"I just can't risk it, Barbara! Someone managed to break into my darkroom in broad daylight and rip it to shreds. Tonight, he or she broke in here, knocked you out and abducted Adam--all without a sound!
Barb, look. The lock was picked. It seems this person can come and go at will. And I think he knows where I am and where I go. I just can't take a chance,
Barbara. Oh, please! You've got to help me! We've just got to do this my way!"
Barbara lowered her lashes,then looked at Bryn squarely. "You're taking another risk, you know."
Bryn swallowed. She knew what Barbara meant, but she had to ask. "What are you talking about?"
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"If these people are that ruthless, Adam is in danger no matter what you do."
Bryn shook her head. "All they want is thepictures, I can't let myself believe that they would hurt Adam."
"What are you going to tell his brothers?"
"That...that...he went to stay with your sister."
"I don't have a sister."
"You do now."
Barbara sighed. "All right, Bryn. Adam is your nephew; I can't make you do what would terrify you, even if I do think that the police should be called in. But what are you going to do?"
"I've tried charm, now I'm going to try robbery."
"What?"
"I'm going to break into his house tomorrow night."
"Oh, God in heaven!Now you really have gone crazy!"
"No, no, Barbara! I was in the house tonight,remember ? There's a little alcove off the living room with his desk and business papers and the like.And a file cabinet. The proofs have to be there somewhere."
"Marvelous. What if he has a burglar alarm?"
"He doesn't...at least, I'm almost certain he doesn't. And I went through the house. There's a den window that was open tonight. I'm sure I can slip through it."
"This is insane."
"I'm desperate, Barbara!"
Barbara shook her head. "I still say it's insane. You're going to wind up in jail, and then what will happen?"
"I won't wind up in jail," Bryn said with far more confidence than she felt.
Barbara sighed. "Pass the brandy, will you please? This is going to be a long night. And somehow we're both going to have to show up for work tomorrow morning."
Bryn poured Barbara a stiff brandy,then poured another one for herself. God bless Barbara!she thought in sudden meditation. She'd been knocked unconscious, dragged into terror and now showed no signs of deserting the ship. At least Bryn now had a sympathetic shoulder to lean on....
"How many brandies to you think it will take us to get to sleep?"
Bryn grimaced."The bottle."
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But ten bottles of brandy wouldn't have allowed her to sleep that night. All she could think about was Adam. If she could only hold him now, she would promise him that he could shoot peas across any restaurant that he wanted for the rest of his life....
Oh, Adam! Please come home. Dear God, please let him come home....
Before Andrew neared the door of theFultonplace, he could hear the drums. A heavy rock beat was being pounded out, and he pictured Lee before he saw him; face set in a grim mask, biceps and pectorals straining and bulging with the muscular force needed to create such driving thunder from the drums.
He was right. But as soon as he opened the door, Lee stopped pounding. He waseither angry , brooding or puzzled, Andrew knew, but no matter what his state, he wouldn't abuse a friend.
The cymbals crashed together as Lee rose and came to the balcony railing to wave at him."Hey, Andrew. You're early."
"I've been trying to call you all morning."
Lee shrugged. "I've been here. Why? Has something happened?' '
"I'm not sure."
Lee left the railing and came pelting down the stairs. "Coffee is on. Let's get some, and you tell me what you mean."
A few minutes later, Andrew had already gulped down one cup of coffee and had begun on another, leaning against the table in the den.
"Last night, as you know, was my turn to watch Bryn's house again. I had a few errands to run first, but I didn't worry about time too much because you had told me Bryn would be coming over to your house. I figured the earliest she could get home would be about ten, so I planned to get there about nine-thirty.
But she was already home--at least her van was in the drive--when I got there."
"She left early," Lee said dryly. "Please, Andrew, go on. What happened?"
"Well, nothing, really.Nothing happened, I mean. It was just strange. The lights never went off. Barbara didn't leave, and the television stayed on all night."
Lee frowned, and then shrugged. "Maybe they stayed up talking and fell asleep with the TV and the lights on."
"Maybe," Andrew said, but his look was dubious. "I have a feeling, and intuition, that something did happen before I got there."
Lee was silent for a minute; then he said, "Andrew, don't worry about it, there's probably nothing wrong."
"I should have been there earlier."
"Don't worry about it. It sure as hell isn't your fault that Bryn left my place early."