apartment, where I dropped off the letter with his doorman, when my cell phone rings.
It could be anyone. I don’t have designated ringtones for different contacts.
But I know who it is even before I look at the screen.
Decline.
Dr. Shields’s name disappears from the surface of my phone.
What can she possibly want from me on Christmas?
Ten minutes later, when I’m almost back to my apartment, it rings again.
My plan for the rest of the day is to stay inside, with my door double-locked, and pack for my trip. I’ll order an Uber early tomorrow and head straight for the airport.
I’m not going to answer her calls.
I’m prepared to hit Decline again. But when I look at the screen this time, I see an unfamiliar number.
The private investigator, I think.
“Hello, this is Jessica Farris,” I say eagerly.
In the almost imperceptible pause that follows, my heart stutters.
“Merry Christmas, Jessica.”
I instinctively look around, but I don’t see a soul.
I’m a block away from home. I could scoop up Leo and run, I think. I could make it.
“Dinner is at six o’clock,” Dr. Shields says. “Would you like me to send a car for you?”
“What?” I say.
My mind is spinning, trying to keep up with her: She must have used a burner phone, maybe even the one she had me use to call Reyna and Tiffani. That’s why I didn’t recognize the number.
“You do recall I told your parents that you and I would celebrate the holiday together,” she continues.
“I’m not coming over!” I shout. “Not tonight, and not ever again!”
I’m about to hang up when she says in her silvery voice, “But I have a gift for you, Jessica.”
It’s the way she says it that makes my blood freeze. I’ve heard this tone before. It signals that she’s at her most dangerous.
“I don’t want it,” I say. My throat tightens. I’ve almost arrived at my building.
But the security door is open.
Did I remember to pull it shut tightly when I left? The sudden stillness of the city distracted me; I could have forgotten.
Is it safer inside, or out here on the street?
“Mmm, that’s a shame,” Dr. Shields says. She’s enjoying this; she’s like a cat playing with an injured mouse. “I guess if you won’t come over and accept my gift, I’ll have to turn it over to the police.”
“What are you talking about?” I whisper.
“The digital recording,” she says. “The one of you breaking into my town house.”
Her words hammer into me.
Thomas must have set me up. He’s the only one who knew I snuck in there.
“I just noticed my diamond necklace is missing,” Dr. Shields says lightly. “Luckily, I thought to check the security camera I recently installed. I know how desperate you are for money, Jessica, but I never thought you’d resort to this.”
I didn’t take anything, but if she turns in that recording, I’ll be arrested. No one will ever believe Thomas, her husband, gave me the key. Dr. Shields could say I watched her enter the alarm code when I was over there. She’ll have the perfect cover story.
I can’t afford a lawyer, and what good would it do? She’ll outmaneuver me at every turn.
I was wrong; things could get worse for me. Much worse.
I know what I need to say to appease her.
I close my eyes. “What do you want me to do?” I ask hoarsely.
“Just show up for dinner at six,” she says. “No need to bring anything. See you then.”
I spin around, staring at the empty streets.
I’m hyperventilating.
If I’m arrested, it will not only destroy my life but my family’s, too.
A gust of wind forces the security door to swing open a few inches. I jerk back instinctively.
Dr. Shields isn’t here, I tell myself. She knows I’ll show up at her house for dinner.
Still, I grab Leo and burst through the entryway before sprinting up the stairs.
I have my keys out long before I reach my floor. I can see my hallway is clear, but I don’t stop running until I reach my apartment.
Once I’m inside, I search my entire studio before I put Leo down.
Then I collapse onto my bed, gasping.
It’s a little after eleven o’clock. I have seven hours to figure out how to save myself.
But I have to acknowledge I might not be able to.
I close my eyes and imagine the faces of my parents and Becky, conjuring memories I’ve amassed through the years: I see my mother rushing into my elementary school nurse’s office in her good blue suit, the one she