she had to, she went to one of the massive stainless-steel sinks, turned on the faucet, and drank directly from it, filling herself with as much water as she could.
She walked back the way she had come, going through the hall, then along the adjacent hallway, pausing as she realized that the office, with the phones and computers, was right above her. Was it worth checking? Clearly they had done something to make her think that the phone system was down earlier, but maybe it would be up now. Maybe she’d be able to make a call. Steeling herself, she took the stairs, every creak almost stopping her heart, but on the second-floor balcony she found that the door to the office was locked. She turned to go back the way she had come, then froze as she watched a door down the hall swing open, a wedge of light spreading across the floor. The person who emerged was dressed in a long white robe and turned in the opposite direction from Abigail, sliding the door shut behind them, then swinging the adjacent door open and disappearing again. The light wasn’t great, but Abigail felt pretty sure the figure had long hair, which didn’t mean much, but whoever it was also had very narrow shoulders. If it was a woman, then it had to be Mellie. The more she thought about it, the more she was convinced it was Mellie. It made sense that as an employee she would sleep in the lodge, and the room next to hers was most likely a bathroom.
Abigail couldn’t decide what to do, and then suddenly she heard the muffled sound of a toilet being flushed, and the person was back in the hallway. Moving as quietly as possible, she ran forward, quickly seeing that it really was Mellie, who was now watching Abigail approach.
“Shh,” Abigail said, holding a finger in front of her lips as she got to Mellie, who looked confused and half-asleep.
“Ab—” Mellie started.
“They killed Jill,” Abigail whispered, interrupting. “Her husband just beat her to death with a rock. I saw the whole thing.”
Mellie was pale in the dim light, her eyes wide. “I can’t help you,” she said, stammering a little. “You need to get away from here.”
“I can’t. That’s what I’m telling you. I was a witness to a murder.”
“I’m sorry,” Mellie said, taking a step backward. “No one here can help you.”
“Listen to what I’m telling you. I’ve been drugged and beat up. It was some sort of elaborate joke, but then Alec Greenly really did kill his wife. I saw the whole thing.”
Mellie was shaking her head, her eyes darting, as though the two women were being watched. “I believe you,” she said, her voice now a whisper as well. “Everyone who works here knows the things they do. But listen to me: no one here will help you.”
“I’m not asking about someone else, I’m asking about you.”
Mellie was shaking her head again, and her chin had begun to quiver. “There’s nothing …”
She stopped speaking because the front door of the lodge had swung inward, and the beam of a flashlight was slicing across the great hall. Mellie gripped Abigail’s arm and pulled her into a narrow bedroom, dark except for the moonlight coming through a large screened window. “Go out the window onto the roof. It’s only about a five-foot drop to the ground.” She was raising the screen, carefully, so as not to make any noise.
“Can’t I hide here?” Abigail whispered.
“I can’t. No. Please leave. I won’t tell them you were here, but that’s all I can do.”
Abigail thought she heard footsteps on the stairs that led up to the second level, and she swung a leg through the window, sliding out onto a slightly angled metal roof. She carefully worked her way down to the edge and saw that Mellie was right, it was only a short drop. She gripped the edge of the gutter and lowered herself down as she heard the screen sliding back into place. It was quiet outside, lighter than it had been in the lodge. The moon, not covered by clouds, allowed her to see fifty yards toward the tennis courts, surrounded by woods, and to her left was the road that led away from the camp and toward the airfield. She skirted the building, moving to her left, until she got to its edge, then ran low and fast across the road and into the woods on the