It took a while for Erin to convince them that they weren’t dreaming, but eventually she was successful. There was definitely a relieved bounce in their step when they finally left the conference room. Erin was tired, but happy as she walked back toward her office.

Her empty stomach complained bitterly and her mouth salivated at the thought of the cold Reuben sandwich that waited on her desk. Erin hefted the folder and looked up just in time to avoid running smack into Josette who was on her way out. The secretary stood in the hall waiting impatiently for the elevator.

Erin frowned in confusion and glanced at her watch. It was only three o’clock, and a little early for the woman to be leaving work. "Josette?"

"Scott is picking me up for the Christmas party with his family, remember?"

A nervous glint in her eye reminded Erin that Josette was not looking forward to this annual event. She asked off early for it every year, yet dreaded going to the forced celebration. Her husband’s family didn’t exactly like her, but Josette still kept trying.

"Don’t worry," Erin smiled. "I’m sure you’re wearing them down."

The chime sounded to let the women know that the elevator had arrived and the doors were about to open. Josette smiled nervously back at her boss and said, "What about you? When are you going to find yourself a boyfriend, and have some fun instead of working all the time?"

Erin smirked and raised an eyebrow. "Don’t you have something else to do besides worry about my private life, Josette?"

Her private life, or lack thereof, wasn’t something she was in the habit of discussing with anyone. None of her business contacts knew of her orientation and she preferred to keep it that way. It was alright to have a woman corporate attorney represent your company, but she felt most of her clients would run screaming if they found out she was also a lesbian.

The doors parted and Erin suddenly found that she was looking into a pair of ice-blue eyes. She felt her face harden, and diligently ignored the curious look she noticed on Josette’s face from the corner of her eye. Carson Tierney stood in the elevator holding a huge cardboard box. Even loaded down, hair slightly mussed, and with a dark smudge on one cheek she looked aggravatingly composed.

Carson hesitated for an instant before she stepped off the elevator and Josette took her place. They stood staring at each other until the lift doors closed and the secretary left them alone. Erin wondered what would have prompted the head of Delphi Technologies to initiate contact with her after their earlier interaction. Ms. Tierney probably just wanted to insult the attorney or let her know she thought of Erin as someone to cater to her obviously huge ego.

Carson stood uncertainly in front of the lawyer. From the instant the elevator doors opened and she saw the smaller woman standing there she knew she had to do something to mend the rift between them. Instead she saw the walls coming down over hooded slate colored eyes. Carson started to back down, but then firmed her resolve. As inexperienced as she was with making overtures she knew she had to try.

"I…I wanted to apologize," Carson began nervously. She saw that she had startled the other woman by her admission and foraged ahead. "I wanted to say that I’m sorry, for earlier. I’m not usually quite so rude when I first meet someone. I don’t know what came over me."

Ms. Donovan didn’t seem to know what to make of the apology. She just stood there and looked mutely at her. Apparently the woman wasn’t ready to forgive her, and if she was so petty that she couldn’t allow for one lapse in etiquette perhaps Carson was wrong about her. Perhaps it was time to get over her crush on the tiny lawyer.

It was sad really. Here she was in her late twenties and experiencing her first real romantic interest in years, and the woman wasn’t as special as she thought.

"Well," Carson finally said into the silence, "I suppose I should get back to it."

She hefted the box of files by way of explanation and started to turn back toward the elevators.

"Thank you, Ms. Tierney."

Carson turned back around at the sound of the gravelly tones. What this woman could do to her insides with that voice!

"I appreciate that," Erin continued. "You didn’t have to apologize…but thank you."

The taller woman dipped her head in acknowledgment, and said, "You’re welcome, and it’s Carson. Please."

Erin smiled and Carson felt like the sun had broken through the clouds just for her. Did it suddenly get hot in here? She felt butterflies beating agitatedly against her stomach and swallowed against an unusually dry throat.

"Only if you’ll agree to call me Erin."

"Erin?" Carson asked stupidly, dazed by the brilliant smile being directed her way. If the other woman really was straight it was such a terrible waste. "Oh, of course. Erin. Well, I should go."

She felt inane for the lack of original comment, but the box was getting heavy. Carson leaned over and pressed the button for the elevator car with her forearm. She turned back around to find that Erin was looking at her oddly. The dynamic attorney seemed to realize what she was doing and turned a bright red.

"Right, well, I should get back to work anyway," Erin said.

But Carson noticed that she stood there silently as the lift doors opened and she stepped inside. Their eyes met and held until the doors closed and then Erin was gone.

The look in the other woman’s eyes remained with her, how they had lightened like the sky after a summer shower. The flash of strong, white teeth left her breathless, and Carson felt like she might crawl out of her skin. It was a sensation Carson had never experienced before, and she finally understood what would prompt countless poets to write about love throughout the ages. She wasn’t saying she was in love with Erin Donovan, she barely knew her. But she also knew that she found the woman utterly captivating.

When she stepped off the elevator the first thing she noticed was the continued sound of the renovation going on overhead. Even the pounding and continuous scraping couldn’t dim her smile. The rest of the team wasn’t due to arrive until next week, and surely they could put up with a little distraction for a while. She knew it would certainly be worth it to her.

Carson sat the heavy box down in the hallway, and wandered from one office to the next. She had spent a considerable amount of time up here with Erin earlier, but really hadn’t noticed the layout. As much as she pretended to survey the space she had been more interested in the corporate lawyer’s features. She clearly remembered the light dusting of freckles across the pert nose when the fluorescent lights illuminated her features.

Tense lines around the blue-gray eyes and around her lips hinted at the strain Erin was under, and Carson wondered if they were caused by working too hard or by her own rudeness. Each time Erin checked the time on her watch Carson noticed how small her hands were. Although they were small hands, they were strong and she found them fascinating; just like everything else about Erin Donovan.

Abruptly Carson came back to the present and realized she was slumped against the wall lost in thought. Her hands were shaking when she lifted them and pushed the hair back from her face. This was silly!

As intriguing as the attorney was Carson still had work to do, and this adolescent fawning over the other woman was becoming too much of a distraction. She still had a business to run and she wouldn’t let her feelings interfere with that. Her work was her salvation, it had always been the one thing she could rely on, the one thing that had never let her down or judged her.

