She took the stairs three at time, racing up, up, up. She’d been burning with frustration all the way to Lincoln Park and, arriving at Adam’s office block, she hadn’t hesitated. A young woman was coming out of the main door and Kassie barged past her, sprinting across the lobby and charging up the stairs.
Bursting into the reception area on the eighth floor, Kassie sprinted towards the office door, throwing it open. Adam was on the phone, and looked up sharply as Kassie crossed the room towards him. Cupping his hand over the receiver, he was about to remonstrate with her, but didn’t get the chance. Kassie snatched the phone off him, ending his call.
‘What the hell are you doing?’ he blurted.
‘I need to talk to you.’
‘That was an important call …’ Adam protested, looking angry and distressed.
‘I know what it is,’ she replied, ignoring him.
‘What do you mea—’
‘I know what it is. The laughter.’
Still Adam looked lost, so Kassie elaborated.
‘The woman’s laughter, in the shack … I said it sounded inhuman. And that’s because it is. It’s the birds …’
She gestured to the floor to ceiling windows, which framed the lake. In the distance, the birds could still be glimpsed, completing their endless rotations.
‘It’s the birds,’ she repeated, half smiling, half laughing now.
Adam was looking at her as if she was deranged, so Kassie crossed to the windows, throwing them open. Numerous birds visited the lake – bitterns, eagles, herons – and their constant, high-pitched cackling could be heard even at this distance.
Kassie turned back to look at Adam. Moments earlier, he’d looked as though he was about to explode, but now he paused, taking in the nasty, malevolent noise.
‘Madelaine … she’s by the water,’ Kassie intoned. ‘She’s being held somewhere on the lake or by a river, I’m sure of it.’
Even as she spoke, she saw a cloud pass across Adam’s face, as if something she’d said had chimed with him.
‘We just need to find out where.’
‘Kassie …’
‘She’s got hours left to live. But now we’ve got a chance …’
‘Be sensible, Kassie. The lake is huge and there are numerous rivers.’
‘We need to find out where the birds are grouping. It’ll be somewhere remote, where there’s no chance of this guy being disturbed, then we can go there –’
‘It’ll be like looking for a needle in a haystack.’
‘We can save her, I know we can,’ Kassie insisted, refusing to be beaten back. ‘But I don’t know where to start, who I should talk to about this.’
In spite of himself, Adam reacted. Suddenly Kassie was flooded with hope that Adam could help her – if she only she could persuade him to.
‘Do you know someone?’
‘No. Well, yes. But I can’t just turn up and –’
‘Then we need to go to them now.’
‘Not until you tell me where you’ve been and why you think that this –’
The words erupted from her, shocking Adam into silence.
‘Twice I’ve been right about this and we did nothing. Please don’t make me responsible for another death. I couldn’t stand it.’
Still Adam hesitated.
‘Do this for me and I swear I will never bother you again.’
‘I don’t know, Kassie …’
‘If we save her, then maybe everything will be ok. For you and for me. Please, Adam, do this one last thing for me. I’m begging you.’
Kassie’s tone was beseeching, imploring. But had she done enough? Adam was staring at her, visibly torn between indulging her and telling her to go to hell. Then, to her enormous relief, Adam snatched up his phone and coat and ushered her towards the door.