Hideaway
Page 88
“I’m not sure,” Michael answered. “Have you seen anyone suspicious coming and going from the building?”
“No, sir.” He approached, looking concerned. “I would’ve taken measures if I had, I assure you.”
“Yes, I know.”
But I piped up, addressing Michael. “When did the Torrance’s sell off this place?”
He took Rika’s hand and grabbed her bag, walking down the stairs. “Nineteen eighty-eight, Robson said.”
I nodded. “So, computerized controllers on elevators didn’t start until later last century,” I thought out loud. “Knowing he was selling off the building, Gabriel wouldn’t have upgraded the system to include codes for the hidden floor. Which means they had a much simpler way to access the twelfth floor than the newer hotel across the river.”
No key pad. Definitely no fingerprint recognition or keycards.
They had to have a separate elevator, but…
Delcour’s elevators were remodeled. They’d been pulled out, the shafts renovated, the hidden floor would’ve been found. Unless…
“Are there any other elevators?” I asked Patterson. “Anything? Not in common use. Even out of service? Or another stairwell?”
He shook his head, proving it a dead end, but then he stopped, appearing to think of something.
“Well, there’s a stairwell on the first floor leading up, but it’s been walled in. It doesn’t go anywhere anymore.”
My shoulders fell.
“And there’s a service elevator in the basement,” he added.
I shot my head up.
“But it’s boarded up,” he told us. “I don’t think it’s been used in…thirty years?”
Well, that’d be about right.
I took a step toward him. “Show us.”
He led the way into the elevator again, descending past the lobby, past the parking garage, underneath the street, and down one more level. As far as it would go.
Michael kept hold of Rika but shot me a weary glance. I don’t think he’d ever been down here, and the idea that Damon was in the building, especially on nights when Michael had games or was out of town, was almost crippling.
Stepping into the basement, two levels below ground, Patterson led us down a hallway and around a corner. Water raced through the pipes above us, and I could hear the soft rumble of the furnace coming from somewhere.
We headed down a hallway and entered a small open area, and there it was. The old service elevator.
Patterson stopped suddenly, though, looking confused. “The boards have been pulled out,” he said.
I followed his gaze, seeing all the two-by-fours with rusted nails jutting out of them scattered out to the side. How long had it been since he’d been down here?
The old elevator didn’t look very wide, and it was crusted with grime and cobwebs, but there was an old-fashioned dial above the doors. No numbers, but a light glowed behind the stained glass, showing that it was receiving power.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Michael mumbled, sounding at a loss for what else to say.
Pushing the button, the elevator doors immediately opened with a ding, and everyone just stood there a moment.
But I took the first step.
The floor shifted on the cables just a bit, but it seemed stable enough, and I held the door open, gesturing for everyone to get in.
The inside was small. Carpet covered the floor, and the walls were dark cherry wood on the bottom and mirrored on the top.
There was only one button inside. Once everyone crowded in, I told Lev to go back to my house and let Banks know I’d be home soon, and then Michael told Patterson to send security down here after us. Then I closed the doors and sent us up.
The cables creaked, and I could feel the vibrations of their movement under my feet.
“A year,” Michael said. “He’s been coming and going, watching all of us, for a fucking year. From right here.”
“It actually wasn’t that hard to figure out,” Will added, speaking for the first time.
I glanced over at him. I hadn’t talked to him a lot lately, and I wondered how he was holding up. Was he okay with all of this? He had a lot of shit in his head over Damon, I was sure.
I’d talk to him later.
The elevator crawled up the building, stopping on its own on, what I assumed, would be the hidden floor. I wasn’t sure if it was the twelfth floor in this building, same as The Pope, or if it was a different floor this time.
The doors opened, and all of us looked ahead, out into the vast room ahead of us.
Long and wide, it was like a large sitting room with doors off to the side and the back, probably leading to bedrooms and a kitchen. Jesus. It was huge.
It was designed like a luxury suite with a common area, but the extent of it wasn’t completely visible yet. A fireplace sat off to the right, while windows covered the east wall with velvet drapes and the light from the cloudy sky outside filtering through.
“Unbelievable,” Rika said as we all walked in and spread out, taking in the large room. “All this time this was here, and we didn’t know.”
Yeah. And he’d been here. The cigarette scent was pungent.
Portraits covered the walls, and there were several sitting areas with cushioned chairs and tables. I drifted up to a table, seeing a bottle of Dewar’s half gone, and an empty glass. I lifted the glass, sniffing it.
Michael searched the rooms, while Rika stayed with me and Will looked out on the terrace. But Damon wasn’t here.
Maybe he saw us coming somehow or maybe he had jumped over to The Pope.
