Miss Kelly will call the police, and they’ll protect Dana.
Kemal was beginning to get short of breath and he felt a tightness in his chest. He glanced at his watch again: 2:55. He looked up. The school was just ahead. Two more blocks to go.
I’m safe, Kemal thought. They haven’t dismissed classes yet. A minute later he reached the front gate. He stopped in front of it and stared at it, unbelievingly. It was locked. Suddenly, from behind, Kemal felt an iron grip on his shoulder.
“It’s Saturday, stupid.”
“Stop here,” Dana said. The taxi was two blocks from her apartment. Dana watched the cab drive away. She walked slowly, her body tense, every sense alert, scanning the streets, looking for anything out of the ordinary. She was sure that Kemal was safe. Jack Stone would be protecting him.
When Dana reached the apartment-house corner, she avoided the front entrance and stepped into the alley that led to the back of the building. It was deserted. Dana went inside the service door and quietly walked up the stairs. She reached the second floor and started down the hall and suddenly stopped. The door to her apartment was wide open. Dana was instantly flooded with fear. She ran toward the door and raced inside. “Kemal!”
No one was there. Dana dashed through the apartment, frantic, wondering what could have happened. Where was Jack Stone? Where was Kemal? In the kitchen, a cabinet drawer had fallen to the floor and its contents had spilled out. There were dozens of small packets, some full, some empty. Curious, Dana picked one up and looked at it. The label said, BuSpar 15 mg tablets marked NDC D087 D822-32.
What were they? Was Mrs. Daley on drugs, or had she been giving these to Kemal? Could it have anything to do with the change in his behavior? Dana put one of the packets in her coat pocket.
Filled with dread, Dana slipped out of the apartment. She went out the back way, into the alley, and headed for the street. As Dana turned the corner, a man hidden behind a tree spoke into a walkie-talkie to his confederate standing on the opposite corner.
Ahead of Dana was the Washington Pharmacy. Dana went inside.
The pharmacist said, “Ah, Miss Evans. Can I help you?”
“Yes, Coquina. I’m curious about this.” She took out the small packet. The pharmacist glanced at it. “BuSpar. It’s an anti-anxiety agent. White crystal, water soluble.”
“What does it do?” Dana asked.
“It’s a relaxant. It has a calming effect. Of course, if you overdose, it can cause drowsiness and fatigue.”
He’s asleep. Shall I wake him up?
When he came home from school, he felt tired, so I thought a nap would be good for him…
So that explained what had been going on. And it had been Pamela Hudson who had sent Mrs. Daley.
And I put Kemal in that bitch’s hands, Dana thought. She felt sick to her stomach.
She looked at the pharmacist. “Thank you, Coquina.”
“My pleasure, Miss Evans.”
Dana went out the door back into the street. The two men were approaching her. “Miss Evans, could we talk to you for a min—” Dana turned and ran. The men were at her heels. Dana reached the corner. A policeman in the middle of the intersection was directing the heavy traffic.
Dana ran out into the street toward him.
“Hey! Go back, miss.”
Dana kept coming.
“You’re moving against the light! Did you hear me? Get back!”
The two men were waiting at the corner, watching.
“Are you deaf?” the policeman yelled.
“Shut up!” She slapped the policeman hard across the face. The furious officer grabbed Dana’s arm.
“You’re under arrest, ma’am.”
He pulled Dana back to the sidewalk and held on to her while he talked into his radio. “I need a black-and-white.”
The two men stood there looking at each other, uncertain what to do.
Dana looked across at them and smiled. There was the sound of an approaching siren and a few seconds later a police car came to a stop in front of them.
The two men watched helplessly as Dana was put into the backseat of the patrol car and driven away.