I expected to be awake half the night thinking about New York thugs, armored car heists, and whether I could trust Logan Parker, but the last thing I remember was laying my head on the half of the pillow that Jasper deigned to share with me. I was in a deep dreamless sleep when the earthquake started. At least that's what I thought it was as I fought my way out of sleep. I was being shaken violently, but when I finally got my senses back, I realized the shaking was caused by my roommate rather than the shifting of tectonic plates.
"Adam?" I said and was immediately shushed.
"I heard noises again, Ricki," Adam whispered. "Upstairs. Someone is up there."
I started to assure him that it was only animals, but I stopped. I didn't think the noises were caused by animals any more than he did. I had thought that until I'd seen the boxes knocked over, but between that and finding the basement door unlocked, I was no longer so sure. I realized I still hadn't gotten a locksmith in and mentally cursed myself. What with the increase in business and the New York couple, it had slipped my mind. I threw back the covers and slid my feet into my slippers. As I stood, I bumped into Adam.
My bedroom is at the rear of the apartment. Its one window overlooks the alley and the Shelf's parking lot. Because of the security light in the lot, I have blackout drapes I pull over the window every night. I held onto Adam as I reached over and pulled them back enough that I could see where I was stepping. Still holding onto one another, we made our way into the hall. I noticed that Adam was breathing fast, and he let me go first.
I had installed a nightlight in the hall so I could see to get to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Between that and the meager light filtering in from the front windows in the living room, we managed to avoid stepping on Jasper. When we reached the apartment door, Jasper darted ahead to the kitchen for a snack.
I hadn't heard any noises since Adam had woken me and was beginning to believe he'd been dreaming them, but suddenly I heard what had caused him so much alarm. Stealthy scraping sounds at first, and then what sounded like a single footfall, as if someone had lost their footing and come down harder than they'd meant to. Adam's fingers dug into my arm.
"Do you hear it?" he whispered, while I pried his fingernails out of my skin.
"I hear it," I whispered back, "but if you don't let go of my arm, I'll be making a lot more noise than that."
"Oh…sorry." He let go. "Should we call the police?"
Good question. On the one hand, it was the smart thing to do, but on the other, what if it was just animals? Even if it wasn't, wouldn't whoever was upstairs know when the cops pulled up? Traffic was light in the wee hours so any vehicle stopping out front would draw attention. Still...
"Yes," I decided. "Call them."
Adam moved into the kitchen to use the landline while I pressed my ear to the apartment door and tried to hear what was going on upstairs. I heard Adam giving the information to the dispatcher as quietly as he could, which necessitated him repeating it several times. Finally it seemed he'd made himself understood. He hung up and came back to huddle behind me at the hall door.
"On their way," he whispered.
While he was on the phone, I hadn't heard any more sounds from upstairs. Had whoever was up there heard us in spite of our efforts to be quiet? Maybe whoever it was had gone out one of the windows onto the roofs on either side of the Shelf. Or maybe they were frozen still, listening to see if we'd heard their stumble.
Either way, someone was going to have to go downstairs and open the front door for the police, and I had a pretty good idea that someone was going to be me. I really wished I'd thought of that before I'd told Adam to call 9-1-1.
I pulled his head down level with my mouth.
"I have to go open the front door," I whispered into his ear, and he jerked back as if I'd bitten him.
"No!" He spoke louder than he'd intended and turned the volume back down. "No! You can't go out there, Ricki. It's too dangerous."
"The police can't check upstairs if they can't get in. Don't worry, I'll be quick and I'll be quiet. You lock the door behind me, and I'll wait outside on the sidewalk for the officers."
"But..."
"It'll be okay, Adam. Just lock the door behind me."
I patted his arm and turned back to the door.
The stairs are broken into two flights, one leading from the ground floor to the second floor landing, then turning and continuing up over the hall below to the third floor landing. The door to my apartment is on the second-floor landing. If you're standing on the landing facing my apartment door, the stairs to the third floor are on your right and just three or so feet away. The hall below, the stairs and the landing are well lit, but as I turned the deadbolt and pulled my door open a few inches, I was looking at blackness. I shut it quickly and threw the deadbolt.
