17I leaned toward the window. Pressure on the velvet cord moved the stanchion an inch across the floor, the rough squeak like a shriek in the quiet room.
The three men turned and started toward me. I saw my father’s face full on. His eyes were clouded. I wasn’t sure he registered the sight of the building in front of him. Let alone his daughter peering out from the security-barred French door. Then the threesome veered off to the left and I couldn’t see them anymore.
I went over to the bookcase. Reached up and pulled a book out at random. My eyes wouldn’t focus on the page. I couldn’t read the title. My heart fluttered inside my chest, a bird trapped in an airshaft. Only by an act of will could I keep myself from gasping.
I pulled out another book. My damp fingers marked the cover. In a
