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the mouse. Then I remembered he had held the gun in his left hand—he was left-handed. I transferred the mouse into that hand. Now it was time to return to the Lockkeeper’s House and contact Baltimore. I heard a sound—the subtlest of creaks, like the settling of weight on worn, tired floor joists. I looked up and saw a large man standing in the doorway. The muzzle of his Glock 19 was pointed directly at my head.

Chapter 7
     
     
     
    Pippa sat quietly in her seat while keeping a leery eye on her captor, sitting across from her. Aside from Heidi’s obvious sociopathic tendencies to kill those people she was displeased with, the woman clearly had other issues. She was constantly in motion—fussing with her hair, checking and rechecking her reflection in the nearby portal window, and she talked to distraction—always about herself.
    “I think you and I should be friends … best of friends, in fact.”
    Pippa stared back at her without answering.
    “Oh, I know you’re still upset with me. I don’t blame you. I get caught up in the moment. That’s what makes me … what? So dynamic.”
    “If we’re going to be friends, a good start would be to let me off this train.”
    “Hydro-pod,” Heidi corrected. She waved Pippa’s comment away as if she were swatting a fly. “What I will do is give you something … something special. Hmm! What shall it be? Ten million dollars placed into your bank account? No … too pedestrian. I have it! I’ll share with you something only a handful of people know about. Not even your own president. You’ll learn that knowledge is power. Power is worth far more than money. Money is easy to come by … but power is earned and it’s what elevates one to greatness.”
    Pippa gave her a perfunctory nod. So Heidi has elevated herself to greatness. Is there no end to this woman’s vanity?
    “You’ve never had power, Pippa. Not really. So you don’t know what I’m talking about. You can’t know what you don’t know. You don’t know the sheer visceral thrill of it.”
    “I guess I don’t. Oh well …”
    Heidi scowled at her and then, just as suddenly, was again smiling mischievously. She looked up, raising her chin, as she peered toward the back of the pod. “Taffy!”
    The big man approached from behind Pippa’s seat and stood before Heidi, who let one of her Jimmy Choos fall to the floor.
    “There’s still blood on my toes,” she said, rocking one bare foot with her legs still crossed.
    Taffy looked down at her perfectly clean-looking foot and shrugged. Brows raised, Heidi continued to move her bare foot back and forth, like a fast-moving metronome. Taffy gave a hesitant glance toward Pippa.
    “Lick my toes, Taffy. Make sure each and every toe is thoroughly clean. Do a good job now, Mr. Taffy, and I’ll reward you later.”
    Again, Taffy glanced over to Pippa. Face flushed, he pulled at the fabric over his knees, slightly hiking up his slacks, then lowered himself down onto the floor. Heidi’s waving foot became still, as Taffy took her foot in one hand and brought it up to his chest. Heidi tilted her head forward and let out an impatient breath.
    Pippa felt the man’s humiliation. She wanted to say something … hell, she wanted to drive her own foot into the woman’s surgically altered, perfect face. But she knew it would be the last thing she’d ever live to do. Heidi was undoubtedly prepared for Pippa to do something. This ruse, of course, was a test.
    Taffy brought the woman’s toes up to his mouth and slowly, starting with her biggest one, began to lick.
    Heidi’s eyes were not on her foot, nor even on Mr. Taffy. They were now locked onto Pippa, her mischievous smile still in place. “Take off your shoes, Pippa.”
    Taffy hesitated, but soon was back at work, licking her two baby toes.
    “No.”
    “No?” Heidi repeated, seeming surprised—as though she hadn’t heard that word before.
    “You want to kill me for keeping my shoes on, have at it. But