“Why wouldn’t he have just left the country and stayed gone?” Rika stuck her hands in her jacket, her blonde hair falling over her shoulders.
But it was Will who answered, “Because everything he wants is in Meridian City.”
“But all the times I was gone,” Michael said, drawing closer, “she was so vulnerable. He could’ve done anything.”
“But he didn’t, so just calm down,” Rika countered.
“He fucking watched us!” Michael scowled at her. “He lurked like some sick fuck right under our noses!”
Rika averted her gaze, while Will ran a hand through his hair. Michael was right. It was definitely creepy as fuck, but…
“Rika’s right,” I added. “Why didn’t he do anything? I worked late alone at the dojo countless nights, while he was probably right across the street at The Pope. Will was right here. Rika was alone here. Why didn’t he act?”
Everyone was silent as the thought hung in the air. What was he waiting for? Why did he just sit here, doing nothing? He had a year and multiple opportunities.
“Because just that,” Will finally offered. “Michael, Rika, and I are here at Delcour. You and Banks are in Whitehall.” He paused, dropping his eyes. “The rest of the world has nothing that Damon wants. He wanted to be here. Close.” His eyes flashed to mine. “To us.”
I shook my head. Bullshit.
But it rang true. Why he stayed. Why he waited until now. “Devil’s Night. All of us. His friends. It’s his favorite time,” I mumbled.
“How do we find him?” Michael asked.
I shook my head, thinking. But then a text rolled in, and I took out my phone, swiping the screen.
Games are better with more players, don’t you think?
Another number I didn’t recognize. Why did he keep this up? Come on. Let’s do this.
Another text popped up.
The Pope. 9 PM. Don’t come alone. I won’t.
“No need. He’s not hiding.” I answered, walking to the elevator. “Get in your street clothes and meet me at my house within the hour.”
I had to get home. He needed leverage, and he’d go after her.
I entered the elevator, leaving them behind, and remembered one last thing, calling out, “And don’t forget your masks.”
“Why?” Will shot out.
“Because it’s Devil’s Night.” I pushed the button, the doors starting to close. “And I’m not getting caught this time.”
Banks
Present
Making my way down the stairs and into the kitchen, I gazed around the dim, empty room, a little fuddled at what my next move was. If I were home, I’d be grabbing a fistful of whatever Marina had on the table that morning, or if I were at my apartment, I’d be boiling up an egg and fixing a piece of toast, in a rush to get wherever Gabriel had ordered me to go.
“No, sir.” He approached, looking concerned. “I would’ve taken measures if I had, I assure you.”
“Yes, I know.”
But I piped up, addressing Michael. “When did the Torrance’s sell off this place?”
He took Rika’s hand and grabbed her bag, walking down the stairs. “Nineteen eighty-eight, Robson said.”
I nodded. “So, computerized controllers on elevators didn’t start until later last century,” I thought out loud. “Knowing he was selling off the building, Gabriel wouldn’t have upgraded the system to include codes for the hidden floor. Which means they had a much simpler way to access the twelfth floor than the newer hotel across the river.”
No key pad. Definitely no fingerprint recognition or keycards.
They had to have a separate elevator, but…
Delcour’s elevators were remodeled. They’d been pulled out, the shafts renovated, the hidden floor would’ve been found. Unless…
“Are there any other elevators?” I asked Patterson. “Anything? Not in common use. Even out of service? Or another stairwell?”
He shook his head, proving it a dead end, but then he stopped, appearing to think of something.
“Well, there’s a stairwell on the first floor leading up, but it’s been walled in. It doesn’t go anywhere anymore.”
My shoulders fell.
“And there’s a service elevator in the basement,” he added.
I shot my head up.
“But it’s boarded up,” he told us. “I don’t think it’s been used in…thirty years?”
Well, that’d be about right.
I took a step toward him. “Show us.”
He led the way into the elevator again, descending past the lobby, past the parking garage, underneath the street, and down one more level. As far as it would go.
Michael kept hold of Rika but shot me a weary glance. I don’t think he’d ever been down here, and the idea that Damon was in the building, especially on nights when Michael had games or was out of town, was almost crippling.
Stepping into the basement, two levels below ground, Patterson led us down a hallway and around a corner. Water raced through the pipes above us, and I could hear the soft rumble of the furnace coming from somewhere.
We headed down a hallway and entered a small open area, and there it was. The old service elevator.
Patterson stopped suddenly, though, looking confused. “The boards have been pulled out,” he said.
I followed his gaze, seeing all the two-by-fours with rusted nails jutting out of them scattered out to the side. How long had it been since he’d been down here?
The old elevator didn’t look very wide, and it was crusted with grime and cobwebs, but there was an old-fashioned dial above the doors. No numbers, but a light glowed behind the stained glass, showing that it was receiving power.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Michael mumbled, sounding at a loss for what else to say.
