Nora’s hands shook so badly she nearly dropped her phone.
The sound came again—metal scraping against metal. Someone was definitely picking the lock on Carson’s front door. Not trying to hide it. Not being careful.
They knew she was alone.
“Nora?” Carson’s voice in her ear, urgent and commanding. “Are you moving? Are you hiding?”
“Yes.” She was already backing down the hallway toward the bathroom, her heart hammering so hard she could barely breathe. “I’m going to the bathroom like you said.”
“Good. Lock the door. Put something in front of it. Anything heavy.”
Nora reached the bathroom and slipped inside, engaging the lock with trembling fingers. The lock was flimsy—just a button push on the doorknob. It wouldn’t keep anyone out for long.
Heavy. He said put something heavy.
Her eyes scanned the small bathroom. Nothing. No furniture. Just a sink, toilet, bathtub. The medicine cabinet was attached to the wall.
“Carson, there’s nothing to block the door with.”
“Then get in the tub. Behind the shower curtain. Stay low and stay quiet. I’m seven minutes out.”
Seven minutes. An eternity.
Nora climbed into the bathtub, pressing herself into the corner where the wall met the fixtures. She pulled the shower curtain closed, her phone still clutched in her hand, Carson’s voice her only lifeline.
“I’m in,” she whispered. “I’m hidden.”
“Good girl. Now stay completely silent. Don’t move. Don’t make a sound. I’m coming, Nora. I promise I’m coming.”
The scraping at the front door stopped.
Silence.
Nora held her breath, straining to hear. Had they given up? Had they left?
Then…the distinct click of a lock disengaging.
The front door opened.
Nora pressed her hand over her mouth to muffle her breathing. Through the phone, she couldhear Carson swearing, the roar of his engine as he pushed his car faster.
Footsteps in the apartment. Slow. Deliberate. Moving through the living room.
“Nora?” a voice called out. Male. Familiar in a way that made her skin crawl. “I know you’re here. Detective Black’s car is gone, but yours isn’t. Well, your car’s still dead in that parking garage, isn’t it? Where you ran from me that night?”
Eugene.
Oh God, it was Eugene.
The footsteps moved closer. Down the hallway.
“You can’t hide from me,” Eugene continued, his voice conversational. Pleasant. Like they were old friends. “I’ve been watching you for so long. Eighteen months of planning. Eighteen months of waiting for the right moment. And you know what’s funny? You never even noticed me. All those times you smiled at me in the lobby, said good morning, you had no idea.”
Nora squeezed her eyes shut, tears streaming down her face. On the phone, Carson’s voice was low and urgent. “Stay quiet. Don’t respond. He’s trying to make you react. Six minutes, Nora. I’m six minutes away.”
The bathroom door handle rattled.
“Are you in there?” Eugene asked. “Behind this flimsy door? That’s not very creative, Nora. I expected better from Daniel Bell’s daughter.”