"What is it?" Adam sounded like he was about to pass out.
"The lights are out." The nightlight was still working in the apartment hall so I knew it wasn't a power outage. "Someone's turned them off."
"Oh, Ricki! They're not just in the attic!"
"Adam?" I said and was immediately shushed.
"I heard noises again, Ricki," Adam whispered. "Upstairs. Someone is up there."
I started to assure him that it was only animals, but I stopped. I didn't think the noises were caused by animals any more than he did. I had thought that until I'd seen the boxes knocked over, but between that and finding the basement door unlocked, I was no longer so sure. I realized I still hadn't gotten a locksmith in and mentally cursed myself. What with the increase in business and the New York couple, it had slipped my mind. I threw back the covers and slid my feet into my slippers. As I stood, I bumped into Adam.
My bedroom is at the rear of the apartment. Its one window overlooks the alley and the Shelf's parking lot. Because of the security light in the lot, I have blackout drapes I pull over the window every night. I held onto Adam as I reached over and pulled them back enough that I could see where I was stepping. Still holding onto one another, we made our way into the hall. I noticed that Adam was breathing fast, and he let me go first.
I had installed a nightlight in the hall so I could see to get to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Between that and the meager light filtering in from the front windows in the living room, we managed to avoid stepping on Jasper. When we reached the apartment door, Jasper darted ahead to the kitchen for a snack.
I hadn't heard any noises since Adam had woken me and was beginning to believe he'd been dreaming them, but suddenly I heard what had caused him so much alarm. Stealthy scraping sounds at first, and then what sounded like a single footfall, as if someone had lost their footing and come down harder than they'd meant to. Adam's fingers dug into my arm.
"Do you hear it?" he whispered, while I pried his fingernails out of my skin.
"I hear it," I whispered back, "but if you don't let go of my arm, I'll be making a lot more noise than that."
"Oh…sorry." He let go. "Should we call the police?"
Good question. On the one hand, it was the smart thing to do, but on the other, what if it was just animals? Even if it wasn't, wouldn't whoever was upstairs know when the cops pulled up? Traffic was light in the wee hours so any vehicle stopping out front would draw attention. Still...
"Yes," I decided. "Call them."
Adam moved into the kitchen to use the landline while I pressed my ear to the apartment door and tried to hear what was going on upstairs. I heard Adam giving the information to the dispatcher as quietly as he could, which necessitated him repeating it several times. Finally it seemed he'd made himself understood. He hung up and came back to huddle behind me at the hall door.
"On their way," he whispered.
While he was on the phone, I hadn't heard any more sounds from upstairs. Had whoever was up there heard us in spite of our efforts to be quiet? Maybe whoever it was had gone out one of the windows onto the roofs on either side of the Shelf. Or maybe they were frozen still, listening to see if we'd heard their stumble.
Either way, someone was going to have to go downstairs and open the front door for the police, and I had a pretty good idea that someone was going to be me. I really wished I'd thought of that before I'd told Adam to call 9-1-1.
I pulled his head down level with my mouth.
"I have to go open the front door," I whispered into his ear, and he jerked back as if I'd bitten him.
"No!" He spoke louder than he'd intended and turned the volume back down. "No! You can't go out there, Ricki. It's too dangerous."
"The police can't check upstairs if they can't get in. Don't worry, I'll be quick and I'll be quiet. You lock the door behind me, and I'll wait outside on the sidewalk for the officers."
"But..."
"It'll be okay, Adam. Just lock the door behind me."
I patted his arm and turned back to the door.
The stairs are broken into two flights, one leading from the ground floor to the second floor landing, then turning and continuing up over the hall below to the third floor landing. The door to my apartment is on the second-floor landing. If you're standing on the landing facing my apartment door, the stairs to the third floor are on your right and just three or so feet away. The hall below, the stairs and the landing are well lit, but as I turned the deadbolt and pulled my door open a few inches, I was looking at blackness. I shut it quickly and threw the deadbolt.
"What is it?" Adam sounded like he was about to pass out.
"The lights are out." The nightlight was still working in the apartment hall so I knew it wasn't a power outage. "Someone's turned them off."
"Oh, Ricki! They're not just in the attic!"
