lightning made it difficult to see the details. One managed to catch her eye. It had a chalk drawing of a man's silhouette. She traced it with a finger, moving to other spots in the photo.
Her fingertip landed on a pack of cigarettes.
Alex ripped it off the corkboard. It ripped at the top.
"Oops," she muttered. She had forgotten about the pin. Her hand turned the picture over. A number had been written on it. "Yep, it's these photos. We just need to arrange them by date."
Logan nodded, heading over to find the other two photos. Alex grabbed the remaining police records. Her brain noted down the keywords and searched the corkboard. Together, they arranged the dates accordingly. Then, they matched the pictures against it.
A six-digit combination stared back at them.
090396
Alex punched it on the keypad.
The door opened.
Logan reached for the item inside.
It was a small box…
… with a peculiar lock.
It had a round shape with four arrows. They pointed at different directions, much like a cross. The middle had a circular button. Numbers and letters surrounded the outline. They divided into four and followed where the arrows pointed at.
Alex peeked beside him. "What is it?"
"It seems to be about directions," Logan replied, shaking his head. Nothing about the lock gave a hint. He tried to push an arrow button. It lit up in the green. He did the same with the others and studied it.
Then, it turned red.
"Yep," he said as he smacked his lips, "We need another combination. Does the vault have anything?"
Alex patted her hand. It landed on another folded piece of paper. She scowled at its contents. "It's another police record. Let me read it and see if it has any clue."
Logan moved from the lock to the box. It was small and could fit in his palm. A small note was tapped at the bottom. "My dear friend, do you remember the grand chase? How the police chased the car all around downtown? Well, directions aren't always what they seem."
"That's exactly what this paper says!" Alex explained. Her eyes went back to the first paragraph and read it for him. "Outside of Paxton Building, John had just gotten into his car when police sirens appeared behind. He quickly made a right turn and drove towards the public library."
Listening carefully, Logan pushed the right arrow.
"John reached the roundabout and steered to the left, heading for the hospital."
He pushed the left arrow.
"Then, he sneaked inside an alleyway that led him north. At the end, he chose the left side of the road and found himself near city hall. He put the car in reverse, changing his mind. He made a U-turn and drove the right side instead. The car came out of the hospital's corner. The street led him back to the roundabout where John was apprehended."
Logan kept up with the story and pushed the buttons in order.
When Alex finished, he hit the center button.
It lit in red.
"What?" Alex asked. "Did you push the right arrows?"
"I did!" Logan defended. He handed over the lock. "Here, let's switch. Maybe you'll interpret it differently. Some clues felt off so I went with my gut."
They redid the whole scenario with Alex in charge of the lock. She imagined the car in her mind, following it as the story went along. Wherever it turned, she pushed the corresponding arrow.
It went well until she heard the last sentence.
She fell into a stump.
"The street led him back to the roundabout where John was apprehended?" Alex repeated. The lock became red from inactivity. "Where is the roundabout? Straight ahead? So north?"
Logan pressed his lips together. They exchanged a look. "The only way we can say he went straight ahead is if there was an intersection. The sentence doesn't state that. It just said that he followed the street so there wasn't one."
"Then, the part about him taking a right is supposed to be the last direction?"
'It didn't make sense,' Alex thought. The logic had to be consistent for it to work. Based on her mental map, the car went north before it made a right turn. If it came back to the roundabout, it basically did a square. That meant the car went south instead.
But, from its viewpoint, it merely made another right turn.
So was it south or right?
Alex stomped her foot. "How much time do we have left?"
She turned around, looking at the timer.
They had 10 minutes left.
"Shoot!" She yelled. The pressure was on. Judging the box's size, it contained the key to the door. "This is literally the last puzzle. I'll be so bummed if we don't get it."
The thrill of each success pumped up her spirit. It felt great to use her brain for more than just school. They didn't even use a clue! It would mean less if they did so now. The victory wouldn't feel the same.
Alex hung her head. A moan trembled in her throat.
Logan wrapped an arm around her shoulder, hugging her sideway. His lips touched her temple.
"It's not over yet. The note does hint that directions aren't always what they seem. It has to be a clue about the confusion," he began to say. His mind raced with ideas, ready to brainstorm. "What has directions? A test? A recipe? A map?"
"The map!" Alex shouted. Her eyes flew open as she slapped his chest.
"Ow!"
"Ohmygods, I really need to stop hitting you."
Logan gave her a look. He rubbed the sore spot. "You think?"
Alex shook her head, feeling lost. What was she supposed to do? There wasn't anything in this room that could ease the pain. She bit her bottom and said the first that came to her mind.
"Fine, I'll do you a favor later."
"Even a kiss?" Logan challenged. He narrowed his gaze and watched her face closely.
"Yes, even a kiss!" She confirmed, rolling her eyes. She grabbed his wrist and pulled him to the other table. A map hung below the timer. "As long as we win this game!"
Letting him go, she pointed to a building.
"There it is! Paxton Building! It even has a red dot." Her finger traced her narration, creating the picture of the grand chase. "John Doe made a right turn. That means it led him to this street which… actually points south! Logan, you do the rest so I can push the arrow buttons."
Logan shook the paper in his left hand. His right one gestured towards the map. He narrated the next line. "John reached the roundabout and steered to the left, heading for the hospital."
Alex followed his right hand. Since John went south first, his left turned out to be towards the East. She pushed the right button. They had it wrong all along! All of their directions were off. With the map's compass to guide them, everything became consistent.
"The street led him back to the roundabout where John was apprehended," Logan finished. He put the paper down and peeked at the lock.
Nothing happened.
"What?" He blinked, scrunching his eyebrows. "Is it still wrong?"
The timer echoed above them. The seconds ticked by, counting down to 5 minutes.
…
…
…
…
…
"Wait, I think it becomes red when we take too long." Alex said suddenly. She recalled the directions, keeping them in order. "John went south, east, north, west, east and south."
The lock glowed in green.
Then, it opened.
A key fell out of the box.
Logan snatched it off the floor and headed for the door. The key fit into the hole perfectly. Alex dropped the box on the table, trailing behind him. The lounge emerged in her vision. She squealed at the taste of freedom. After the dim room, the bright lights made the achievement even more real.
A burst of electricity jolted in her veins.
She jumped up, leaping forward…
…
…
…
…
…
… and landing on Logan's back.
He caught the back of her knees as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. She was in a frenzy. Too much energy stimulated her body and soul. Closing her eyes, she puckered her lips and kissed his cheek.
Logan's body went rigid.
Before Alex could break away, his hand went to the back of her head. He locked her in place and twisted his neck until their lips met. The same strawberry taste enraptured his senses. Would he ever get enough of it? He didn't care where they were.
They just escaped prison!
At least, figuratively.
Alex melted. The previous adrenaline rush slowly faded away. Her muscles relaxed as the kiss went on. Warmth replaced the buzzing energy and calmed her down. It was something she never thought was possible.
When Logan pulled back, his emerald eyes stared straight into her gray ones. They slipped past physical barriers and saw into her soul. His heart raced in his chest. He'd never seen something more beautiful.
Alex didn't know what he was looking at her for. What did he see for adoration to fill in his gaze? Her hand moved and brushed his cheek. Logan turned his head and kissed her fingertips. His lips touched them as if they were fragile.
Her heart stopped.
In that moment, three words almost slipped out of her mouth.
