so much Iâm still shaking.â
âDid you notify the police?â
âThe police? No. I donât trust the police, I told you that. Youâre the only one I trust.â
âBuilding security?â
âNo, it was too late by the timeâ¦â Gulping sound. âJake ⦠can you come over here? Now? Itâs not too much to ask, is it? Iâll tell you everything that happened when you get here. Please?â
He sat for half a dozen beats, holding the cell tight in his fingers, before he said, âAll right. Half an hour.â
Â
8
The same burly security man whoâd been on duty the evening of Runyonâs first visit was behind the desk in the lobby. The name George was stitched above the pocket of his uniform jacket. âMr. Runyon, right,â he said. âMs. Daniels is expecting you.â
âShe say anything else when she called down?â
âLike what?â
âLike anything.â
âNo. Just that youâd be here about now.â
âHow did she sound?â
âSound?â
âUpset, anxious, nervous?â
George looked puzzled. âLike she always sounds.â
âCalm, then. Normal.â
âThatâs right.â
âDid you see her when she came back from dinner?â
âTonight? No, sir. If she went out, it mustâve been through the garage.â
âThe guard down there, Frank, said he hasnât seen her.â
âWell, then, she mustâve been in all evening.â
Runyon said, âTell me something. How tight is the security in this building?â
âWhy do you want to know?â
âJust curious. Iâm in the security business myself.â
âThat so? What kind?â
Runyon told him, showed his ID. George frowned as he studied it. âMs. Daniels didnât say anything about you being a PI,â he said. âShe in some kind of trouble?â
âConfidential matter.â
George seemed to want to press him, settled instead for saying, âSure, none of my business. I was a cop myself for four years, back in the nineties.â He sounded bitter rather than proud of the fact. âDidnât work out, so I went into private security. Pays the bills, but itâs not exactly exciting work. Not in a place like this.â
âSo the securityâs pretty tight.â
âTight as it gets. Nobody gets in or out unless they live here or theyâre invited or announced.â
âCameras on every floor? All working, all monitored by you?â
âOn my shift, thatâs right.â
âAnd youâve been here all evening.â
âSince I came on at four.â One corner of Georgeâs mouth turned up in a crooked half smile. âRules here are so strict I have to make an appointment to take a leak.â
Verity Daniels opened the door so quickly after Runyon pressed the bell that she might have been waiting next to it. Maybe she had been. As soon as he was inside the studio with the door shut, she stepped in close and tried to embrace him, murmuring something he didnât pay attention to. He caught hold of her, not roughly but not gently, either, and stood her off at armsâ length.
She blinked, looking hurt, uncertain. âIâm sorry, I didnât mean ⦠Iâm just so glad youâre here.â¦â
âTell me what happened.â
âCanât we sit down first? Iâm still shaky.â¦â
He let go of her, watched her walk to the blond-wood sofa and lower herself. When she saw that he hadnât moved, she said, âArenât you going to sit down?â
âNo. Tell me what happened.â
âI went out to get something to eat ⦠a restaurant just around the corner. I wasnât gone more than an hour. He ⦠he was waiting when I got off the elevator. I didnât know he was there until he grabbed me from behind, told me not to scream or