Are You Afraid of the Dark?

Diane was browsing through a house magazine she had picked up at her bedside.

"Do you know what year this hotel was built?" "Get dressed," Kelly said. "We’re leaving." "It was built in-" "Get dressed. We’re getting out of here." Diane looked up at her. "Is this some kind of joke?" "No. Something terrible is going to happen." There was panic in her voice.

Diane sat up, alarmed. "What’s going to happen?" "I don’t know. But we have to get out of here, or we’re both going to die." Her fear was contagious, but it made no sense.

"Kelly, you’re not being reasonable. If-" "I’m begging you, Diane." Thinking about it later, Diane never knew whether she gave in because of the urgency in Kelly’s voice or because it was the first time Kelly had called her Diane.

"All right." Diane got up. "We’ll pack our clothes and-" "No! Leave everything." Diane looked at Kelly in disbelief. "Leave everything? We just bought-" "Hurry! Now!" "All right." As Diane was reluctantly dressing, she thought, I hope she knows what she’s doing. If"Quick!" It was a strangled scream.

Diane hurriedly finished dressing.

"Faster!" They grabbed their purses and hurried out the door.

I must be as crazy as she is, Diane thought resentfully.

When they reached the lobby, Diane found herself running to keep up with Kelly.

"Would you mind telling me where we’re going?" Outside, Kelly looked around. "There’s a park across the street from the hotel.

I-I need to sit down." Exasperated, Diane followed Kelly into the park. They took seats on a bench.

Diane said, "What are we doing?" At that instant, there was a tremendous explosion inside the hotel, and from where they sat, Diane and Kelly could see windows being blown out of the room they had been occupying, with debris flying through the air.

In stunned disbelief, Diane watched what was happening.

"That-that was a bomb"-terror crept into her voice-"in our room." She turned to Kelly.

"How-how did you know?"

"The maid." Diane looked at her, puzzled. "What about her?" Kelly said quietly, "Hotel maids don’t wear four-hundred-dollar Manolo Blahnik shoes." Diane was finding it difficult to breathe. "How-how could they have found us?" "I don’t know," Kelly said. "But remember who we’re dealing with." They both sat there, filled with dread.

"Did Tanner Kingsley give you anything when you were in his office?" Diane asked.

Kelly shook her head. "No. Did he give you anything?" "No." They realized it at the same instant.

"His card!" They opened their purses and took out the business cards Tanner Kingsley had given them.

Diane tried to break hers in half. It would not bend. "There’s some kind of chip inside," she said, furious.

Kelly tried to bend her card. "In mine, too. That’s how the bastards have been tracking us." Diane took Kelly’s card and said angrily, "Not anymore." Kelly watched as Diane stepped out onto the road and threw the cards down on the street. Within minutes, they had been run over by a dozen cars and trucks.

In the distance, the sounds of approaching sirens were filling the air.

Kelly stood up. "We’d better get away from here, Diane. Now that they can’t track us anymore, we’ll be all right. I’m going back to Paris. What will you do?" "Try to figure out why this is happening." "Be careful." "You, too." Diane hesitated a moment. "Kelly-thanks. You saved my life." Embarrassed, Kelly said, "I feel bad about something. I lied to you.

"You did?" "You know what I said about your painting?" "Yes." "I really liked it-a lot. You’re good." Diane smiled. "Thanks. I’m afraid I’ve been pretty rude to you." "Diane?" "Yes?" "I never grew up with maids." Diane laughed, and the two of them embraced.

"I’m glad we met," Diane said warmly. So am I.

They stood there, looking at each other, finding it difficult to say good-bye.

"I have an idea," Diane said. "If you need me, here’s my cell phone number." She wrote it on a piece of paper.

"Here’s mine," Kelly replied, and gave it to Diane.

"Well, good-bye again." Diane said haltingly, "Yeah. I?Good-bye, Kelly." Diane watched Kelly walk away. At the corner, she turned and waved. Diane waved back. As Kelly disappeared, Diane looked up at the blackened hole that was to have been their tomb, and she felt a chill.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

KATHY ORDONEZ WALKED into Tanner Kingsley’s office with the morning newspapers and said, "It’s happening again." She handed him the newspapers. They all had banner headlines:?

FOG DISRUPTS MAJOR GERMAN CITIES?

ALL SWISS AIRPORTS CLOSED BY FOG?

DEATH TOLL RISES FROM FOG IN ROME

Kathy said, "Shall I send these to Senator Van Luven?" "Yes. Right away," Tanner said grimly. Kathy hurried out of his office.

Tanner looked at his wristwatch and smiled. The bomb must have gone off by now.

The two bitches have finally been disposed of.

His secretary’s voice came over the intercom. "Mr. Kingsley, Senator Van Luven is on the line for you. Do you wish to take it?" "Yes." Tanner picked up the phone. "Tanner Kingsley." "Hello, Mr. Kingsley. This is Senator Van Luven." "Good afternoon, Senator." "My assistants and I happen to be near your headquarters, and I wondered if it would be convenient for you if we dropped in for a visit." "Absolutely," Tanner said enthusiastically. "I would be very happy to show you around, Senator." "Fine. We’ll be there shortly." Tanner pressed the intercom button. "I’m expecting some visitors in a few minutes. Hold all my calls." He thought about the obituary he had seen in the newspapers a few weeks earlier.