Misplaced (50 page)

I
n
th
e
gues
t
room
,
whic
h
feature
d
a
chai
r
upholstere
d
in
turquoise-patterne
d
fabric
,
the
y
w
aite
d
fo
r
slee
p
t
o
come
.
As
tired
as
she
w
as,
Khara
pressed
V
ictoria
to
tell
her
more
about
how
they
would
get
to
Egypt,
the
men
who
would
check
her
docu
m
ents
,
ho
w
s
h
e
woul
d
ans
w
e
r
thei
r
questions
,
an
d
the
inexplicable con
v
e
y
ance that would take them there.

“
A
s
larg
e
a
s
a
w
arship—an
d
i
t
ca
n
fly
?
Impossible.
”
She
took the pad from
V
ictoria’s purse. “Show me.”

“Y
ou
’
ll see it yourself soon enough.”

“W
ill I be afraid?”

“No
t
you
,
girlfriend.
”
V
ictori
a
y
awne
d
an
d
turne
d
o
v
er.
“Tomorrow
I
’
ll
see
if
I
can
find out
who
that
creep
is
and
what
he
w
ants.
And
w
e
need
to
do
some
shopping.
Y
ou
can’t
keep
w
earing my clothes.”

Chapte
r
Twenty-four
Vic
t
oria

Earl
y
the next morning, Bea’s hone
y
ed voice whispered in
V
ictoria’s ear, “Why don’t you sleep in? I know how much
yo
u
hat
e
shopping
.
Khar
a
an
d
I
wil
l
mak
e
a
mornin
g
o
f
i
t
while
you
take
some
time
for
yourself.
I’m
taking
Duncan’s
SU
V
.
The keys to my car are on the counter next to the coffee
pot.”

Th
e
nex
t
tim
e
V
ictori
a
stirred
,
i
t
w
asn’
t
e
v
e
n
nin
e
o’clock,
y
e
t
th
e
hous
e
w
a
s
silen
t
an
d
empty
.
V
ictori
a
poure
d
herself
some
coffee in
the
kitchen
and
padded
silently
into
the
living
room
.
A
n
empt
y
bottl
e
o
f
win
e
an
d
a
half-empt
y
bottl
e
of
tequila
sat
next
to
the
toys
on the
table.
She smiled.
W
ell, it
w
as almost like old times.

Sh
e
continue
d
straigh
t
o
n
t
o
th
e
gues
t
bath
,
whic
h
w
a
s
at
least
twice
as large
as the
bathroom
in
her
apartment
and tiled in
mottled
sage
and
terracotta.
She
remo
v
ed
the
old
t-shirt
Bea had lent her and stepped into the sho
w
er.

W
ar
m
w
ate
r
streame
d
dow
n
he
r
back
,
throug
h
he
r
hair
,
and
ran
gently
o
v
er
her
face.
The
w
arm
w
ater,
the
sun-filled
room,
and
the
thought
of
a
w
aiting
hot
cup
of
coffee
all
soothed
her.
Sh
e
decided
,
a
s
sh
e
drie
d
o
ff
an
d
pu
t
o
n
he
r
sui
t
no
w
minu
s
the
jacket,
that
she
had
probably
o
v
erreacted.
She
had
responded
t
o
a
memory
,
no
t
t
o
th
e
ma
n
w
alkin
g
to
w
ar
d
the
m
o
n
th
e
street.
Suddenly
it
didn’t
seem
quite
the
emergency
Khara
had
made
of it.

Jus
t
pas
t
te
n
o’clock
,
V
ictori
a
dro
v
e
Bea’
s
ca
r
t
o
he
r
office
an
d
foun
d
th
e
receptio
n
des
k
unattende
d
an
d
th
e
phone
ringing
.
Th
e
brea
k
room
,
wher
e
intern
s
usuall
y
sippe
d
co
f
fe
e
and
e
v
aluated
the
success
of
their
w
eekends,
w
as
also
empty.
Sh
e
hear
d
a
muffle
d
nois
e
an
d
hurrie
d
dow
n
th
e
hal
l
t
o
the
conference room.

“What’
s
goin
g
on
?
Wh
y
isn’
t
anyon
e
ans
w
erin
g
the
phone?”

Se
v
era
l
outrage
d
look
s
me
t
he
r
gaze
.
Th
e
sta
ff
stoo
d
i
n
a
semicircl
e
tha
t
slo
w
l
y
opene
d
t
o
re
v
ea
l
Graci
e
sittin
g
i
n
a
rumpled heap at the end of the table.

“She needs a doctor,” said Laura, her ne
w
est emplo
y
ee.

“What happened?”

“I
though
t
h
e
w
a
s
goin
g
t
o
kil
l
me,
”
Graci
e
sobbed
.
“He
w
ent
crazy
when
I
told
him
I
didn’t
know
where
you
w
ere.
I
aske
d
i
f
h
e
ha
d
a
n
appointment
,
an
d
that’
s
whe
n
h
e
hi
t
me.
What
kind
of
man
does
that?”
She
remo
v
ed
the
mascara-and—
blood-soaked
w
ad
of
paper
to
w
els
o
v
er
her
left
e
y
e,
which
w
as
terribly
bruised
and
swollen
almost
shut.
“That
bastard
hit
me
with
the
first
thing
he
could
lay
his
hands
on.
The
stapler,
por
dios
.”

V
ictoria
helped
her
to
her
feet.
“
Y
ou
need
stitches.
Laura
,
get the police here.”

“No!
”
Graci
e
collapse
d
bac
k
int
o
th
e
chair
.
“H
e
say
s
you
ha
v
e
somethin
g
tha
t
belong
s
t
o
him
.
I
f
yo
u
han
d
i
t
o
v
er
,
h
e
says
he
’
ll
disappear;
if
you
don’t,
he
says
there’s
nowhere
for
you
to
hide.”

“Those
w
ere his exact words?”
Sh
e
nodde
d
an
d
ble
w
he
r
nose
.
“Wh
o
i
s
he
,
an
d
wha
t
do
you ha
v
e of his?”

“I ha
v
e no ans
w
er. To either question.”