The most Carson could hope for from Erin Donovan was a friendship, and a little harmless fantasy. Something physical was out of the question. Even if Erin would consider being with a woman there was no reason to think she would choose Carson. On top of that, how did she know that the other woman wasn’t already involved? Just because Erin didn’t wear a ring didn’t mean she wasn’t seeing someone.

Carson pushed the thoughts away and began checking the offices over with real interest. She finally settled on the fourth office on the left away from the elevator banks. It was by far the largest office with a fantastic view of the skyline. It was dark early outside because of the season, and Carson happily took in the city lights below.

The office was also far enough away from the elevators and the conference room that she wouldn’t be bothered by people passing by outside.

The lavatory was at the other end of the hall, but she didn’t mind the walk. Her office would be the closest to the actual lab where she had requested the additional power outlets and phone jacks. Satisfied with her decision, Carson went back into the hall and retrieved the cardboard box.

Desks had already been furnished in all of the offices, as well as a large table and chairs in the conference room. Anything additional like file cabinets and servers they would have to install themselves.

After she sat the box on her desk she ran her fingers lovingly over the mahogany top. She savored the feel of the expensive wood and wondered if Ray Eldridge had seen to the furnishings. If so she couldn’t knock his taste in decor, or his taste in partners.

Damn it, she swore internally. Her thoughts had come back around full circle.

Carson thrust thoughts of the other woman away and concentrated on unpacking her personal things. She still had to get organized and that included deciding which of the people on her staff would have what offices, as well as deciding how many sets of keys to have made for the tenth floor office space. Phones would have to be moved in, servers set up, security systems put in place, etc. All in all there was a great deal to do.

After she unpacked the box, Carson sat it to the side and began to make a list of things to do. Some time later she realized that the sounds of construction overhead had ceased.

Carson looked at her watch and saw that it was already five thirty. Time had completely gotten away from her, but she wasn’t quite finished yet. She wanted to complete the list of tasks needed for her company to settle in and take some measurements before she stopped for the night and some dinner.

She wondered if Erin Donovan had gone home to a solitary meal or if she had someone waiting for her at home.

Four floors down Erin had no idea that she was the subject of intense concentration, but she did look up sharply when the overhead lights flickered on and off.

The disruption in power was a minor annoyance, but it did make her look at her watch. She was surprised to find that it was already ten fifteen. It was long past the time she should have quit, but she wanted to finish the draft she was working on.

Her stomach was queasy from the cold, greasy sandwich she had eaten earlier, and if she had one more cup of coffee she would never get to sleep later. At least it was Friday and she wouldn’t have to get up early tomorrow, but she would have to call for a cab pretty soon.

The chime that announced the arrival of the elevator sounded and Erin looked up curiously. She had left the door to her office and the outer door open into the hallway, as was her habit when she worked alone in the evenings. The sound was clearly recognizable, but she didn’t hear anyone get off. After a moment she shrugged and turned back to the document on her computer.

A few seconds later she heard the chime again…and then again.

"Who’s playing with the damned elevator?" she grumbled and got up from her desk. Since it was after hours it had to be security or someone with access to the sixth floor.

Just as Erin reached the outer door that led into the corridor the overhead lights blinked again and went out. For a moment she stood frozen in the darkness before the glow of the red emergency lights kicked in.

Well that explains the elevator, she thought dryly. They were just more problems to report to Holcomb. I swear this place has gremlins.

Erin stepped into the hall where there was more light and spotted the elevator standing open a few feet down. Brighter light from inside the car illuminated a patch on the carpet but there was something funny about it. She frowned when she realized that something inside the elevator was casting a shadow onto the floor.

Curious but unafraid, she wandered toward the lift. The whole building seemed eerily quiet and she realized that with the exception of security on the first floor, she could very well be the last one in the building. Then her vision seemed to narrow down to the spot directly in front of her.

A man’s arm and hand lay between the elevator doors. His hand was curled slightly, palm up on the commercial grade carpet. Worried that he was hurt Erin rushed toward him and dropped onto her knees at his side. She recognized Ed Cupper, Vice President of the corporation that owned the building, as the unconscious man on the lift floor. At least she prayed that he was merely unconscious.

"Ed? Ed, can you hear me?"

Erin reached out to his face and suddenly noticed the blood that pooled all around him. His eyes stared sightlessly into the abyss, and she realized that somehow his head had been bashed in.

Her brain refused to work. Surely this had to be some kind of terrible accident, didn’t it?

She tried to believe that was what had happened, but the sheer amount of bloody handprints all over the lift told her differently.

Terror exploded in her mind and she whimpered unconsciously as she stumbled up and back before she ran into the wall. Erin shook her head in denial, her mouth opened and her breath came in great shuddering gasps. She looked down and saw that her hands were covered in Ed’s blood. Her knees felt sticky and Erin saw that she had unknowingly knelt in the pool on the floor.

Erin retched and then clenched her jaws, refusing to toss her cookies. What she needed to do now was think. It was just so difficult with all of the cotton that suddenly filled her head. The police! She had to call the authorities.

She ignored the quickly drying blood on her hands, and rushed back into the main lobby to grab the phone off Josette’s desk. The handset was slippery in her sticky grasp. Erin punched in 911 and waited impatiently for the phone to ring on the other end. Instead all she heard was static.

What the…? The power outage shouldn’t affect the phone lines. Erin pushed the disconnect button several times and prayed that the operator would answer. Nothing.

She ran into her office and dove into her briefcase for her cell phone. It was only after she had flipped it open that she remembered that she couldn’t get a signal from inside the building.

When she finally conceded that phone calls were out of the question something occurred to her with enough force to make her feel like she had been punched in the stomach. Erin had wasted time trying to call the police and there was the distinct possibility that the killer was on the sixth floor with her. The elevator had stopped here and Ed’s body laid part way out of the car. But how had he made the car stop on this floor?

He must have used Ed’s pass card. Since Ed was one of the owners of the building, he would have access to everything.

Erin spun back around to face the open door. She couldn’t see anyone and the building was frighteningly quiet with the power off. The sound of the wind howling outside was loud enough that she suddenly heard it over the terrified pounding of her heart. She looked over and saw snow swirl heavily outside the window. The annoying winter storm had finally become a raging blizzard while she worked.

