Chapter 24 Chapter Twenty Four

• The service elevator in the old civic hall stalled between floors with a mechanical shudder and went dark for three full seconds before the emergency light flickered on.
• Sylvia stood with her back against the side wall, tablet clutched against her chest. Alex Blackwood remained opposite her, close enough that the confined space made distance impossible. The charity auction had ended an hour earlier. She had been leaving through the rear service route to avoid the remaining board members. He had stepped into the same elevator without seeing her until the doors closed.
• The car did not move.