Misplaced (131 page)

Y
o
u
see
?
V
ictori
a
declare
d
mentall
y
t
o
he
r
uncle
.
I
a
m
nothing
like you.
She
continue
d
to
w
ar
d
th
e
hotel
,
pickin
g
u
p
spee
d. Mieley’s
gun
had
w
eighed
her
down
in
more
w
ays
tha
n
one
.
Ahead
,
a
polic
e
ca
r
rolle
d
noiselessl
y
throug
h
the i
n
t
ersec
t
ion
.
He
r
e
x
ci
t
emen
t
t
urne
d
to
fea
r
whe
n
t
h
e
headli
g
h
ts
flashed
,
bu
t
th
e
cruise
r
lurche
d
for
w
ar
d
an
d
spe
d
int
o
the
ni
g
h
t
.
Sh
e
ed
g
e
d
for
w
ard
,
s
t
a
y
in
g
close
r
t
o
t
h
e
b
uildin
g
s
.
By
now
Mieley
could
ha
v
e
told
the
police
any
number
of
lies—or they
could
be
responding
to
nothing
more
than
the
report
of
a
gunsho
t
a
t
th
e
park
.
Tha
t
make
s
mor
e
sense
,
sh
e
thought
.
H
e
won’t
w
ant
to
call
attention
to
himself.
In
spite
of
her
pain,
she
grinned.
What wouldn’t I gi
v
e to hear him explain how he lost his pants.

Outside
the
hotel
entrance,
a
man
in
a
denim
baseball
jacket
smoked
a
cigarette.
He
w
as
probably
just
a
patron
enjoying
a
smoke
,
bu
t
V
ictori
a
too
k
co
v
e
r
behin
d
th
e
tangl
e
o
f
a
leafless
hedg
e
ca
t
tycorne
r
t
o
th
e
hote
l
t
o
obser
v
e
him
.
He
r
worries
w
er
e
confirme
d
whe
n
h
e
turne
d
t
o
loo
k
dow
n
th
e
stree
t
an
d
sh
e
spotte
d
a
thi
n
blac
k
wir
e
snakin
g
dow
n
th
e
sid
e
o
f
hi
s
neck.
She mo
v
ed further into the shadows.

In
the
distance,
another
siren
w
ailed.
She
no
longer
tried
to
thin
k
abou
t
wha
t
i
t
migh
t
mean
.
He
r
fac
e
throbbed
,
an
d
she
w
a
s
gettin
g
dizzie
r
b
y
th
e
minute
.
P
eerin
g
throug
h
th
e
hotel
lobby’
s
pictur
e
window
,
sh
e
fel
t
sick
.
Ther
e
w
a
s
n
o
sig
n
of
Khara.

Th
e
underco
v
e
r
co
p
droppe
d
hi
s
cigarett
e
butt
,
crushe
d
it
int
o
th
e
pa
v
emen
t
wit
h
hi
s
heel
,
rubbe
d
hi
s
han
d
s
together
,
and
spok
e
int
o
th
e
microphone
.
After
w
ard
,
h
e
thoroughl
y
sur
v
e
y
e
d
th
e
s
treet
.
T
h
e
alco
v
e
wher
e
sh
e
ha
d
take
n
refug
e
s
u
d
denly
seemed
like
a
cage.
Her
run
had
left
her
s
w
eaty,
and
soon
her
perspiratio
n
turne
d
t
o
chill
.
Shi
v
ering
,
V
ictori
a
pondere
d
her
choices and found she had only one—continue to
w
ait.

When
at
last
she
had
the
presence
of
mind
to
look
around,
sh
e
w
a
s
struc
k
b
y
th
e
mishmas
h
o
f
ol
d
an
d
ne
w
building
s
along
the
one—
w
ay
street.
They
looked
as
if
they
’
d
been
laced
together
wit
h
ol
d
gate
s
an
d
roofin
g
tiles
.
Ther
e
ha
d
t
o
b
e
som
e
easement
bet
w
ee
n
them
.
I
f
th
e
co
p
w
a
s
alert
,
h
e
woul
d
likel
y
se
e
her
lea
v
e.
If
her
luck
held,
the
moonless
night
would
not
gi
v
e
her
a
w
ay and she would find
an opening to the street behind.

As
V
ictoria
took
the
first
few
steps, blood pounding
in
her
ears, she
held
her
breath.
But
just
as
she
’
d
hoped,
there was an
alley,
no
more
than
six
feet
wide,
drafty
and strewn with garbage cans that took her south of the hotel.

Th
e
siren
s
w
er
e
e
v
erywher
e
now
.
A
curiou
s
blinkin
g
ligh
t
u
p
th
e
stree
t
caugh
t
her
attention
.
I
t
flashe
d
thre
e
time
s
befor
e
th
e
stree
t
w
en
t
black.
A
fe
w
second
s
later
,
i
t
bega
n
again
.
Sh
e
heade
d
to
w
ar
d
it
cautiously.
Soon
she
made
out
that
it
w
as
headlights.
Instinct
wille
d
he
r
to
w
ar
d
it
,
an
d
a
smal
l
perso
n
steppe
d
i
n
fron
t
o
f
them, arms
w
aving.