Could that be the real reason for the power outage? Could Ed’s death merely be the product of some tragic accident after all?

In light of this new information Erin let her breath out in a relieved rush and felt her heart beat start to take on a more natural cadence.

Killers and murder, Erin thought berating herself silently for her overactive imagination. She really needed to get a grip!

Erin thought of the abject terror she felt when she found the dead executive and was glad no one was around to witness her embarrassment. But a man was still dead and regardless of the power outage she had to report it.

The first step she took reminded Erin of her blood caked hands and knees. A quick glance down confirmed that her skirt and hose were ruined. The sight almost made her gag, and she decided to wash the blood from her hands before she went downstairs to report the accident to security. Now that her fright had receded she began to quietly mourn Ed’s demise. As she washed her hands in the small kitchenette Erin felt tears sting the backs of her eyes.

Had it only been that morning that she teased her secretary with her dreams about him? Guilt hammered away at her when she thought about his sad attempts to hook up with any available female. He was just lonely and she had made fun of him. She had made light of his feelings in an attempt to ignore her own loneliness that she would never admit to anyone.

Who could possibly be interested in a middle-aged workaholic anyway?

Liquid blue eyes danced across her mind and Erin resolutely pushed the image away. The woman was irritating beyond words and Erin was most definitely not interested in Carson Tierney in any way. Besides, it’s too late for me anyway.

Erin dried her hands and tossed the paper towel into the trash. She kept a spare suit in her coat closet for emergencies and would change after she spoke to security. Then she would go home to several healthy shots of Remy Martin.

Even then she feared that Ed’s empty eyes would haunt her for the rest of her life.

Erin stepped into the hall and deliberately kept her eyes directly on the carpet in front of her. That wasn’t enough and she saw more of the older man’s body than she wanted when she walked by. Thankfully she wouldn’t have to use the elevator. With the power out she would have to use the stairs. Normally a six-story flight of stairs was a thing to be avoided in high heels, but it was far more preferable than using the blood soaked elevator anyway.

What could possibly have happened? Maybe he had taken a fall and gone in search of help before he succumbed to his injuries. It was common knowledge that Erin often worked late and it was possible he had been on his way to her office for help.

That didn’t make sense though. He had obviously been hurt before the power outage so why hadn’t he used the phone to call for an ambulance? Even confused and disoriented from a head injury it was highly unlikely that he would crawl into the elevator. It made more sense that he would have wandered around on the first floor where his office was located. Security was on the same floor and would surely have found him.

Erin frowned as she walked carefully down the narrow steps. Three-inch pumps weren’t ideal footwear and she was more concerned with staying on her feet than checking to see if she was alone in the stairwell. She went around the third floor landing and froze when she heard a thump from below.

She wanted to believe that the strange circumstances were caused by the outside storm, but caution made her wait a few moments on the stairs. A second later she heard the sound again. It was the sound of metal striking metal. Below her on the third floor and just at the edge of the handrail Erin spotted a shadow. She shrank back instinctively and held her breath when she saw a strange man come up the stairs onto the third floor.

Her first thought was that help had arrived and it was only by the thinnest of margins that she kept from calling out immediately. That was when she noticed his hands. They were covered in blood and in his right hand he clutched a huge hammer. The head of it was curved into two wicked claws and looked like some kind of rock climbing axe. It was the head of the axe that struck the handrail as he walked.

He was a big man, easily over six feet. A bushy thick beard and dark hair obscured most of his features, but Erin thought he looked like pure evil. Then the door closed without him noticing her. He hadn’t used any kind of pass card, and she realized it was because the power was out. All of the exit doors unlocked in the case of an emergency.

Erin’s heart pounded in fear that he would suddenly come back out. She needed to get to the first floor and alert security, but she had to be very careful. Sound echoed on these stairs, and that was what had saved her, but it could condemn her too. Erin reached down and quickly pulled off her shoes. She carried them clutched against her as she trotted down the steps toward the first floor.

Her footing was slippery from the pantyhose, and she thought it would be just her luck if she fell and damaged the concrete steps with her skull.

Shit, she thought and tried to be as quiet as possible while she ran for security. Shit.

Her body’s initial reaction to seeing Ed Cupper was right. He had been murdered. Now it looked like the killer was still in the building and systematically searching the floor for other victims. That meant he hadn’t been in the elevator with Ed. If so he would have already searched that floor and killed her.

Panic fluttered at the edges of her vision but Erin pushed it away. If she gave in to it now she wouldn’t survive the night. She could fall apart later.

Erin reached the first floor landing, leaving the concrete steps in the same condition that she found them, and pushed the heavy release bar across the exit. It resisted at first but grudgingly gave way when she insisted.

She had never used the stairs before and it took a second to get her bearings. Then Erin quickly ran as fast as she could in her slippery hose toward the security offices. So far she hadn’t seen anyone else in the building, but she knew that security worked twenty-four hours a day and manned a bank of electronic surveillance cameras. With any luck she and Ed had been the last two executives in the structure.

But if she hoped to find rescue with the security guards that hope was dashed when she came around the corner outside their office. The attorney wasn’t sure how many guards were on duty after hours, but one of them lay face down outside the door.

"Oh no," Erin groaned and slumped for a moment against the wall.

The pause was only for a few seconds before she straightened her back and pushed away from the wall.

Erin was a child of the 20^th century and had seen her share of horror flicks. The cowering women in those films disgusted her when they always managed to trip right when the psycho killer was directly behind them. She didn’t intend to be one of those nimrods and even if she was the one only left alive, or this really wasn’t some nightmare she wasn’t going to let him win.

She wasn’t stupid either and an unarmed woman against that great hulk of a man wasn’t much of a match. There had to be something in the security office she could use.

Erin swallowed her trepidation and stepped across the dead guard. He was sprawled in such a way that her calf slid down his shoulder before she could reach the floor on the other side. Her imagination insisted that he moved, but her common sense noticed the coldness in his body. He was dead and not about to suddenly come to life and grab her.

Erin closed her eyes for a second then she grasped the doorframe and stepped over him. But when she was in the office her stubborn optimism wavered in the face of the carnage before her.

Two more bodies were in the room. One of them was a woman who had never even made it out of her chair. From the look of things Erin guessed that her neck was broken. She remembered the size of the killer’s hands and knew that the thin woman in front of the security monitors never stood a chance. Sadly, Erin turned to the other man to see if there was a chance he was still alive. One look at the fire axe buried in his skull was enough to convince her otherwise.

