On the street below, I checked the outside of the building. The ascent would be challenging for even the most experienced free climber. Each successive floor had three balconies, one for each apartment facing the street. The same was true for the other side of the building—a mirror image.
As the floors neared the top, the more expensive residences were evidenced by larger balconies, the units going from three in number per floor to two, until the last two floors where there were was only one apartment suite per floor on either side of the building. Mrs. Rutlidge’s suite was one of them, of course.
I smiled blithely to myself. Heights had never made me feel uneasy. In fact, it came naturally to me, something my beast—and human—did without fear. I remembered giving Uncle Ben near heart att
