move to the door. I need to get out of here. I need to report this to the police. They need to bring Sebastian in and question him. He must know what happened to Kate on Friday night. He’s even a suspect himself.
What if Kate found out about the cameras? What if she came down here to confront Sebastian and they got in a fight? It’s a theory, like all my other theories, backed up with zero evidence. But if Kate had discovered Sebastian’s fetish he’d be terrified she’d expose him. He could go to jail for this. Would he have been terrified enough to kill her, to stop her talking?
The buzzer to the front door jolts me. It sounds like someone angrily leaning on it with all their weight. I hurry to pick up the intercom. ‘Yes?’ I ask.
‘It’s me. I left my keys.’
Shit. It’s Sebastian. I hit the entry button, my heart pounding, then glance at the door to the locked room. It’s ajar. Shit. I run back and shut it, scrambling to find the right key to lock it with. As I hear the front door start to open I race to the kitchen and set the keys down on the counter.
Sebastian enters the room, his eyes darting to the keys and to my hand, not inches away from them. Did he see? My disgust at him has altered, metamorphosed into unease and even fear. I want to get the hell out of here and fast.
Sebastian snatches the keys up. He turns around – his eyes narrowed with suspicion. ‘I swear I put them in my bag,’ he says.
My smile is so fake he must see through it. ‘Weird,’ I manage to mumble. ‘Maybe they fell out.’
Before he can press me any more I turn and walk away, hurrying back to my room. My spine stiffens as I think about the camera watching me from above. I sit on the bed, trying not to look around for the hidden lens and microphone. I’ll wait until he leaves again before I grab my things and flee.
I can hear him moving around in the apartment. Shit. What if he’s guessed I’ve been in the recording room? Did I leave the screen on? I tiptoe to the door. What’s he doing? I thought he was leaving. Hearing silence, I step out into the hallway. I didn’t hear the door bang shut. Is he still in the apartment?
‘Forget something?’
I spin around. Sebastian is right behind me, holding my phone. Oh God. The world skids to a jarring stop. I left it inside the room. My eyes fly to Sebastian’s face. He knows I know. For a split second I’m frozen in terror – and then I run.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Sebastian chases me. I scream and sprint for the door as his hand grazes my shoulder, trying to tug me backwards. ‘Get off!’ I yell.
My leg hits the corner of the table in the hallway and I trip. Sebastian is on me, pulling me away from the front door, darting in front of it to block my way.
‘Get out of my way!’ I scream at him.
He stands with his arms outstretched across the door, as though he’s a zookeeper trying to herd an escaped animal.
‘What were you doing in my room?’ he asks. ‘You broke in. You were trespassing.’
‘Trespassing?!’ I yell, my blood boiling. ‘You’re spying on people without their knowledge! You’re a sick pervert!’
Sebastian’s face scrunches up in rage. ‘I am not!’
‘Yes, you are! I’ve seen the evidence. You’re spying on people. You’ve got cameras everywhere, in all the apartments. You’re disgusting! I’m going to the police.’ I move to get past him. I’m not staying in this apartment a second longer. I’ll fight my way out if I have to. ‘Get away from the door!’ I shout as I push him out of the way.
He pushes me back, his arms flailing as he fights me. I scream and we tussle for a bit as I try to barge past him and out the door and he tries to stop me. My elbow smashes him in the face. Blood spurts. The next thing I know he’s on the ground at my feet, hugging my ankles, looking up at me through tear-stained eyes and sobbing.
‘Please,’ he begs, his anger transmuted into pleading. ‘Don’t tell the police.’
I stare down at him in horrified confusion. He’s no longer in any way frightening. He’s pathetic. I try to kick him away, to free myself from his limpet