Erin turned away quickly and pressed her hand to her lips to stifle the hysterical sob. Finally, she gathered her tattered courage and turned back to the dead security guards. The man on the floor had a gun in his hand, but Erin doubted he had ever fired it. The killer certainly hadn’t appeared to be injured.

There was no way she was going to pry the gun from his hand, but if he had one so did the female guard.

Sure enough a gun resided undisturbed in the woman’s leather holster. Erin was no expert with weapons, but she could see that it was an automatic as she unsnapped the holster. She tucked her shoes under her arm and pulled the gun out of the holster before she looked at it closely.

A few sessions on the firing range to be familiar with such things two years ago had given Erin just enough knowledge to shoot herself by accident.

Very aware of that irony Erin carefully inspected the weapon, and turned the safety catch off.

If she did suddenly have to defend herself it would be better not to have to fumble with the catch then. After the safety was off Erin held firmly to the grips and kept her finger off the trigger while she reached up with the other hand to move the slide just enough to see inside. A round had already been chambered and all she would have to do was pull the trigger if it came down to it.

Erin swallowed nervously and wondered if she had suddenly lost her mind. She had never even pointed a gun at someone much less entertained the notion of shooting them! Still, if she had to, she thought she could defend herself.

Armed, the frightened businesswoman turned back to the security setup. The surveillance monitors were dark and useless to her. There was no way to know where the killer was now, but perhaps there was still a way to call for help. Erin thought of trying all of the phones in the building, and then saw that several junction boxes on the wall had been torn apart. No doubt the madman had left nothing to chance and the electrical panels in the basement would have suffered a similar fate.

But surely the guards needed a way to communicate with each other besides phones. What with being all over the building during the day and night they had to carry walkie-talkies. Erin saw one sitting on the desk amidst the rubble and snatched it eagerly. She put the gun on the table and tried to figure out how to use the radio.

"Hello, is anyone there? Hello, this is an emergency," she shouted desperately.

When there was no response Erin started turning the channel indicator on the top. She tried every frequency with the same result. Either none of the other guards had survived or the radios had been sabotaged as well. She thought it far more likely that only the three guards she found were working in the building that night.

"Fire alarm!" she shouted to herself suddenly. If she could trip the fire alarm someone would come to investigate.

Erin dropped the radio onto the floor and picked up the gun. She ran into the hall, leaping over the fallen guard, and toward one of the fire alarms on the wall. Beside it was a heavy glass case that once housed a fire axe. The case had been broken and glass littered the floor, shining malevolently in the red wash of the emergency lights.

It was no mystery where the fire axe used to kill the guard came from.

She avoided the glass carefully and happily reached up to flip the red lever down. Nothing.

This is impossible, she thought desperately.

The only other thing she could think to do was hail a cab to drive down to the police station and tell them what was happening. If her purse and keys weren’t back up on the sixth floor that was exactly what she would do. There was no way she was going back up there when she was so close to freedom, but she was very aware of time slipping away.

Eventually the killer would come back down stairs and Erin needed to have a plan before then.

Well, if she couldn’t drive to the police maybe she could find someone outside that would help her. It was worth a shot and it beat being cooped up in the deserted building with a crazy man on the loose.

Erin ran out of the hall and back into the main entrance. Feeling tremendously exposed she ran across the empty lobby and toward the front doors. She ran up the stationary escalator and across the main lobby, cursing the architect all the way.

Through the frosted panes of glass Erin could see a police cruiser as it drove slowly through the raging snowstorm, snow chains clinked softly on the tires. A rush of adrenaline gave her the extra push she needed and she made it to the door before he got past. But when Erin pushed on the doors, prepared to rush out into the blizzard in her shirtsleeves she discovered that they were locked.

"Dammit, this can’t be happening!"

But of course the doors were locked, it was a security precaution that was implemented every night. Whenever she left late one of the guards would escort her to the doors and unlock them for her.

She considered pounding on the glass to get the policeman’s attention then thought better of it. If she did that there was no hope that the driver of the car would hear her. With the heavy winter storm raging, and his windows undoubtedly up while the heater blasted it would be impossible. All that her banging would accomplish would be to bring the killer to her.

Erin turned back toward the inside of the structure so she could see what was going on around her. She didn’t want to be caught unaware and with that knowledge came the realization that she was going to have to clamp down on her habit of talking to herself when she was frustrated. It would be a sure fire way to give her position away if the killer was anywhere around.

Carefully, she considered her options. All of the doors were locked, and all of the glass in the building was of the bulletproof variety. It was a concession to their insurance company for all of the sensitive material kept on the premises. That meant there was no way out unless she could find the keys on one of the security guards. Assuming she did find the key she would have to brave the blizzard without a coat, and considering the storm there would probably be no one on the streets. That was out. She would freeze to death in minutes.

None of the phones or the fire alarm worked, and there wasn’t any power so Erin couldn’t send a 911 message by computer over the Internet. Her cell phone had no reception and short of lighting a fire and sending up smoke signals she couldn’t think of a single way to get a message to the outside world.

It was Friday night and a storm raged outside. No one would be around until the storm passed or until it was time for the guards to change shift tomorrow morning.

The first and most important thing she could think of was to get somewhere safe and try to think of a way out. Erin had to remember that she knew the building and the killer probably didn’t. That is to say that she knew her own floor. She worked there almost everyday, usually even on weekends and had a good chance to find a safe place to hide. If she went to any other floor she would be a sitting duck while she wasted precious time trying to find a place to hide.

Even if she couldn’t think of a way out tonight she only needed to find somewhere secluded and wait for the morning. When the next shift came on they would find the other guards and sound the alarm. The killer would want to avoid capture and would have been long gone by then.

That only left one problem as far as she could see. Erin had to get back to the sixth floor without being seen.

She took a calming breath and tried to think tactically. Stay low and stay in the shadows.

Luck had been with her so far. She had been running all over the place without a thought of being seen, and needed to be smarter than that if she was going to survive until morning.

