they get many visitors.’
‘Oh, this is insane,’ Laurie said, flapping her hands into the air and
rolling her eyes.
‘Hey, calm down,’ Jack said. ‘I didn’t say I was going. I just said it
was something I was beginning to think about.’
‘Well, stop thinking about it,’ Laurie said. ‘I’ve got enough to worry
about.’
Jack smiled at her. ‘You really are concerned. I’m touched.’
‘Oh, sure!’ Laurie remarked cynically. ‘You’re never touched by my pleas
not to ride your mountain bike around the city.’
The taxi pulled up in front of Laurie’s apartment building and came to a
halt. Laurie started to get some money out. Jack put a hand on her arm.
‘My treat.’
‘All right, I’ll get it next time,’ Laurie said. She started to climb
out of the cab, then stopped. ‘If you were to promise to take a cab
home, I think we could rustle up something to eat in my apartment.’
‘Thanks, but not tonight,’ Jack said. ‘I’ve got to get the bike home.
I’d probably fall asleep on a full stomach.’
‘Worse things could happen,’ Laurie said.
‘Let me take a rain check,’ Jack said.
Laurie climbed out of the cab and then leaned back in. ‘Just promise me
one thing: you won’t leave for Africa tonight.’
Jack took a playful swipe at her, but she easily evaded his hand.
‘Good night, Jack,’ Laurie said with a warm smile.
‘Good night, Laurie,’ Jack said. ‘I’ll call you later after I talk with
Warren.’
‘Oh, that’s right,’ Laurie said. ‘With everything that’s happened, I’d
forgotten. I’ll be waiting for your call.’
Laurie closed the taxi door and watched the cab until it disappeared
around the corner on First Avenue. She turned toward her door, musing
that Jack was a charming but complicated man.
As she rode up in her elevator, Laurie began to anticipate her shower
and the warmth of her terry-cloth robe. She vowed she’d turn in early.
Laurie treated Debra Engler to an acid smile before keying her multiple
locks. She slammed her door behind her to give Mrs. Engler an extra
message. Moving her mail from one hand to the other, she removed her
coat. In the darkness of the closet, she groped for a hanger.
It wasn’t until Laurie entered the living room that she flipped the wall
switch that turned on a floor lamp. She got two steps toward the kitchen
when she let out a muffled scream and dropped her mail on the floor.
There were two men in the living room. One was in her art-deco chair,
the other sitting on the couch. The one on the couch was petting Tom,
who was asleep on his lap.
The other thing Laurie noticed was a large handgun with an attached
silencer on the arm of the art-deco chair.
‘Welcome home, Dr. Montgomery,’ Franco said. ‘Thank you for the wine and
beer.’
Laurie’s eyes went to the coffee table. There was an empty beer bottle
and wineglass.
‘Please come over and sit down,’ Franco said. He pointed to a side chair
they’d put in the middle of the room.
Laurie didn’t move. She was incapable of it. She thought vaguely about
running into the kitchen for the phone but immediately dismissed the
idea as ridiculous. She even thought about fleeing back to her front
door, but with all the locks, she knew it would be a futile gesture.
‘Please!’ Franco repeated with a false politeness that only augmented
Laurie’s terror.
Angelo moved the cat to the side and stood up. He took a step toward
Laurie and, without warning, backhanded her viciously across the face.
The blow propelled Laurie back against the wall, where her legs gave
way. She slumped to her hands and knees. A few drops of bright red blood
dropped from her split upper lip, splattering on the hardwood floor.
Angelo grabbed her by the upper arm and roughly hoisted her to her feet.
Then he powered her over to the chair and pushed her into a sitting
position. Laurie’s terror made her incapable of resisting.
‘That’s better,’ Franco said.
Angelo leaned over and stuck his face in Laurie’s. ‘Recognize me?’
Laurie forced herself to look up into the man’s horribly scarred face.