No one is in my apartment. Why would they be?
But that scraping sound. Like a door being closed.
I take another tentative step, swallowing against a tight throat.
Gripping the candlestick, I ease my way up to the top of the steps and over to the light switch. I flip it on and suck in a breath, not sure what I expect to find.
I scan the landing, but no one is here.
Trying to slow my rapid pulse and ragged breaths, I lean against the dividing doors. Unmoving, I listen for the space of one breath.
Two.
Three.
Then I feel as much as hear the bumps on the other side. Low vibrations just beyond the wall.
In Luci’s quarters.
I press my ear against the door and listen. A few soft knocks and a shuffling sound.
Is this what I heard? Someone moving around next door?
No. These sounds are stifled, lacking the crispness and clarity of what I heard before.
Nervous and on edge, I test the door handle. Still locked.
“Luci?” I say, my voice just above a whisper, part of me not sure if I want to be heard. “Are you there?”
The movement stills, but no one answers.
Backing away from the doors, I skirt around the railing toward my bedroom. An unfamiliar scent floats in the air. Like seeping perfume or lingering cologne. Could it be coming from next door?
It’s nothing. Only Luci in her room. Probably perfume or a scented candle.
This is what I tell myself.
But when Clairee breezes past me, I follow her to my room.
Once inside, I lock the door, climbing under the covers with my clothes still on.
And the candlestick still in my hand.
28
When I open my eyes, I can tell it’s late. Mid-morning sun warms the bedroom and casts the white wallpaper in a golden sheen.
Sitting up, I rub my face, feeling groggy and achy from oversleeping. The result of a restless night. Tossing and turning, waking to every sound.
Both real and imagined.
The candlestick sits on the nightstand, my makeshift weapon. Like a movie on fast-forward, yesterday comes rushing back to me. Shopping for a costume, visiting a tomb, confronting Alice. Then the news breaking about charges filed.
With Mackenzie stuck in the middle of it all.
No wonder my nerves are frayed, my emotions bubbling just beneath the surface. Dinner with Noah was a nice distraction, but my problems haven’t disappeared. They’re still with me, still making me edgy and tense.
I pick up the candlestick and heave a heavy sigh. First, I was hiding from the prying eyes of the press. Now I’m hiding behind my own bedroom door.