With that in mind she walked toward the wall closest to her to minimize the shadow she cast in the gloom. Erin didn’t need anything else to haul around, the weight of the gun was enough, so she left her shoes on the floor and walked silently back over to the stairwell. She held the gun ready like she’d seen on television, but carefully kept her finger off the trigger while she listened from inside the fire door. When she didn’t hear anything Erin stood up and glanced through the small window set in the heavy door. She jerked back quickly, but she didn’t see anything so she chanced a longer look. The killer was nowhere in sight.

Slowly and carefully she inched the door open and made her way back up the steps. The building creaked and groaned from the storm outside and every few minutes she was convinced she would run smack into the psycho with the climbing axe. By the time Erin reached the sixth floor she was sweating and shaking with terror. Her heart pounded loudly in her ears and her mouth was so dry it was difficult to swallow.

Ed Cupper lay undisturbed where she left him, and Erin ignored the body as she headed for her office. If the chance did come to get out of the building she didn’t want to be unprepared. She went into her office and pulled on her jacket, overcoat and her winter boots. Then she slipped her useless cell phone into her coat pocket and checked to be sure her keys were there too.

Now where could she hide?

The sound of the stairwell door as it slammed back against the wall suddenly made her gasp and look around in fright. She was absolutely out of time and had to find somewhere now!

Erin slipped out of her office through the rear exit and into the kitchenette. Even in here there was nowhere to hide, and she looked around frantically. Light from the hall cast a large shadowy figure slowly coming toward her.

The room was small without even a table to hide under so she did the only thing she could think of. Erin slipped on tiptoe over to the door and slid between it and the wall.

Hesitant steps moved toward the kitchenette door and Erin fought to bring her staccato breathing under control. Her mind was in a fog of terror, and sweat beaded on her upper lip as the dark figure moved closer. She opened her mouth to increase her intake of oxygen and try to silence her harsh breathing.

The figure moved into the door and Erin was sure the killer knew she was somewhere around and waiting for any sound that would give her away.

The gun, she thought frantically. In her fear she had almost forgotten about the weapon, but now she silently delved into the deep coat pocket to search for it. Her keys made a slight jingling noise that sounded like an explosion in her panicked state, but Erin finally got the gun into her hand.

The door was suddenly yanked away from the wall and a tall figure loomed over her. Erin thrust the gun toward the threat fully intent on blowing whoever it was into the next century. She felt the trigger under her finger, and already started to squeeze when she recognized Carson Tierney.

"Oh, thank God," Erin sobbed, and dropped the gun down to her side.

Chapter 4

Carson jerked back reflexively when she saw the muzzle of a gun thrust unexpectedly into her face. An involuntary cry escaped her lips and she rocked back on her heels. The sudden shift in weight caused her to lose her footing and Carson fell on her butt. She raised an arm in an idiotic urge to shield herself from a bullet when she realized Erin Donovan stood over her with a gun at her side, and was shaking in some kind of shock.

"Oh, thank God," the other woman whispered shakily.

Carson lunged to her feet and grabbed Erin by the forearms. "What the hell are you doing? You could have killed me!"

The other woman didn’t reply at first, and Carson could see her mouth as it worked frantically, but Erin didn’t say anything.

"Hey, what is it? What’s happened?" She realized that Erin was trembling violently and near hysterics. Carson was tremendously worried about what could possible cause the normally contained woman to become unhinged in such a way.

Erin’s eyes were wide and frightened. Carson could see the whites around them and they flitted around constantly like she was afraid they would be attacked any minute. Erin started to wave the gun around to gesture as she mumbled incoherently.

"Whoa," Carson said and reached up to take hold of Erin’s hand. "Let me have that thing before you kill one of us. Now tell me what is going on. What has you so spooked?"

The executive focused on Carson finally and took a deep calming breath. The shiver in her limbs let up a little, but didn’t cease completely. Still, the fact that she was obviously trying to compose herself gave Carson hope that she hadn’t suffered a brain aneurysm.

"There’s a murderer in the building. He killed Ed Cupper and the security guards on the first floor then he cut the power. I thought you were him. We have to get help!"

She said the words so fast that it took Carson a moment to catch up. "What? A killer? Erin, what are you talking about? The power is out because there’s a blizzard outside."

"No, didn’t you see Ed’s body in the elevator? You must have passed right by him when you came down the hall." Erin was so insistent that she was starting to scare Carson.

Carson thought back briefly over the last little while and tried to remember anything suspicious. There wasn’t anything. Carson had been settling in to her office on the tenth floor and then began to make a list of things to do. After that she measured the offices and the server center to decide how to situate people and equipment.

When the power went out she noticed the blizzard, and decided it was time to pack it in for the day. Then Carson was distracted by a strange noise at the end of the corridor. It turned out to be nothing more than a hot water tap that had been left on. She noticed a red stain in the sink diminished by the flow of water into the basin. It looked like simple rust in the red wash of the emergency lights and she thought nothing more about it.

Then Carson used the bathroom, and took the time to put on her jacket before she stared out over the city lights for a few minutes. With the power out the lights below were exceptionally pretty. She remembered thinking how they compared to the natural shine of Erin’s hair.

Carson tried not to blush when she remembered that and was happy the main power was out. With only the glow of the emergency lights Erin probably wouldn’t notice it.

After that she locked the offices and took the stairs down. She remembered from rumors and her own informal surveillance of the corporate attorney that Erin often worked late. Carson was concerned that Erin was alone in the building without any power and stepped onto the sixth floor to check on her. The stairs were right next to the elevator bank, and Carson walked right passed them. But she didn’t remember any dead body.

"Erin, listen to me…there is no dead body in the elevator."

"But I saw him!"

She could see that Erin was starting to get angry as well as scared and she held up both hands in a gesture of peace. "All right, you saw him. Let’s walk down the hall together and you can show me."

Carson didn’t mean to treat the other woman like a child, but it was important for her to see that no one was there. Maybe then she would calm down. "Come on, I’ll show you." She took hold of Erin’s hand, and slid the gun into her coat pocket with her other hand.

Slowly she urged the smaller woman out into the hall with her. Erin was skittish and jumped at every little creak the building made. Carson went slowly with her, treating her like a frightened colt.

Erin followed Carson willingly, but checked the shadows carefully. Carson led the way to the elevator but when they got there the doors were closed and there was no body.

"I don’t understand," Erin said and looked around in confusion. "He was right here. I’m not making this up!"

