The cab finally pulled up outside Sophia's building and Isabel stepped out.
The building had once been a grand brownstone, but it had been split into apartments years ago. Paint peeled from the front door and the gate hung crooked on its hinge.
She took a deep breath, opened the creaky gate, and climbed the cracked, concrete stairs two at a time. She jammed the buzzer for the apartment but no one answered.
Panicked, she jammed the other buttons, hoping someone was home to open the door. Finally, the intercom speaker crackled.
"Hello?" an elderly female voice asked.
"Hello," Isabel shouted. "Please let me in. My friend Sophia and her mother Linda are hurt."
"What? Are you the police?" the woman asked.
"Please, let me in," Isabel wailed.
The door buzzed and Isabel pushed it ope
