had come from above her or below.
Hide, she commanded herself. She eased open the door to her right and tiptoed into the corridor. Once again she was engulfed in darkness, but after a moment she could make out the doors to two apartments. She prayed they’d be unlocked like the one upstairs. She reached the closest and twisted the handle with trembling fingers. It opened.
No lights were on, but the windows were curtain-less and there was just enough illumination from outside for her to pick out shapes. The place was nearly empty, no furniture. And floors here were laid with builder’s paper, too. She closed the door behind her and started toward the back of the apartment. An aluminum ladder had been propped against the wall just outside the bedroom and as she rushed by, her elbow caught the edge of it.
She knew from the apartment upstairs that there was a walk-in closet in the bedroom and she hurried toward it. She opened the door and stepped into total blackness. Her body brushed against something hard and metal—another ladder she realized. She could feel paint cans with her feet, a cluster of them on the floor.
After tugging the door shut, she tore open her purse and searched for her phone. Where the hell is it? she wondered desperately. Finally she had it clutched in her fist.
But first she listened. Making sure the apartment was empty.
Kelman answered on the first ring.
“All set?” he asked.
“I’m in trouble,” she whispered, the words barely forming.
“Where?”
“North Moore Street.” In her terror she struggled to recall the number. “I think 22—” She realized she wasn’t alone in the apartment. She could hear footsteps advancing toward the bedroom, making a swishing sound on the paper that lined the floor.
“Kit?” Kelman called.
“Shhh—” she told him, dropping the phone into her coat pocket.
A bar of light popped beneath the door. Two more footsteps.
And then, horrified, she watched as the door swung open. Keith Holt was standing there.
“My goodness,” he said. “Are we playing hide and seek now?”
There was menace in his tone. She knew what she’d guessed upstairs was probably true, but she couldn’t let him see that in her eyes.
“I’m sorry,” she said, her voice choked. “I was frightened.”
“Frightened?”
“I told you upstairs. Some things have happened to me. Then we heard that noise.”
He pursed his lips.
“I thought someone had gotten off the elevator,” he said, “but when I came back inside, I realized we’d simply heard the wind rattling the windows up front.”
“Well,” she said, forcing a smile that she knew looked fake, “another reason this might not be the perfect place to live.”
“Ah, yes.”
“What about the agent?” she asked, shifting a little to the left. She was still in the closet and she needed to get out. But he was standing squarely in front of her, like some kind of colossus. “Maybe we should see if she’s in the lobby.”
He pursed his lips again. “Actually, no agent was ever coming. To be perfectly honest, I needed a little time alone with you tonight. I’m still trying to figure out what kind of game you’re playing.”
Her knees went soft, ready to buckle. Yes, she’d been right. He was one of the doctors, in the middle of everything.
“You need to let me leave, Dr. Holt,” she said, raising her voice slightly in the hope that Kelman could hear her and realize who she was with.
“No, I can’t do that. Because I see you’ve figured it out now. I’m not sure how you did it, but I can read it in your face.”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“Oh, yes, you do.” Holt’s whole body tightened. “If you’re smart, you won’t play any more games with me.”
Maybe, she thought desperately, there was a way to bargain with him.
“Please, I’m not playing any games. But tell me what you want.”
“For starters, I want the fucking flash drive,” he snarled.
There it was again. The freaking flash drive.
“Who told you I have that?”
“Matt Healy. And don’t dare tell me you have no clue what I’m talking about.”
She shook her head.
“No, I’ll be straight with you, I promise. But—but I want to understand.” She realized she needed to keep him talking, give Kelman a chance to try to reach her, to call the police. “You worked with Healy? You told him about the drug results?”
He scoffed, shook his head in disgust.
“To my utter regret, yes. Oh, he was all wine and dine and big bucks when we first met. Wanted to pay me nicely for