She looked up at Carson with confusion and anger warring in her eyes. Something about her firm demeanor even in the face of terror finally got through to Carson. Erin Donovan was known for being stubborn, willful, and even cut throat when it came to business. But she was also known as an honest and immensely intelligent woman. She would not make up something like this.

"I believe you."

As soon as she said that Erin visibly relaxed. Her shoulders slumped slightly and Carson could swear she saw the glint of tears in the low light.

"Thank you. Now the question is, where did he go?"

Carson looked around. "Well, the elevator doors are closed. You said they were open earlier?"

Erin nodded. "Ed was lying half out of the elevator so that his body prevented the doors from closing. I couldn’t bring myself to move him…there was so much blood."

She unbuttoned her overcoat and glanced down. Carson followed her gaze and after a moment saw the dried blood on the lawyer’s skirt and knees.

"Erin! Are you hurt?"

"It’s Ed’s blood. I tried to help him."

Her voice was low, tremulous. She sounded so lost that Carson couldn’t help herself and reached out to pull Erin against her in support. There was nothing sexual in the gesture; it was simply one human being reaching out to offer comfort to another.

"All right," Carson said softly into Erin’s ear. "What’s our next move?"

Erin pulled away and looked up at Carson like she had never seen her before. "What happened to that snooty woman who barged into my office today?"

Carson started to be embarrassed then noticed the teasing glint in the other woman’s eyes. How could she tell her that she had been so nervous about meeting her that she acted like a complete jerk?

"Public speaking isn’t one of my strong suits," she joked back.

Erin chuckled a little and took a step back. "I have to admit that I feel a whole lot better now that I’m not in this alone. I’m glad you’re here."

"I’m not," Carson said with a touch of irony. "But I’m glad you’re not alone either. So, any suggestions?"

"Do you have a cell phone? Mine isn’t getting any reception."

Carson shook her head and with a touch of her customary arrogance said, "I don’t carry it around with me. I left in my car. If someone wants to contact me they have my work number."

"And if you’re not there?"

"Then they may leave a message."

"Perfect. I’m stuck in a building with a killer on the loose and my only backup is a computer geek that doesn’t even have a cell phone on her."

Carson ignored the slightly sarcastic comment and asked, "What about computers? Doesn’t the security contingent use them to monitor the building?"

"Yes, but I already checked. They’ve been damaged somehow and there’s no power anyway."

"True, but if I can get the power restored to at least the first floor I may be able to get the computers working again. Also, phones and computers aren’t on the same lines. Chances are that he disabled the phones at the main box otherwise he would have to cut each one manually. If he merely disconnected or yanked the wires loose from the phone box, I may be able to repair them."

Erin reached out and took Carson’s hand in a strong grip. "I knew there was a reason I liked you."

The eyes were more blue than gray now, with a soft, gentle expression. Carson swallowed thickly and said, "Yes, well. Let’s get going, shall we?"

"We’ll have to be quiet. I saw the killer earlier and it looked like he was checking all the floors for other people."

"You saw him? What does he look like?"

"He’s a big guy, taller than you and very stocky. I couldn’t really see his face because he has dark, bushy hair and a huge beard. He looked like Andre, The Giant."

"Did he see you?" Carson asked worriedly.

Erin shook her head. "I saw him on the stairs. He was going onto the third floor."

"Is that why you’re running around in your winter boots?"

Erin looked up sharply. Of course Carson would have noticed that she had changed shoes. She gave the other woman a lopsided grin. "My pumps made too much noise on the stairs and the tile floors. I took them off and left them downstairs. I only put these on a few minutes ago."

"Good thinking. Let’s get going. I don’t want to spend any more time in here with a killer than I have to."

Erin nodded, but still held Carson’s hand. She hadn’t even liked the woman a few hours ago, but now she couldn’t bear the idea of letting Carson out of her sight. It was just a normal reaction to a harrowing experience, she decided.

They entered the stairwell together with Carson leading the way. She held on to Erin’s hand and tried to reassure the other woman with the warmth of the contact. Erin didn’t seem to mind following behind her, probably due to finding several dead bodies in the span of an hour.

Carson was impressed that the other woman managed to hold it together so well after what she had been through, to include seeing the killer up close. Carson didn’t know if she could handle things that well if she had been in Erin’s shoes, but she did know that there was no way she was going to allow Erin to go first.

For all her mental discipline Erin was a businesswoman, and not skilled in hand-to-hand combat. She proved that when she almost shot Carson in the kitchenette.

On the other hand Carson had grown up with an absentee father, in an impoverished area where all that kept someone from being a victim was cunning or the power behind one’s fists. Carson had never been one for physical altercations, but had needed to defend herself on more than one occasion. It hadn’t taken long for her to learn the fine arts of deception and deflection. Of the two of them, she was the one better suited for this kind of thing.

Quietly she led the way down the stairs. They reached the fifth floor landing when the exit door was suddenly thrown open and a great bear of a man stalked into view. Carson and Erin froze. The killer looked up and saw the two women and jerked visibly in surprise. Then his eyes hardened and he raised a mammoth axe over his head and let out a roar of pure hatred.

Carson let go of Erin’s hand and reached for the gun in her pocket. It snagged on the leather seam and she knew there was no time.

"Run, Erin!" she screamed and spun on her heel.

Erin was way ahead of her and had already turned to run back up the stairs. Her longer strides allowed Carson to catch up quickly and she grasped Erin under the arm to pull her along a little faster.

As big as he was the man wasn’t able to move as quickly. He lumbered clumsily up the stairs, but with great determination. It was only by the thinnest of margins that the women beat him back to the sixth floor and slammed the fire door in his face. They leaned back against the door just in time to prevent him from being able to push it open and Carson reached into her pocket again. This time she was able to get the gun out.

She pointed the muzzle at the ceiling and a quick glance told her that the safety was off.

The door was inching open every time the killer banged into it and they wouldn’t be able to hold it for very long. His rage even through the door was deafening as he screamed and cursed their existence.

"All of you, I’ll kill all of you!"

They could see his twisted face through the small inset security window as he screamed. Spittle coated the inside of the glass, and he continued to push and pound on the inside of the door. When he finally realized that he wasn’t going to be able to push them away he raised the axe and struck the window. It held under the first two blows, but on the third the glass cracked. A look of glee crossed the crazed man’s face and he drew back to strike again.

