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.’ Dulcie helped the tech sit up.‘What happened? Did you trip on a cord?’Maybe it was her eyes, growing accustomed to the dark.Dulcie could make out that the other girl was shaking her head.‘Oh, wow.’ Kelly gasped in pain.‘Sorry.I don’t think so.My head …’Dulcie could just make out Kelly’s outline and watched as she felt the back of her head.‘Something must have fallen,’ she said.‘Why is it so dark?’‘Power must have gone out,’ Dulcie said, as she squinted around.Was it her imagination, or was the darkness lessening? ‘We were trying to get out of here when I stumbled over you.’ Kelly’s hand went to her back, where Dulcie’s foot must have made contact.‘Sorry.’‘It’s okay,’ she said, sounding more like herself.‘We?’‘Stella Roebuck is here too.’ Dulcie paused, listening to the darkness.The little light that entered showed her Kelly’s profile, alert beside her, but didn’t penetrate much beyond.‘Ms Roebuck?’‘I’m here.’ The voice came from a little ways off, at least as far as Dulcie could tell.Between the backstage curtains and the dark, she no longer had a clear sense of distance.‘I think I may have found something.’‘Hang on.’ Dulcie didn’t want to risk any more injuries and stood, helping Kelly to her feet.‘Keep talking,’ she said.‘We’ll follow your voice.’‘I’m here,’ Stella responded.‘There’s a curtain and then, well, I don’t know what it is.Can you come to me?’‘I think so.’ Leading Kelly, Dulcie edged toward Stella’s voice.‘Keep talking.’‘I’m here, Dulcie.’ Stella’s voice had gotten softer and the light fainter.‘But I’m – I don’t know …’‘Stella?’ Dulcie stopped, afraid to miss something in the dark.There was no reply.‘Ms Roebuck? Are you there?’Nothing.‘Wait, there.’ Kelly, at her side, was whispering.‘What?’ Dulcie turned toward her.‘I don’t know.’ Dulcie could feel Kelly looking around, straining her eyes to see.‘I thought I heard something – something soft.A little thud.’‘A little …?’ Dulcie stopped herself.A little thud.It had to be a coincidence.Kelly must have meant a footfall, or a door somewhere out in the lobby closing.For a moment, however, she thought of the sound a cat makes when it jumps on to a soft blanket.The sound Mr Grey would make when he joined her in bed.‘Mr Grey?’ She barely breathed the words, and then held her breath, waiting.‘Ms Roebuck?’ Kelly called out beside her, not much louder.‘Professor?’The two girls had clasped their hands together, and Dulcie could hear Kelly breathing.Of one mind, they stepped forward once, twice.Then –‘Ow.’ Kelly cut off her exclamation.‘What?’ Dulcie turned toward her, then dropped toward the floor.Running her hand over the dusty surface, she half expected to feel warm flesh.‘Is it Stella?’‘No, it’s …’ Kelly paused.‘I don’t know.’Dulcie’s hands touched something rough and low, and she heard Kelly kneeling beside her, running her hands over the coarse and gritty surface.‘A cinder block?’ Kelly asked.‘But why here?’‘Do you keep them here for some reason?’‘Well, yeah.’ Kelly stayed on the floor, as if feeling for something.‘They’re useful as weights, but they’re usually stacked in the back, along the wall.’‘Maybe Stella tripped over this.’ Dulcie reached past the rough concrete.‘Maybe she knocked herself out.’‘Knocked herself out?’ Kelly sounded skeptical.Even though she couldn’t see her, Dulcie turned to the woman at her side.‘What do you mean?’‘Dulcie, I don’t think I tripped.’ Kelly explained.‘I don’t know what’s going on, but it’s the back of my head that’s sore.I think somebody walloped me.’‘Oh great.’ Dulcie strained to make out something, anything in the dark.‘I mean, I sort of didn’t know what was happening for a few moments there,’ Kelly continued.‘Then, when I heard you and Stella, I figured whoever it was was long gone.But maybe …’‘Shush,’ Dulcie knew Kelly couldn’t see her.Still she instinctively waved her down.‘Is anyone out there?’Nothing.‘Stella?’Silence.‘Maybe she’s gone.’ Kelly pulled herself to her feet.From the sound of her breathing, it took effort.‘At any rate, Dulcie, I’m ready to blow this popsicle stand.’‘Wait, we can’t just leave her.’ Dulcie made herself breathe.‘If someone knocked you out, and then jumped Stella Roebuck.’‘They want something, Dulcie.’ Kelly was thinking along the same lines.‘There must be something here.’‘Or in her laptop.’ When Kelly didn’t respond, Dulcie explained.‘Stella said her laptop was missing.She blamed Chris, but he wouldn’t take it.’‘So someone did.’ Kelly said slowly [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]