Pushing the button, the elevator doors immediately opened with a ding, and everyone just stood there a moment.
But I took the first step.
The floor shifted on the cables just a bit, but it seemed stable enough, and I held the door open, gesturing for everyone to get in.
The inside was small. Carpet covered the floor, and the walls were dark cherry wood on the bottom and mirrored on the top.
There was only one button inside. Once everyone crowded in, I told Lev to go back to my house and let Banks know I’d be home soon, and then Michael told Patterson to send security down here after us. Then I closed the doors and sent us up.
The cables creaked, and I could feel the vibrations of their movement under my feet.
“A year,” Michael said. “He’s been coming and going, watching all of us, for a fucking year. From right here.”
“It actually wasn’t that hard to figure out,” Will added, speaking for the first time.
I glanced over at him. I hadn’t talked to him a lot lately, and I wondered how he was holding up. Was he okay with all of this? He had a lot of shit in his head over Damon, I was sure.
I’d talk to him later.
The elevator crawled up the building, stopping on its own on, what I assumed, would be the hidden floor. I wasn’t sure if it was the twelfth floor in this building, same as The Pope, or if it was a different floor this time.
The doors opened, and all of us looked ahead, out into the vast room ahead of us.
Long and wide, it was like a large sitting room with doors off to the side and the back, probably leading to bedrooms and a kitchen. Jesus. It was huge.
It was designed like a luxury suite with a common area, but the extent of it wasn’t completely visible yet. A fireplace sat off to the right, while windows covered the east wall with velvet drapes and the light from the cloudy sky outside filtering through.
“Unbelievable,” Rika said as we all walked in and spread out, taking in the large room. “All this time this was here, and we didn’t know.”
Yeah. And he’d been here. The cigarette scent was pungent.
Portraits covered the walls, and there were several sitting areas with cushioned chairs and tables. I drifted up to a table, seeing a bottle of Dewar’s half gone, and an empty glass. I lifted the glass, sniffing it.
Michael searched the rooms, while Rika stayed with me and Will looked out on the terrace. But Damon wasn’t here.
Maybe he saw us coming somehow or maybe he had jumped over to The Pope.
“Why wouldn’t he have just left the country and stayed gone?” Rika stuck her hands in her jacket, her blonde hair falling over her shoulders.
But it was Will who answered, “Because everything he wants is in Meridian City.”
“But all the times I was gone,” Michael said, drawing closer, “she was so vulnerable. He could’ve done anything.”
“But he didn’t, so just calm down,” Rika countered.
“He fucking watched us!” Michael scowled at her. “He lurked like some sick fuck right under our noses!”
Rika averted her gaze, while Will ran a hand through his hair. Michael was right. It was definitely creepy as fuck, but…
“Rika’s right,” I added. “Why didn’t he do anything? I worked late alone at the dojo countless nights, while he was probably right across the street at The Pope. Will was right here. Rika was alone here. Why didn’t he act?”
Everyone was silent as the thought hung in the air. What was he waiting for? Why did he just sit here, doing nothing? He had a year and multiple opportunities.
“Because just that,” Will finally offered. “Michael, Rika, and I are here at Delcour. You and Banks are in Whitehall.” He paused, dropping his eyes. “The rest of the world has nothing that Damon wants. He wanted to be here. Close.” His eyes flashed to mine. “To us.”
I shook my head. Bullshit.
But it rang true. Why he stayed. Why he waited until now. “Devil’s Night. All of us. His friends. It’s his favorite time,” I mumbled.
“How do we find him?” Michael asked.
I shook my head, thinking. But then a text rolled in, and I took out my phone, swiping the screen.
Games are better with more players, don’t you think?
Another number I didn’t recognize. Why did he keep this up? Come on. Let’s do this.
Another text popped up.
The Pope. 9 PM. Don’t come alone. I won’t.
“No need. He’s not hiding.” I answered, walking to the elevator. “Get in your street clothes and meet me at my house within the hour.”
I had to get home. He needed leverage, and he’d go after her.
I entered the elevator, leaving them behind, and remembered one last thing, calling out, “And don’t forget your masks.”
“Why?” Will shot out.
“Because it’s Devil’s Night.” I pushed the button, the doors starting to close. “And I’m not getting caught this time.”
Banks
Present
Making my way down the stairs and into the kitchen, I gazed around the dim, empty room, a little fuddled at what my next move was. If I were home, I’d be grabbing a fistful of whatever Marina had on the table that morning, or if I were at my apartment, I’d be boiling up an egg and fixing a piece of toast, in a rush to get wherever Gabriel had ordered me to go.