Between two narrow panes of glass there was a thin inlay of mesh. The next blow with the axe cut through both panes and easily shredded the interior wire. The tip of it protruded through the glass only a few inches from Carson’s face. The next one would shatter the glass completely and then he would be able to reach in with the weapon and cut them open unless they moved away from the door. But if they moved away from the door he would get in anyway and overpower them in an instant.

Carson turned around, grasped the butt of the gun with both hands and pointed it at the maniac. The end of it trembled and she tried to still her shaking hands.

"Stop or I’ll shoot."

The line sounded like something out of a cheesy cop show, but it seemed to get his attention. The killer paused and looked at her briefly in confusion. Then he took advantage of her being away from the door and shoved it open. Erin was unable to hold it by herself and stumbled away from the door. Then she turned toward him with her knees bent and her hands curled into claws.

Carson tried to track his progress as he came through the door with the axe raised high over his head. He ran right for Erin and Carson almost pulled the trigger. At the last moment she realized that he was so intent on killing Erin that he exposed his back to her. She took advantage of his vulnerable spot and raised the gun high overhead before she brought it down as hard as she could on the back of his head.

He was no match for a butt stroke to the back of the head.

Primal satisfaction shot through Carson at the muted thud of the gun against his skull, and the grunt he made before he slammed to the floor. The axe fell harmlessly a few feet from him, and Carson kicked it farther away against the wall.

He didn’t move and she kicked him in the ribs for good measure. When he still didn’t react she was finally convinced that he was either dead or unconscious. Either way it was over.

"Are you okay?" she asked Erin.

Erin looked up slowly from the killer and nodded. Her eyes were haunted, and Carson wasn’t convinced. It would take time to recover from such an ordeal. She held an arm out and was pleased when Erin stepped against her side.

"We need to tie him up."

Carson nodded and said, "I’ll watch him while you get something. Take a few of the phone cords loose, and we’ll use those."

The attorney was gone only a few minutes, and Carson kept the gun trained on the killer the whole time. He never moved, but she was still relieved when Erin returned with the phone cords. She handed Erin the gun and quickly grabbed the man’s hands to tie them behind his back. It wasn’t easy as big as he was, but soon she had his hands and ankles tied together.

When she was finished she stood up with a sigh of relief and held her hand out for the gun. To her surprise Erin misunderstood and grasped her hand. A shy, relieved smile graced Erin’s lips, and Carson felt herself blush.

"Let’s go get those phone lines fixed," Erin said gently. Then she slipped the gun into Carson’s pocket with her free hand.

The gesture felt oddly intimate, and Carson allowed Erin to lead her down the stairs.

Erin briefly explained to her how she found Ed and the others dead. She described the first time she saw the killer and taking the weapon from the security officer on the first floor. Carson sympathized with Erin’s frustration when she described trying to get to the police car that cruised right past the building unaware of the drama unfolding inside.

Carson thought ahead and decided that going to the security office was the last thing she wanted to do. "I think we should go to the main phone box and repair the line first. We can call the police from any phone and I would rather you didn’t have to see that again."

"I would appreciate that," Erin said sincerely, "but we’ll still have to go back to the security office for the keys to the front door. We’ll have to be there to let the police in."

Carson nodded in understanding and followed Erin to the lower level where the maintenance offices and the exit to the car park were. It didn’t take long to find the main junction box and to see that the killer had merely ripped the wires loose.

Carson noticed the raised eyebrow when she casually pulled a pocketknife out of her coat pocket and stripped the wires on the damaged line. No doubt Erin thought a pocketknife wasn’t typical equipment for a high-and-mighty, obviously conceited computer exec. She suppressed the smile and repaired the lines in record time.

"There, that should do it."

Erin nodded once and said dryly, "You’re handy to have around."

"I’ll remind you that you said that some time."

Now hardly seemed like the time to flirt, but the line just slipped out of her mouth. Carson covered her embarrassment by turning to walk back upstairs. "I suggest that we use the phone in the main lobby."

"Right," Erin mumbled. "Main lobby,"

She was still distracted by Carson’s teasing remarks and the handy way she wielded the small foldout blade. Straight women did not typically carry such things. Perhaps she needed to rethink her image of Carson Tierney.

As soon as they were in the main lobby Carson picked up the telephone, listened for a second and then smiled softly at Erin. She quickly dialed 911 and explained the situation to the dispatcher while she impressed on the man at the other end that the killer was still in the building.

"No, I do not know if he is alive. I know only that I struck him very hard at the base of his skull and that he is lying in the sixth floor hallway."

Erin listened to the one-sided conversation; able to follow that Carson was being asked certain questions. The quiet of the building was starting to get to her and she focused on the woman beside her.

After Carson reassured the dispatcher that they would unlock the doors in a few moments, and that she would leave the gun on the desk she hung up.

"Time to get the keys?"

Erin knew she sounded scared when she asked the question, but she seriously did not want to go back to the security office.

"You may wait here if you like," Carson said gently. "I can retrieve the keys alone."

Had she really thought the head of Delphi Technologies was an arrogant bitch? Now that she had gotten to know her a little Erin was impressed by the gentle, compassionate nature concealed behind a façade of ice. She was tempted to take Carson up on the offer to wait here, but as unappealing as going back down the hall was she dreaded being alone in the lobby even more.

"That’s all right, I really don’t want to be alone right now. Let’s just hurry."

Carson’s smile shown more in her eyes when she held her hand out for Erin again. With the killer immobilized and the immediate threat out of the way Erin felt some of her composure return and was tempted not to accept it. But when she looked into Carson’s eyes she decided not to mess with tradition. Holding the other woman’s hand during this ordeal had gotten her through, and it really wasn’t over yet. It wouldn’t be over until the police arrived and took the killer into custody.

The hall outside the security office was still dark but didn’t seem quite so ominous. Erin heard Carson gasp when she saw the guard on the floor, but she knew it was just the shock of seeing a dead man. She clearly recalled how she reacted to seeing Ed Cupper, and was impressed by the other woman’s composure. Carson certainly held things together better than Erin did the first time she saw a dead man.

"We don’t need to go into the office. He should have a set of keys on his belt."

