“When you found me in the park last night, I didn’t just fall off my bike. Someone was following me, and I was trying to get away.” I take a deep breath. “At the pool, I had the feeling I was being watched again, and I saw a shadow darting away. I thought I was losing my mind, but his bike is parked in front of the hotel. I think it’s Claus. That means he was spying on Isolde first—and now me.”

All kinds of noises are coming in from the street, but inside this room time is standing still.

Claus and my stalker are the same person. When Fender read out the pages from Isolde’s diary, I understood. What Isolde described felt so very familiar.

“So that’s why you were so afraid in the park?” Fender asks. “And it wasn’t because of…”

“Because of you?” I shake my head. “No. Not that time.”

Fender’s eyes go to my throat. “Oh.”

He looks back outside. I have to keep him talking, because then at least he won’t jump.

“We need to stop this Claus guy. He’s done enough damage already.”

“Where do you want to start looking? This hotel is huge!”

“Room 311,” I say.

Fender snorts. “Or Room 248. Or Room 194. Or all the rooms between, or above, or below.”

I shake my head. “No. I’m certain. I’ve been inside his room.”

Fender looks up in astonishment. And then everything happens at once.

Fender starts to wobble, and his foot slips.

I leap forward and grab him by his denim jacket. When I give it a firm tug, there’s a ripping sound.

For a moment, I think Fender’s going to tumble out of the window anyway, but then we fall back into the room together. I bang my arm on the coffee table, and Fender lands on my legs.

Heart pounding, breath wheezing, I lie there on the floor. Fender is panting like he just ran a marathon.

What would have happened if I hadn’t grabbed him in time?

The minutes pass, but neither of us stands up. We both stare at the ceiling.

Finally Fender breaks the silence. “Why did you follow me?”

“I could feel something was up.”

“You could feel it?”

“Yes, what’s wrong with that?”

“Nothing,” says Fender quickly. “Nothing.”

My heartbeat slowly returns to normal.

“Thank you,” Fender says.

“What for?”

“For not saying anything to Kate and Lucas about what happened outside.”

“I just haven’t gotten around to it yet.”

Fender stands up and closes the window. He doesn’t thank me for saving his life.

“You coming?”

“Where to?”

Fender opens the door. “To talk to Claus.”

My heart rate shoots straight back up again. “But we can’t. The rules of the game…”

“I don’t care.” Fender’s eyes are shooting fire. “Are you coming or not?”