door.”
“Maybe she came and rushed out again?” Diana said.
“That’s possible,” Officer Gruder said, giving her a long level look.
A chill passed through her. “You think she could be there? Inside? And won’t . . . or can’t answer the door?”
“I have no way of knowing. But you seemed so concerned. And you said you have a key.”
“I do. Of course I do. And that would be the wise thing to do, wouldn’t it?” Her voice sounded robotic. “Go over and let myself in and just see what’s up.”
“Seems wise. ” He seemed infinitely patient. Diana couldn’t help thinking it sounded as if he were talking to a child. “But if it was my sister, I’d want to check to be sure. In person. It’s a reasonable thing to do.”
He stood to one side, as if he were waiting for her to come with him.
Diana took a step back, even though she knew she had to go. She had no choice. She looked past him to the police cruiser parked at the curb.
“Ma’am? Are you all right?”
All she had to do was get from here to there. Beyond her electronic fence, but just a few steps beyond, barely farther than she pushed herself every day. This was the moment that she’d been training for. First she needed to find the key to Ashley’s apartment.
“Just give me a minute,” she said.
She forced herself to slow down, to move deliberately and breathe evenly as she walked into her bedroom. She found her wallet in the top drawer of her bureau and stuffed it into her pants pocket. Scooped her key ring from a bowl. Checked that the key to Ashley’s apartment was still on it.
Stay in control.
Then she continued into her office. From there, she armed all the doors and punched in the code that would activate the inside security system. Thirty seconds. That was how long she had to get out and lock the front door.
“Quite a setup.” The voice came from behind her.
Raw panic surged through her and she spun around. Officer Gruder had followed her into her office. Diana clapped her hand over her mouth and the scream she hadn’t realized she was making stopped.
Gruder’s eyes widened and his hands flew up in a gesture of surrender. He stumbled, tripping over his own feet in his haste to back out of the room and down the hall toward the front of the house.
Diana sat in her desk chair, gasping for breath.
“Sorry if I startled you,” he called.
Sorry? What the hell was the matter with him, violating her space? Had she invited him in? Surely it wasn’t standard procedure to follow a citizen, deep into her home.
“I’m going outside. I’ll wait for you by the car,” he added.
She steadied herself against the desk. She had to stop overreacting to every unexpected thing that happened. She couldn’t afford for this police officer to dismiss her as a nutcase.
“That sound okay?” Gruder’s voice came from farther away.
“Okay,” she managed to call out, her voice hoarse. “I’ll be right there. I just have to . . .” She remembered the alarm. It would go off any second. She raced to the keypad. What the hell was the code to cancel? Her mind had gone blank.
When the eight-digit code finally came to her, her fingers felt like fat sausages. Twice she keyed it in wrong and had to start over. Again she tried. Just as she was about to press in the final number, a deafening Klaxon started, blaring from speakers both inside and outside the house.
Moments later, her phone rang. She grabbed it. “Ashley?” She had to hold her hand over her ear to block out the clanging. “Ashley?”
“Twenty-three Linden Place?” said a woman’s voice.
“Yes?” Diana shouted.
“This is Metro Security. Verifying an alarm.”
Of course. This was what they were supposed to do. “It’s a false alarm. Can you turn the damned thing off?”
“I need your name and verbal password?”
“What?”
“The name on the account?”
Diana gulped for air. “Diana Highsmith.”
“Password?”
She cupped her hand over the
“Maybe she came and rushed out again?” Diana said.
“That’s possible,” Officer Gruder said, giving her a long level look.
A chill passed through her. “You think she could be there? Inside? And won’t . . . or can’t answer the door?”
“I have no way of knowing. But you seemed so concerned. And you said you have a key.”
“I do. Of course I do. And that would be the wise thing to do, wouldn’t it?” Her voice sounded robotic. “Go over and let myself in and just see what’s up.”
“Seems wise. ” He seemed infinitely patient. Diana couldn’t help thinking it sounded as if he were talking to a child. “But if it was my sister, I’d want to check to be sure. In person. It’s a reasonable thing to do.”
He stood to one side, as if he were waiting for her to come with him.
Diana took a step back, even though she knew she had to go. She had no choice. She looked past him to the police cruiser parked at the curb.
“Ma’am? Are you all right?”
All she had to do was get from here to there. Beyond her electronic fence, but just a few steps beyond, barely farther than she pushed herself every day. This was the moment that she’d been training for. First she needed to find the key to Ashley’s apartment.
“Just give me a minute,” she said.
She forced herself to slow down, to move deliberately and breathe evenly as she walked into her bedroom. She found her wallet in the top drawer of her bureau and stuffed it into her pants pocket. Scooped her key ring from a bowl. Checked that the key to Ashley’s apartment was still on it.
Stay in control.
Then she continued into her office. From there, she armed all the doors and punched in the code that would activate the inside security system. Thirty seconds. That was how long she had to get out and lock the front door.
“Quite a setup.” The voice came from behind her.
Raw panic surged through her and she spun around. Officer Gruder had followed her into her office. Diana clapped her hand over her mouth and the scream she hadn’t realized she was making stopped.
Gruder’s eyes widened and his hands flew up in a gesture of surrender. He stumbled, tripping over his own feet in his haste to back out of the room and down the hall toward the front of the house.
Diana sat in her desk chair, gasping for breath.
“Sorry if I startled you,” he called.
Sorry? What the hell was the matter with him, violating her space? Had she invited him in? Surely it wasn’t standard procedure to follow a citizen, deep into her home.
“I’m going outside. I’ll wait for you by the car,” he added.
She steadied herself against the desk. She had to stop overreacting to every unexpected thing that happened. She couldn’t afford for this police officer to dismiss her as a nutcase.
“That sound okay?” Gruder’s voice came from farther away.
“Okay,” she managed to call out, her voice hoarse. “I’ll be right there. I just have to . . .” She remembered the alarm. It would go off any second. She raced to the keypad. What the hell was the code to cancel? Her mind had gone blank.
When the eight-digit code finally came to her, her fingers felt like fat sausages. Twice she keyed it in wrong and had to start over. Again she tried. Just as she was about to press in the final number, a deafening Klaxon started, blaring from speakers both inside and outside the house.
Moments later, her phone rang. She grabbed it. “Ashley?” She had to hold her hand over her ear to block out the clanging. “Ashley?”
“Twenty-three Linden Place?” said a woman’s voice.
“Yes?” Diana shouted.
“This is Metro Security. Verifying an alarm.”
Of course. This was what they were supposed to do. “It’s a false alarm. Can you turn the damned thing off?”
“I need your name and verbal password?”
“What?”
“The name on the account?”
Diana gulped for air. “Diana Highsmith.”
“Password?”
She cupped her hand over the
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