She didn’t open the egg right away; she was afraid to. When they returned to the dark apartment, they found Lila lighting the candelabras with a long match. Her face was drained of color, her hair brittle and askew. She called them over to the sofa and held out a book.
“Would you read to me?”
Little Women: Sara opened the cover to a puff of dust from its yellowed pages.
“I haven’t heard this one in ages,” Lila sighed.
Sara was made to read for hours. Part of her mind registered the story as interesting, but the rest was in a fog. The language was difficult, and she often lost her place. Kate’s attention waned; eventually she fell asleep. It seemed entirely possible that Lila was going to make Sara read the entire book.
“I need to go to the bathroom,” Sara said finally. “I’ll be right back.”
Before Lila could say anything, she stepped briskly to the lavatory and closed the door. She pulled up her robe and sat on the toilet and withdrew the egg from her pocket. Her heart was beating wildly. A flicker of hesitation; then she opened it and unfolded the paper.
The package is in the garden shed at the edge of the courtyard. Look beneath the floorboards to the left of the door. The target is the senior staff meeting in the conference room, tomorrow 1130 hrs. Take the central elevator to the fourth floor, then the first hallway on the right. The last door on the left is the conference room. Tell the guard that Guilder sent for you. Sergio lives.
She had returned the paper to the egg when there came an urgent rapping on the door. “Dani! I need you!”
“Just a second!”
The handle jiggled. Had she locked it?
“I have the key, Dani! Please, open the door!”
Sara lurched off the toilet, sending the egg skittering across the floor. Shit! The key was turning in the lock. She had just enough time to shove the egg into the bottom drawer of the vanity before turning to see Lila standing in the open doorway.
“All done,” she said. She heaved a smile onto her face. “What do you need, Lila?”
The woman’s face blanched with confusion. “I don’t know. I thought you’d gone somewhere. You scared me.”
“Well, I did. I went to the bathroom.”
“I didn’t hear the toilet flush.”
“Oh. Sorry.” Sara turned and pulled the chain. “That was rude of me.”
For a moment Lila said nothing. She seemed completely disconnected from reality.
“Could you do something for me? A favor.”
Sara nodded.
“I would like some … chocolate.”
“Chocolate.” What was chocolate? “Where would I get that?”
Lila stared incredulously. “The kitchen, of course.”
“Right. I guess that was obvious.” Maybe someone in the kitchen would know what Lila was talking about. Sara didn’t think it would be a good idea to come back empty-handed. “I’ll go right away.”
Lila’s face relaxed. “Anything would be fine. Even a cup of cocoa.” Her eyes unfocused; she gave a little sigh. “I always loved a cup of cocoa on a winter afternoon.”
Sara stepped from the apartment. How much had Lila seen? Why hadn’t Sara thought to flush the note down the toilet? Had she closed the drawer? She replayed the moment in the mind; yes, she had. There was no reason for Lila to go looking there, though to be safe, Sara would have to retrieve it before the serving girl returned.
The kitchen was located on the far side of the building; she’d have to cross the atrium, which was always full of cols. Still riding a wave of adrenaline, she aimed her eyes at the floor and made her way down the hall.
As she entered the lobby she became aware of a commotion. An attendant was being escorted by two guards, her pitiful cries amplified by the room’s expansive acoustics.
“Don’t! Please, I’m begging you! I’ll do better! Don’t take me to the basement!”
The woman was Karen Molyneau.
“Sara! Help me!”
Sara halted in her tracks. How could Karen see her face? And then she realized that she’d made the one fatal error, the one thing she could never forget to do. She’d neglected to pull down her veil.
“Sara, please!”
“Stop.”
The command had come from a third man. As he stepped forward, Sara recognized him immediately. The round belly, the fogged glasses riding the tip of his nose, the winglike eyebrows. The third man was Dr. Verlyn.
“You.” He was examining her face intently. “What’s your name?”