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idea. She had five thousand dollars in a private account, money she could access if she needed it for clothes or a milk shake. What if she and Shane ran away together? What if they took the money and set out on their own? That could work, couldn’t it?
    But even as the idea took root, it died. She couldn’t run away with Shane. Not when she was expecting a baby. She needed medical care and her parents’ help if she was going to learn how to be a mother. Still, the thought wouldn’t quite go away. And as she lay there, as she stared at the ceiling and thought about Shane and their uncertain future, the movie scene came to mind again. The man in the hallway with the walls closing in, the trap door that had allowed him to escape.
    That was them, wasn’t it? Exactly like their situation. As she fell asleep she thought about the place they were stuck in, and how the walls were closing in on their plans and their time together. There had to be a way out, didn’t there? She could wait until her baby was born and take her money then, right? The thought came to life again and the slightest bit of peace filled her heart.
    Yes, the walls were closing in. But maybe — just maybe — their prison might have a trap door too.

T HREE
    S hane Galanter felt like he was drowning.
    His mind was stuck on something that happened a few summers back, a terrifying memory that actually fit his life now. He’d been sailing with some friends on Lake Michigan, and the guys took turns diving off the sailboat and swimming fifty yards out and back. Someone had a stopwatch, so it became a competition. One swimmer would best another’s time by a few seconds, and everyone would try it again.
    Shane was on his third swim out from the sailboat when a strong wind came up. It hit him just about the time his energy ran out. And suddenly there he was — a mile from shore, fifty yards out from the sailboat, paddling toward the vessel and not making any headway at all.
    “Help!”
    But his shout was lost on the wind. His friends had their backs to him, all but the guy holding the stopwatch. And even he wasn’t watching.
    Shane kicked harder and harder, but didn’t get any closer to the boat. About that time, a wave hit him in the face, and he sucked in a mouthful of water. That’s when he realized what was happening. He was starting to drown, right in plain sight of his friends. He was taking in water and sinking a little more every few seconds, spending all his energy and not making any progress.
    Suddenly one of his friends stood up and pointed at him. “Hey! Galanter’s in trouble!”
    Another wave hit him and he swallowed a mouthful of water. The guys adjusted the sails and four of them started paddling. In a few minutes they reached him and pulled him into the boat.
    He still remembered how he felt. Remembered swallowing the water, feeling his strength leave him, knowing he wasn’t going to make it.
    Just like now.
    He was in over his head, but this time with no boat or shore or help in sight. One thing was sure, though. If he was going to drown, he wanted to know the details. Every single one of them. When he got home from baseball practice, he searched out his father and found him in his home office on the second floor. Shane walked in and closed the door behind him, just as his father looked up from a stack of papers. He had a pencil tucked behind his ear and a smile on his face.
    “How was practice?”
    Shane stared at him, stunned. “How was practice?” He gave a bitter laugh. “My girlfriend’s pregnant and my parents are having some kind of midlife crisis, and you ask me how was practice?” He removed his baseball cap and smoothed his hand over his hair. “Distracting, okay, Dad? How’s that for an honest answer?”
    His father turned his chair in his direction and crossed one leg over the other. “Okay, Shane.” He pointed to the leather sofa next to his desk. “Sit down. Looks like you want to talk.”
    “Not really.” The