Page 38 of Lorenzo

I grip the railing until my breathing settles.

The curtains inside room 1418 are drawn, but I sense no movement inside.

I step down onto the balcony and approach the glass door.

A strip of police tape is visible across the main entrance on the other side of the room, but nothing covers the balcony doors. The handle does not move when I test it.

Locked.

I expected that.

I crouch near the lower corner and take my lockpicking tool out of my pocket. The balcony lock is simpler than the one upstairs, built to keep guests safe rather than keep someone determined out.

I work by feel, keeping my body below the level of the glass.

A click sounds inside the frame.

I stop and listen.

Nothing.

I ease the door open just far enough to slip through, then close it behind me.

The room is colder than the one upstairs.

It smells faintly of disinfectant, but the chemical scent does not entirely cover what happened here. Something heavier and metallic remains beneath it, absorbed into the carpet and furniture.

I stand beside the curtains and let my eyes adjust.

The police have already searched.

Drawers are open. The bedding has been stripped back. Small numbered markers are gone, but pale adhesive squares remain on the floor and furniture where they had been placed. A section of carpet beside the bed is darker than the rest.

I take my phone from my bag and check the time.

I have no idea how long I have before someone decides to check the room again.

I begin with the entrance.

From the bedroom, the front door is partially hidden by the short wall separating the sleeping area from the sitting room.

I picture what he told Lorenzo.

She was alive when he left.

Putting her dress back on.

Planning to see him again.

I move carefully through the room, stepping only where the carpet already shows signs of traffic from investigators.

A hotel tablet sits on the console beside the television. Its screen is dark. The power cord hangs loose behind it.

I photograph it.

The bedside clock shows the correct time. I photograph that too, then the lighting controls, the thermostat, and the electronic lock on the inside of the entrance.

Every system in this room keeps time in one way or another.