"I'll have this out of your way in a minute," he apologized.

The bellman returned to the suite and came out with two more suitcases. Diane tried to squeeze by, but there was no room.

The bellman said, "All set. Sorry for the delay." He moved the luggage cart out of the way.

Diane walked over to penthouse A and raised her hand to knock on the door when a voice down the hall said, "Diane!" Diane turned. Kelly had just stepped out of an elevator.

"Kelly-!" Diane hurried back down the hall to meet her.

INSIDE THE PENTHOUSE, Harry Flint was listening. Was someone out there? He could have opened the door to see, but that would have ruined the plan. Kill them as soon as they walk in the door.

In the corridor, Kelly and Diane were hugging, delighted to see each other.

Kelly said, "Sorry I'm late, Diane, but the traffic was terrible. You caught me just as my bus was leaving for Chicago." Diane looked at Kelly, puzzled. "I caught you-?" "I was just getting on my bus when you called." There was a momentary silence. "Kelly-I didn't call you. You called me. To tell me that you had the evidence we needed to-" She saw the stricken look on Kelly's face.

"I didn't-" They both turned to look at penthouse A.

Diane took a deep breath. "Let's-"

"Right." They raced down one flight of stairs, got into an elevator, and were out of the hotel in three minutes.

Inside the penthouse, Harry Flint was looking at his watch. What's keeping the bitches?

DlANE AND KELLY were seated in a crowded subway car.

"I don't know how they did it," Diane said. "It was your voice." "And it was your voice. They're not going to stop until they kill us. They're like octopi with a thousand bloody arms that they want to wrap around our necks." "They have to catch us before they can kill us," Diane said.

"How could they have found us this time? We got rid of Kingsley's business cards, and we have nothing else that they-" They looked at each other, then looked at their cell phones.

Kelly said wonderingly, "But how could they have found out our phone numbers?" "Don't ask. Anyway, this is probably the safest place in New York. We can stay on the subway until-" Diane glanced across the aisle and her face paled. "We're getting out of here," she said urgently. "Next stop." "What? You just said-?" Kelly followed Diane's eyes. On the advertising strip that ran above the windows was a photograph of a smiling Kelly, holding up a beautiful ladies' watch.

"Oh, my God!" They rose and hurried to the door, waiting for the next stop. Two uniformed marines, seated nearby, were ogling them.

Kelly smiled at the men as she took Diane's cell phone and her own and handed one to each marine. "We'll call you." And the women were gone.

IN PENTHOUSE A, the telephone rang. Flint snatched it up.

Tanner said, "It's been over an hour. What's going on, Mr. Flint?" "They never showed up." "What?" "I've been here all the time, waiting." "Get back to the office." Tanner slammed the receiver down.

IN THE BEGINNING, this had been a routine bit of business that Tanner had to dispose of. Now it had become personal. Tanner picked up his cell phone and dialed Diane's cell number.

One of the marines to whom Kelly had given their cell phones answered. "There you are, baby.

How would you two like to have a big treat tonight?" The bitches have gotten rid of their phones.

IT WAS A cheap-looking boardinghouse on a small street on the West Side. When the taxi started to pass it and Diane and Kelly saw the sign vacancy, Diane said, "You can stop here, driver." The women got out and walked up to the front door of the house.

The landlady, who opened the door, was a pleasant, middle-aged woman named Alexandra Upshaw.

"I can give you a very nice room for forty dollars a night, with breakfast." Diane said, "That will be fine." She looked at Kelly's expression. "What's the matter?" "Nothing." Kelly closed her eyes for an instant. This boarding-house had nothing to do with the boardinghouse she had been brought up in, cleaning toilets and cooking for strangers and listening to the sounds of her drunken stepfather beating her mother. She managed a smile.

"It's okay."

THE NEXT MORNING, Tanner was in a meeting with Flint and Carballo. "They've disposed of my business cards," Tanner said, "and they've gotten rid of their phones." Flint said, "So, we've lost them." Tanner said, "No, Mr. Flint, not while I'm alive. We're not going after them.

They're coming to us." The two men looked at each other, then back at Tanner.

"What?" "Diane Stevens and Kelly Harris will be here at KIG Monday morning at eleven-fifteen."

CHAPTER 31

KELLY AND DIANE awakened at the same time. Kelly sat up in bed and looked over at Diane.

"Good morning. How did you sleep?"

"I had some crazy dreams." "So did I." Diane hesitated. "Kelly-when you got off the elevator at the hotel, just as I started to knock at the door of the penthouse-do you think that was a coincidence?" "Of course. And lucky for both of us that-" Kelly looked at Diane's face. "What do you mean?" Diane said carefully, "We've been very lucky so far. I mean, very lucky. It's as though-as though someone, or something, is helping us, guiding us." Kelly's eyes were fastened on her. "You mean-like a guardian angel?" "Yes." Kelly said patiently, "Diane, I know that you believe in those things, but I don't. I know I don't have an angel on my shoulder." Diane said, "You just don't see it yet." Kelly rolled her eyes. "Right." "Let's get some breakfast," Diane suggested. "It's safe here. I think we're out of danger." Kelly grunted. "If you think we're out of danger, you don't know anything about boardinghouse breakfasts. Let's get dressed and eat out. I think I saw a diner at the corner." "All right. I have to make a call." Diane walked over to the telephone and called a number.

An operator came on. "KIG."

"I'd like to speak to Betty Barker."

"Just a moment, please." Tanner had seen the blue light and was listening in on the conference line.

"Miss Barker is not at her desk. Can I take a message?" "Oh. No, thanks." Tanner frowned. Too quick to put out a trace.

DIANE TURNED TO Kelly. "Betty Barker is still working at KIG, so we'll just have to find a way to get to her." "Maybe her home number is listed in the telephone directory." Diane said, "It could be, and the line could be tapped." She picked up the directory next to the telephone and skimmed to the letter she was looking for. "She is listed." Diane dialed a number, listened, and slowly replaced the receiver.

Kelly walked over to her. "What's the matter?" It took Diane a moment to answer. "Her phone has been disconnected." Kelly took a deep breath. "I think I want a shower."

AS KELLY FINISHED her shower and started to leave the bathroom, she realized that she had left towels on the floor. She hesitated a moment, then picked them up and put them neatly on the rack.