Beastly Winter — Chapter 31

As Will began to open his car door, the wind grabbed it and flung it back hard against its limit. The howling wind rushed in, hurling loose objects in a whirlwind toward the other side. He removed his hat and placed it in the passenger seat. It would never stay on his head in this blasting snowstorm. He’d need both hands to hold onto Lance’s breakfast in the styrofoam container.

The food would be nearly as cold as the weather. Oh, well. Lance should be plenty hungry by now. He’d growl and complain, but he’d eat it fast enough.

The back flap of his long coat lifted behind him as he bent his head down and struggled through the storm. When he was inside, he called out.

“Lance, I got your meal. Better late than never, huh?”

There was no answer. Lance had probably been asleep since Will left him there to go to the café. Or else, he was just being his usual grumpy self. As he walked by Lily’s small dispatch office, he glanced through the bulletproof glass where she took ticket payments through a small slot at the bottom. She still wasn’t there. He’d have to go in a little while to check on her.

Carrying the styrofoam take-out tray into the cell area, he flipped the lights up to bright then looked at the barred door of Lance’s cell. It stood wide open with no one inside. What the hell?