The tumblers in the door turned and it popped open.

The attendant looked at me as if I was in charge and said, “Number 68 is on the top row in the corner. There’s a table and two chairs. Would you like me to find another chair?”

I shook my head.

He smiled and said, “I’ll be right down the hall if you need anything at all.”

The three of us entered the room slowly. It was the size of a bedroom. Maybe ten by twelve feet. Up against three of the walls there were boxes of different sizes. Everything was gray. The boxes in the wall, the door. Even the ceiling was a lighter shade of gray. There was no natural light, just a sleek tract of soft LED lights. Ten minutes in here would drive anyone crazy.

I pulled out both keys from my front pocket. Before I inserted them into the round locks on the box, I looked at Tharpe and said, “Let’s get your video statement first.”

He hesitated, so I let my hand slip inside my pocket where he thought I was holding a gun. He nodded and sat down in one of the two chairs at the table in the center of the room.

I quickly recorded his statement, and when I looked up, Katie was at the far end of the room, holding a gun on both of us.

Chapter 30

Chapter 30

IT WAS HARD to take my eyes off the gun in Katie Stahl’s hand. She clearly had no regard for the gun laws of New York. There was a little tremor in the barrel, but overall she seemed calm and confident. Always bad news for the person facing the gun.

The sea of gray and soft lighting wasn’t helpful at all. I felt like I was stuck in a cavern, surrounded by a building.

She looked at me and said, “I’m not enjoying this.”

I said, “If it makes you feel any better, neither am I.” I tried to read Katie’s next move. I’d wait for my chance.

I turned my attention to the box. Mike Tharpe stood to my right and I knew a guy like him had to be calculating the odds of escape. He’d already lost his old life. He’d never be a cop again. Now it looked like he was losing his new life as well. I didn’t want him to do anything desperate.

I slowly turned both keys in the lock at the same time. Once they turned all the way to the left, the door unlatched and I pulled it open. I reached inside and pulled out a safety-deposit box that was about the size of a recycling bin. With the lid closed it looked like a big, gray building block.