Sidney Sheldon - Are You Afraid Of The Dark

"Would you tell us your occupation, sir?" "I'm the manager of the Boston Park Hotel." "Were you on duty last October fourteenth?" "Yes, I was." "Did anything unusual happen that day?" "Yes. I received an urgent phone call from the penthouse suite to send a doctor up there immediately." "What happened next?" "I called Dr. Joseph Russell and he came right over. We went to the penthouse suite to check on the guest, Anthony Altieri." "What did you see when you got there?" "Mr. Altieri, lying on the floor. I thought he was going to die in our hotel." Diane had turned pale. "They're lying," she said hoarsely. "Both of them." Anthony Altieri was being interviewed. He looked frail and sickly.

"Do you have any plans for the immediate future, Mr. Altieri?" "Now that justice has been done, I'm just going to take it easy for a while.

"Altieri smiled thinly.

"Maybe clean up a few old debts." Kelly was dumbstruck. She turned to Diane. "You testified against him?" "Yes. I saw him kill-" Kelly's trembling hands spilled some tea and knocked over a salt-shaker. "I'm getting out of here." "What are you so nervous about?" "What am I nervous about? You tried to have the head of the Mafia sent to prison and he's free, and he's going to clean up a few old debts, and you want to know what I'm nervous about? You should be nervous." Kelly rose and threw some money on the table. "I'll pick up the check. You'd better save your money for traveling expenses, Mrs. Stevens." "Wait! We haven't talked about our husbands or-" "Forget it." Kelly headed for the door and Diane reluctantly pursued her.

"I think you're overreacting," Diane argued. Do you?

As they reached the exit, Kelly said, "I don't understand how you could be so stupid as to-" An elderly man, entering on crutches, slipped and started to fall. For an instant, Kelly was in Paris and it was Mark who was falling, and she reached down to save him, and at the same time, Diane moved to catch him. At that moment, from across the street two loud shots rang out, the bullets smashing into the wall where the women had been standing. The explosion brought Kelly back to instant reality. She was in Manhattan and had just had tea with a crazy woman.

"My God!" Diane exclaimed. "We-" "This is no time to pray. Let's get the hell out of here!" Kelly propelled Diane to the curb where Colin was standing, next to the limousine. He pulled the car door open, and Kelly and Diane tumbled into the backseat.

"What was that noise?" Colin asked.

The two women sat there, huddled in the seat, too unnerved to speak.

Finally, Kelly said, "It-er, must have been a backfire." She turned to Diane, who was fighting to regain her composure. "I hope I'm not overreacting," she said sarcastically.

"I'll drop you off. Where do you live?" Diane took a deep breath and gave Colin the address of her apartment building.

The two women rode there in stony silence, shaken by what had just happened.

When the car pulled up in front of her building, Diane turned to Kelly. "Will you come in? I'm a little jittery. I have a feeling something more might happen." Kelly said curtly, "I have the same feeling-but it's not going to happen to me.

Good-bye, Mrs. Stevens." Diane looked at Kelly a moment, started to say something, then shook her head and got out of the car.

Kelly watched as Diane walked into the foyer and entered her apartment on the first floor. Kelly gave a sigh of relief.

Colin said, "Where would you like to go, Mrs. Harris?" "Back to the hotel, Colin, and-" There was a loud scream from the apartment. Kelly hesitated an instant, then opened the car door and raced inside the building. Diane had left the door to her apartment wide open. She was standing in the middle of the room, trembling.

"What happened?" "Someone-someone's broken in here. Richard's briefcase was on this table and it's gone. It was filled with his papers. They left his wedding ring in its place." Kelly looked around nervously. "You'd better call the police." "Yes." Diane remembered the card that Detective Greenburg had left on the hall table. She walked over to it and picked it up. A minute later, she was on the phone, saying, "Detective Earl Greenburg, please.

There was a brief delay.

"Greenburg." "Detective Greenburg, this is Diane Stevens. Something has happened here. I wonder if you could come by the apartment and… thank you." Diane took a deep breath and turned to Kelly. "He's coming. If you don't mind waiting until he-" "I do mind. This is your problem. I don't want any part of it. And you might mention that someone just tried to kill you. I'm leaving for Paris. Good-bye, Mrs. Stevens." Diane watched as Kelly walked outside and headed for the limousine.

"Where to?" Colin asked.

"Back to the hotel, please."

Where she would be safe.

WHEN KELLY RETURNED to her hotel room, she was still unnerved by what had happened. The experience of coming so close to being killed had been terrifying.

The last thing I need right now is some blonde airhead trying to get me murdered.

Kelly sank down on the couch to calm herself and closed her eyes. She tried to meditate and concentrate on a mantra, but it was no use. She was too shaken.

There was an empty, lonely feeling deep inside her. Mark, I miss you so much.

People said that as time went by, I would feel better. It's not true, my darling. Every day makes it worse.

The sound of a food cart being wheeled down the corridor made Kelly realize that she had not eaten all day. She was not hungry, but she knew she had to keep up her strength.

She phoned room service. "I'd like a shrimp salad and some hot tea, please." "Thank you. It should be there in twenty-five to thirty minutes, Mrs. Harris." "Fine." Kelly replaced the receiver. She sat there, replaying in her mind the meeting with Tanner Kingsley, and she felt as though she had been plunged into a chilling nightmare. What was going on?

Why had Mark never mentioned Olga? Was it a business relationship? An affair?

Mark, darling,

I want you to know that if you did have an affair, I forgive you because I love you. I will always love you. You taught me how to love. I was cold and you warmed me. You gave me my pride back, and made me feel like a woman.

She thought about Diane. That busybody put my life at risk. She's someone to stay away from. That won't be difficult. Tomorrow I'll be in Paris, with Angel.

Her reverie was interrupted by the sound of a knock at the door. "Room service." "Coming." As Kelly started toward the door, she stopped, puzzled. She had ordered just a few minutes ago. It's too soon. "Just a moment," she called.

"Yes, ma'am." Kelly picked up the phone and dialed room service. "My order is not here yet." "We're working on it, Mrs. Harris. It should be there in fifteen or twenty minutes." Kelly replaced the receiver, her heart pounding. She dialed the operator.

"There's-there's a man trying to get into my room." "I'll send a security officer right up, Mrs. Harris." Two minutes later, she heard another knock. Kelly walked over to the door, wary.

"Who is it?"

"Security." Kelly looked at her watch. Too fast. "I'll be right there." She hurried over to the telephone and called the operator again. "I called down about security. Is-" "He's on his way up, Mrs. Harris. He should be up there in a minute or two." "What is his name?" Her voice was strangled with fear.

"Thomas." Kelly could hear low, low whispers in the hall. She pressed her ear against the door until the voices faded. She stood there, filled with blind terror.

A minute later, there was a knock at the door.

"Who is it?"

"Security." "Bill?" Kelly asked. She held her breath.

"No, Mrs. Harris. It's Thomas." Kelly quickly opened the door and let him in.

He regarded her a moment and said, "What happened?" "Some-some men tried to get in here." "Did you see them?" "No. I-I heard them. Would you walk me out to a taxi?" "Certainly, Mrs. Harris." Kelly was trying to force herself to stay calm. Too much was happening too fast.