Carson nodded and stepped over the man. She knelt down and reached for the guard’s waist. Erin noticed she was very gentle as she tried to move the jacket out of the way to look for the keys. Suddenly the guard’s hand shot out and grabbed Carson around the wrist.

Erin muffled a scream and leapt a foot away in surprise. Carson flinched and leaned away with wide-rimmed eyes, but she couldn’t extract herself from the man’s grip. When she realized that everything was all right she leaned forward with her free hand and brushed the hair back from his forehead.

"It’s all right, you’re all right," Carson assured him softly. "The man who attacked you has been overpowered."

The guard groaned and rolled onto his back. Erin noticed a deep gash on his forehead and thought he was terribly lucky not to have been killed. She knelt down beside him on the other side and pressed him back down when he tried to sit.

She saw his nametag and said, "Please lie still, Manny, you’ve been injured. The police are on the way, but we need the keys to unlock the front door."

He nodded gingerly and let go of Carson’s wrist before he reached for the keys that hung by a belt loop.

"Caught me by surprise," Manny muttered. "Came up from behind and hit me. The others? Suzanne and Jerry…are they okay?"

Carson took the keys while Erin answered. "Shh, don’t worry about that right now. The police will be here soon."

She just couldn’t answer his question, but it wasn’t necessary. He had already lost consciousness again.

Erin decided to stay with the injured man while Carson went to unlock the doors. Even in the driving snow the police had responded very quickly and it was only a few minutes later that uniforms swarmed all over the place. Carson returned with two beefy officers while others moved throughout the building in a search for survivors.

One of the officers knelt down to check Manny’s pulse while the other stormed through the security door to check on the others. He came out a moment later and shook his head at his partner.

"Twenty-six Paul nine," the first officer said into his radio, "I need an ambulance and the coroner’s van to the Holcomb Building. Notify homicide."

Then he looked up at Erin and asked, "Are you injured, ma’am? "

"No, just scared out of my wits. But I must admit I feel a lot better now."

Northwestern Hospital was only a few minutes away and Erin prayed they would be in time to save the injured security guard.

Erin felt Carson’s hand reach out from behind and squeeze her shoulder gently. The officer nodded in understanding and informed them that they would need to wait until the building was searched and then give preliminary statements to the homicide detectives before they could leave. He suggested they wait in the main lobby until things settled down somewhat.

Both women were happy to follow that particular request, and settled into chairs along the side of the wall. As soon as they sat down Carson handed Erin her shoes.

"I found them against the wall when I went to open the doors."

Erin grinned. "Thank you, again. I seem to be saying that a lot tonight."

Emergency personnel rushed back and forth through the lobby. The ambulance arrived and the injured guard was moved to the hospital. There was no hurry about the others; they weren’t going anywhere Erin thought sadly.

More and more police officers arrived and they began to search the building in teams. Erin realized they were being very thorough as they looked for survivors. To take her mind off what was happening Erin turned back to Carson.

"So, how did you come to be on the sixth floor just in the nick of time to save my hide?"

To her surprise Carson flushed slightly. She never expected such a reaction from the normally cool and contained young woman.

Carson cleared her throat and tried to answer honestly. After all they had been through surely she could confess a little of what she was thinking.

"I was in the office on the tenth floor when the lights went out. I… heard that you tend to work late on most nights and I wanted to check on you."

She wanted to check on me? Why?

Sudden clarity hit her like a train wreck and she intuitively understood what Carson hadn’t said. There was still the possibility that she was completely off the mark, but Erin felt the other woman had communicated a wealth of information with only two sentences. The first thing was that she was gay, and the second was that she was interested enough in Erin to pay attention to her habits.

All those times she had run into Carson in the corridors, was that just happenstance or had the other woman accidentally encountered her on purpose?

Careful in case she was wrong Erin decided on a casual approach. "I’m delighted that you chose tonight to get settled into your office. I can’t think of anyone who would have made a better body guard."

Carson smiled fully at the other woman. Her words couldn’t be considered forward at all, but the gentle tones hinted at something altogether unspoken.

"I’m just lucky my brain didn’t shut down once I found out what was happening. I’ve never considered being in a situation like this."

Erin’s face turned serious for a moment as a gurney with one of the dead security guards trundled past. "It certainly didn’t shut down tonight. You saved my life."

She looked down when strong fingers reached for her hand. Their fingers intertwined and Erin strengthened the grasp. "How can I ever repay you?"

Carson caught her eye and said, "There is nothing to repay me for, but it would be nice if we could get something to eat. I’m starving. Would you care to join me for dinner?"

Erin laughed at the hopeful expression in the blue eyes. She remembered thinking about how the cleft in that proud chin would feel under her thumb earlier and resisted that urge now. "How about breakfast instead after we finish with the detectives? I’m sure it’ll take that long to get all of this mess straightened out."

Something passed between them and it took a moment for them to realize that Officer Burleson, the man who called for the ambulance, was walking toward them. Another gentleman in a dark suit accompanied him and it was the stranger that spoke.

"Ladies," he greeted politely. "I’m Detective Matt Hutchins with the Chicago Homicide Division. Why don’t we go ahead and get those statements out of the way? I’m sure you two have had a long night and can’t wait to get some sleep. If you like I can have Officer Burleson here drive you down to the precinct?"

"I have my car outside," Carson said. "To be honest I prefer to drive. I could take Ms. Donovan home once we finish."

Erin smiled at her new friend. "That would be fine with me."

Hutchins smiled. "Are you sure you’re up to it? All of this must have been very frightening."

"Thank you, Officer," Erin said sincerely," but we’ll be fine. What I want to know is what about the killer? Did you find out who he is or why he did this?"

The detective’s face went very still and Erin suddenly didn’t want to hear what he was about to say. He cleared his throat and said, "We found Mr. Cupper in the elevator like you said, and of course you know about the security guards."

"But?"

"Ma’am, I just don’t know how to tell you this but we didn’t find anyone else on the sixth floor."

"That’s impossible!" Carson jumped to her feet. "We tied him up and left him in the hall just outside the elevator."

Burleson reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a plastic bag labeled ‘evidence’. Inside they could see two phone cords. "We found this on the floor just outside the elevator, but we haven’t found anyone else inside the building."

"He got away," Erin breathed in horror.

TBC        

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