“I’m glad you’re here,” Park said.
“Yeah,” Jackson said. “Me, too.”
* * *
Jackson seemed game to try to help distract Park for a while, and they watched TV for a bit, though Park could hardly focus on it. He was too distracted by the prospect of Kenneth Tucker creeping around the hotel.Jackson tried to get Park’s mind off it in other ways, gossiping about people they went to college with, asking Park questions about his campaign, proposing to send Dee out for a deck of cards or something. He did not suggest any kind of physical activity, which, while disappointing, was probably just as well.
It was killing Park to be trapped in a room with Jackson. Once Park’s nausea hadmostly abated, Jackson had been decidedly hands-off. Park couldn’t blame him, no matter how much he wanted his touch back.
After a couple of hours with no word from Gavin, Park paced around the room, feeling trapped. “I have to get out of this room.”
“I doubt Gavin would let us.”
“Can we see if he’ll let us at least sit in the restaurant, in the little private alcove? We’ll be outof sight from most of the hotel but we’ll be somewhere where I’m not cooped up. And it’s public enough that I don’t think Tucker would try anything.”
“I don’t think it’s a great idea.”
“Please, Jack. I think if you called, Gavin would be more likely to let us leave the room. I’m losing my mind here.”
Jackson sighed and took out his phone. He dialed, held the phone to his ear, and said,“No, we’re fine. No change. But Park is getting stir-crazy. I hate to even bother you with this, but what are the odds we could come down to the restaurant to eat?”
While Jackson talked, Park knocked on the door to Martha’s room. He knew she was there because they’d spoken right after the lockdown started. She came to the door.
“Is your wifi spotty?” she asked. “I haven’t been able todownload my email.”
“I hadn’t noticed, actually. I just wondered if you were hungry.”
“Starving.”
“Martha, too, apparently,” Jackson said. “It might even be helpful to have us all in the same place.” Jackson paused, and then said, “Yes, of course. All right. See you soon.” He turned toward Park and Martha and shot them a triumphant smile. “He said we can come down to the restaurant.He will be joining us. He said you should tip the waitstaff well because some of them are stuck here past when their shifts ended.”
“Not a problem.”
“And we have to bring Dee and Dum.”
“Obviously,” said Martha. “We can bring whoever you want as long as I get some red meat and a glass of wine.”
The three of them left the room, told Dee and Dum what was happening, and descended enmasse to the lobby.
The entire first floor of the hotel buzzed with police activity. From what Park could tell, the press camped out near the front door had been cleared out, but they were replaced with a group of uniformed cops, with lights flashing from cars parked on the street. Well, given all the activity, the press had probably gathered somewhere nearby. Jackson hadn’t let Park watchthe news, so he wasn’t entirely sure what public perception of this mess was.
Gavin stood at the center of the lobby, talking to a group of guys who wore street clothes but were probably also cops. He seemed to be giving them orders. When Park got to him, he looked Park over and nodded. He turned to a woman in a suit who stood beside him and said, “I’m relocating to the restaurant while Mr.Livingston and the rest of his stranded staffers eat. Will you be all right up here?”
“I’m fine, Gavin.”
“Okay. Call or come get me if anything changes.”
Gavin led everyone over to the restaurant, where the host brought them to a table in the alcove. Before he sat down, he spoke sotto voce to a cop in uniform, who remained posted as everyone settled at the table.
“Any news?” Parkasked after they ordered drinks.
“Not really. It turns out there is a big juicy thumb print belonging to Mr. Tucker on the back of that letter, which is a nice bit of proof, but also shows he could be getting more reckless, which is not a good sign.” Gavin sighed. “We still haven’t found him, and normally I would have made you all stay in your rooms, but I’m hungry, too. At least this way,I can see you’re safe with my own eyes.”
“What can he really do in public like this, with so many cops around?” Jackson asked.
“I thought of that, too, which is the main reason I allowed it.” Gavin let out a breath. “He hasn’t left or come into the hotel in the last few hours. He could have left the hotel long before you got back from the apartment walkthrough. My gut is telling me he’shere somewhere, though, probably moving around to elude capture.”
“Oh, god,” Park said. Even with all the cops around, he didn’t feel secure, and suddenly he regretted begging to come down to the restaurant, because it was so out in the open. What if this Tucker guy were unstable? What if he had a gun?
