bleach. She peered inside, but there was no one, the small room desolate under the fluorescent lights, its banks of machines still, the round eyes of the dryers blank.
So it was back up the stairs, where the doorman was waiting with a chagrined look on his face.
“Hey,” he said with an apologetic shrug. “I forgot to look. She left a note for you.” He handed it to her.
As Adrienne took the envelope, a feeling of foreboding came over her. Opening it, she felt a surge of adrenaline sparkle through her veins, and the hair stood up on her arms. For a moment, it was almost as if she were standing on a cliff, looking down. And then the note, so short she didn’t have to read it.
A—
Couldn’t stick it any
longer. Rainbow sorry.
Nikki
7
The doorman’s hands were shaking as he inserted a master key in the lock to Nikki’s door. Over and over, under his breath, he kept repeating, “Y’never know, y’never know.” Then the lock turned, the door swung open, and Adrienne blew past, eyes wild.
“Nikki?” The apartment was dark, the dog barking, somewhere off to the right. “Nikki?”
Ramon’s hands felt for the light switch, but nothing happened when he flicked it on. He gave Adrienne a bewildered look. “I think—maybe the fuse blew,” he said.
“Fix it,” Adrienne ordered as she stepped deeper into the darkness of the apartment.
“Breaker’s in the kitchen,” Ramon replied, “but I’ll need a flashlight. You think she had one?”
Adrienne didn’t say anything. She could hardly breathe.
“There’s—there’s a utility room down the hall.” The doorman turned, then broke into a run.
“Nikki?” She could feel the hot tears rolling down her cheeks as she moved, step by step, through the living room, hands extended, just above her waist. She didn’t want to trip over … “Nikki?”
The only light in the apartment was the ambient, neon glow from outside the windows. That, and the light from the hall. She could make out shapes—the couch and the table, the big leather club chair. But … “Nikki!?”
Jack was barking louder now, his feet scrabbling againstthe kitchen door. As her eyes began to adjust, she maneuvered her way toward the sound and, finding the door, pulled it open. The dog burst into the room and, yipping, chased his tail in a frantic little circle, then jumped up against her. “Down,” she ordered, at once startled and annoyed.
With a yip, Jack bolted through the living room to the hallway where, once again, she could hear him scrabbling at a door—this time trying to get in rather than out. She followed the dog, thinking how silent the apartment was with the electricity out. The only noise was the faint hum of traffic, and the scratching sound that Jack was making. Then he began to bark, and a shaft of light crashed into her eyes.
“I found a flashlight,” Ramon told her.
Adrienne raised a hand in front of her eyes, squinted and blinked, helpless as a deer. Ramon swung the light in a figure eight through the rooms, and Adrienne’s eyes followed it, afraid of what she’d see. But there was nothing.
“I’ll get the dog,” she said. “You get the lights.”
Ramon nodded, and strode toward the kitchen, taking the flashlight with him. Adrienne felt her way toward the bathroom door, feeling as if she were about to be seasick. “Jack,” she said, “c’mon.” But his scrabbling became even more frantic, now that she was beside him. Relenting, she opened the door to the bath, and stepped into the pitch-dark.
From habit, she flipped the light switch on and off, then on and off again, but nothing happened. Jack was mewling a few feet away, and the only sound was the
drip, drip, drip
of water. “Nikki?” Silence. Nothing.
And then, the doorman calling from the kitchen—“Got it!” Suddenly, the lights flashed on, and a lonely trumpet accelerated from 0 to 80 decibels in half a second, pealing through the now bright air above where Nikki lay, drowned and
So it was back up the stairs, where the doorman was waiting with a chagrined look on his face.
“Hey,” he said with an apologetic shrug. “I forgot to look. She left a note for you.” He handed it to her.
As Adrienne took the envelope, a feeling of foreboding came over her. Opening it, she felt a surge of adrenaline sparkle through her veins, and the hair stood up on her arms. For a moment, it was almost as if she were standing on a cliff, looking down. And then the note, so short she didn’t have to read it.
A—
Couldn’t stick it any
longer. Rainbow sorry.
Nikki
7
The doorman’s hands were shaking as he inserted a master key in the lock to Nikki’s door. Over and over, under his breath, he kept repeating, “Y’never know, y’never know.” Then the lock turned, the door swung open, and Adrienne blew past, eyes wild.
“Nikki?” The apartment was dark, the dog barking, somewhere off to the right. “Nikki?”
Ramon’s hands felt for the light switch, but nothing happened when he flicked it on. He gave Adrienne a bewildered look. “I think—maybe the fuse blew,” he said.
“Fix it,” Adrienne ordered as she stepped deeper into the darkness of the apartment.
“Breaker’s in the kitchen,” Ramon replied, “but I’ll need a flashlight. You think she had one?”
Adrienne didn’t say anything. She could hardly breathe.
“There’s—there’s a utility room down the hall.” The doorman turned, then broke into a run.
“Nikki?” She could feel the hot tears rolling down her cheeks as she moved, step by step, through the living room, hands extended, just above her waist. She didn’t want to trip over … “Nikki?”
The only light in the apartment was the ambient, neon glow from outside the windows. That, and the light from the hall. She could make out shapes—the couch and the table, the big leather club chair. But … “Nikki!?”
Jack was barking louder now, his feet scrabbling againstthe kitchen door. As her eyes began to adjust, she maneuvered her way toward the sound and, finding the door, pulled it open. The dog burst into the room and, yipping, chased his tail in a frantic little circle, then jumped up against her. “Down,” she ordered, at once startled and annoyed.
With a yip, Jack bolted through the living room to the hallway where, once again, she could hear him scrabbling at a door—this time trying to get in rather than out. She followed the dog, thinking how silent the apartment was with the electricity out. The only noise was the faint hum of traffic, and the scratching sound that Jack was making. Then he began to bark, and a shaft of light crashed into her eyes.
“I found a flashlight,” Ramon told her.
Adrienne raised a hand in front of her eyes, squinted and blinked, helpless as a deer. Ramon swung the light in a figure eight through the rooms, and Adrienne’s eyes followed it, afraid of what she’d see. But there was nothing.
“I’ll get the dog,” she said. “You get the lights.”
Ramon nodded, and strode toward the kitchen, taking the flashlight with him. Adrienne felt her way toward the bathroom door, feeling as if she were about to be seasick. “Jack,” she said, “c’mon.” But his scrabbling became even more frantic, now that she was beside him. Relenting, she opened the door to the bath, and stepped into the pitch-dark.
From habit, she flipped the light switch on and off, then on and off again, but nothing happened. Jack was mewling a few feet away, and the only sound was the
drip, drip, drip
of water. “Nikki?” Silence. Nothing.
And then, the doorman calling from the kitchen—“Got it!” Suddenly, the lights flashed on, and a lonely trumpet accelerated from 0 to 80 decibels in half a second, pealing through the now bright air above where Nikki lay, drowned and
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