t felt more like a walk-in freezer than a guest suite. It

en," she said, an

oked under the lamps, behind the paintings. She didn't know why

ea

smell off her skin until it was raw. She had no clothes, so she

had the perfect cover to explore. She needed a layout. She needed to know

e hallway was empty. She moved silently, her bare

dgmental eyes. She found what she was looking for at the end of the west wing: a heavy oak d

y. The heart

Too many combinations to guess. But the keys for 2, 5, 8

loser, a floorboard

, her body low, ready to react, h

stood there, holding a stack of sheet

fed. "You gave me a f

th. "I'm so sorry. I... I don't know where I am. This house is so big." She

acher said, her tone clipped and di

back with a display of meek apology. "I'

ut in her mind, she was already mapping the house, logging the t

re standing in the hall

room. He had heard the entire exchange. The floorboard creak. Th

The utter lack of sound from her approach. It w

e stood there for a long time, th