Chapters (73)
- Cover
- Dedication
- Prologue
- Part IAnnie
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Part IIHarry
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Part IIIAnnie
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Part IVHarry
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Thirty-Nine
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Forty-Two
- Forty-Three
- Forty-Four
- Forty-Five
- Forty-Six
- Forty-Seven
- Forty-Eight
- Part VAnnie
- Forty-Nine
- Fifty
- Fifty-One
- Fifty-Two
- Fifty-Three
- Fifty-Four
- Fifty-Five
- Fifty-Six
- Fifty-Seven
- Fifty-Eight
- Fifty-Nine
- Sixty
- Sixty-One
- Acknowledgments
- About the Author
- Also by Linwood Barclay
- About the Publisher
She held her breath, not wanting even the sound of her own breathing to interfere with what she was trying to pick up on. If she could have stopped her heart, she would have.
Chuffchuffenoughchuffenoughchuffchuff
Yes, there was definitely something there.
Chuffenoughchuffenoughchuffenough
It was becoming clearer. She took a breath, held it again.
Enoughchuffenoughchuffenoughenoughenough
Even clearer now. She felt a wave of expectation rush through her, as though she were on the brink of a great discovery. If she were to have looked at a clock, she would have learned that she had been sitting down here for more than three hours.
Enoughisenoughisenoughisenoughisenoughisenough
And there it was.
Enough is enough.
She sat back up in the chair, nodding to herself. The words were a revelation. No, not a revelation.
They were a confirmation.
They told her everything she already knew to be true. She’d been living this lie for far too long. This was no life. How could she continue such an existence? There came a time when you had to decide how much more you were willing to endure, how much more you were going to take.
Enough was enough.
She got up from the chair and turned back the throttle. The locomotive came to a stop. She flipped a switch to turn off the transformer, disconnected the wires that led from it to the track, then unplugged the unit from the wall, looping the cord about it. She took up to the kitchen the coffee mug and the plate that was now littered with chocolate chip muffin crumbs, put them into the dishwasher, and, seeing that she had a pretty full load in there, filled the detergent dispenser with some powdered Calgonite, closed the door, and hit the on button.
She returned to the basement and found a short extension cord. She took it, as well as the unplugged transformer—which was heavier than she expected it to be—to the second floor of the house. She set them on the bed, then went into the bathroom, shoved the stopper into the bathtub drain, and turned on the taps.
She held her hand under the running water, adjusting the two knobs to get the temperature just right. She liked a hot bath, but not too hot. Once she had the water flowing into the tub at the desired temperature, she returned to the bedroom and disrobed.
Naked, she went back into the bathroom, taking the extension cord and the transformer with her. She set them on the counter next to the sink, then dipped her hand into the water to see how it felt.
Perfect. She turned off the taps, giving them both a good twist to make sure they would not drip.