“But blinders come off eventually,” Hannah said. “It might take a while, but people wise up.”

“That’s exactly what I was afraid of. I knew the day would come when Tad would see Ronni for what she really was, and…” Frank stopped and swallowed with difficulty. “And when that happened, it would destroy my boy. Someone had to put a stop to it and that’s what I did.”

Hannah was silent. She wasn’t sure what to say next.

“Walk!” Frank grabbed her shoulder, whirled her around, and pushed her so hard she almost stumbled. “Get going! I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”

They rounded the corner and arrived at the door to the sauna. Hannah was still searching for some way to delay him, but she’d run out of all but the final question. “Do you really think you’ll get away with it?” she asked.

“Of course I will. You’re the only one who even came close to figuring it out, and you can’t tell anyone if you’re dead.” Frank’s eyes glittered dangerously. “Too bad you have to pay the price, but my boy comes first. It would kill him if he ever found out what I did to Ronni.”

Her purse. If he forgot and left her with her purse, everything would be okay. Her cell phone was in her purse and there would be no interference in the sauna. She could call Mike and…

“You won’t need this.” Frank grabbed her purse and tossed it aside, and then he thrust his hand into the long patch pocket of her sweatshirt and drew out the bag with the rose. “What’s this?”

“It’s a rose. My sister gave it to me.”

“Nice,” he said, opening the door, shoving her inside, and tossing the rose in after her. “If it doesn’t melt, it’ll be a nice start on your funeral flowers.”

Chapter Thirty

Of course she had tried the door. It was the first thing she’d done. He’d locked it from the outside, and there was no way she could force it open. She prowled around the walls, searching for any weak spots she could use for ventilation. The south wall bordered the parking lot, but she’d leaned up against it yesterday, talking to Andrea after their morning class, and it hadn’t been any warmer than the wall on the other side of the backdoor. Even if she did manage to pry off a section of redwood, or cedar, or whatever wood it was, she’d only encounter a thick concrete wall between her and the outside world.