Flashback (Kendra Michaels #11)

Kendra backed out through the door and looked down the hallway. “Her bedroom’s down here?”

“Yes, but there’s not much to see.”

Kendra walked down to the next door and leaned inside. Marlee was right: Aside from a bed and a pair of night tables, the room was empty. The windows were covered with the same track-mounted blackout shades as in the office, but they were wide open in this room.

“Chloe sometimes works around the clock, so it’s not unusual for her to sleep during the day. She likes these shades to give her total darkness whenever she needs to grab a few winks.”

Kendra pulled open the night table drawers. One held an open box of condoms, the other remotes for the shades and room lights. The closet was filled with an assortment of wet suits, casual wear, and a few dressier items of clothing. The master bathroom was spotless, with only a few bottles of skin care and hair products in the shower and on the counter.

“Very sparse,” Kendra said. “It almost looks a place that you might find for rent on Airbnb.”

“No, she doesn’t do that. She just never liked clutter. A minimalist through and through.”

“I can see that.”

Kendra walked back through the bedroom and froze. She cocked her head as Marlee walked behind her. “Go back.”

“What?”

“Go back and walk toward me again.”

Marlee wore a puzzled expression. “You want me to—?”

Kendra knelt on the floor. “Go back a few steps, then walk back toward me. Please.”

Marlee walked toward the bathroom, then turned and stepped toward Kendra.

“Stop!” Kendra stared at her feet. “Did you hear that?”

“Hear what?”

“The floor.” Kendra knocked on the floor, moving her hand around to isolate a single ceramic tile that sounded slightly hollower than the others. “Right here.”

“Maybe… Your hearing must be better than mine.”

“I doubt that. I just grew up paying more attention to what I hear.” Kendra knocked on the floor again, then ran her fingernails along the grout line surrounding the tile. She tried prying it at several points, but the tile didn’t budge.

“What are you trying to do?” Marlee asked.

“I’m not really sure.” She moved her fingers to the other side of the tile. “I thought if I could just—”

The tile separated from the floor and flipped upward.

Marlee gasped. “Look!”

Kendra leaned over to see an opening under the floor, its sides carved in the same dimensions as the tile she’d just removed.

“Is it a safe?” Marlee asked.

“Safes usually have locks. This was glued shut.” She pulled her phone from her pocket, activated the flashlight function, and shone it down into the opening. “There’s something down here. Get me some tissues from the bathroom.”

Marlee ran to the bathroom, pulled a few tissues from the box, and brought them to Kendra.

Kendra used them to reach inside and pull a worn object from the opening. She laid the object on the floor.

It was a foot of electrical cord tied between two wooden handles.

Marlee leaned close. “What is it?”