Dangerous Games

Chapter 16 part 3

I fumbled around in my pocket and grabbed the piece of paper. Anita came over and I held it under her wrist watch.

"Right, now you and I are going to have to commit as much as of this to memory as we're going to need that light to see the button pad. Try to remember as much of this as you can. Okay, here we go. Get into the lift on the first floor. Well, we can't do that. I think that boat has sailed, don't you? So, what's next? Ah, this is it. Thinking cap on."

"Thinking cap on."

"We've got to press the buttons in this order. Fourth floor, second floor, sixth floor, second floor, tenth floor, fifth floor. Got that?"

"Fourth floor, sixth floor, second..."

No, fourth floor, second floor, sixth floor. Look, just remember it as a series of numbers. Four, two, six, two, ten, five. Now say that back."

"Four, two, six, two, ten, five."

"Again. I have to make sure that you've got it."

"Four, two, six, two, ten, five."

"Great. Now bring the light over to the door, and help me look for those buttons."

We made our way to the side of the lift door and Anita moved her watch backwards and forwards, left and right until we located the panel.

"Okay, what was the first floor in the list?"

"Four"

I pressed the button for the fourth floor. "Here goes nothing!" I said, permitting myself the luxury of a brief smile. Not that she could see it. The lift made a peculiar noise, but we couldn't tell if it was moving.

"Are we going up or down?" Anita asked. Certainly, we didn't get the heavy or light feeling that you would normally associate with travelling in a lift.

"I don't know. I can't tell," I admitted.

The door opened again, on to another equally dark, nondescript floor. "I don't get it. Is that the same floor where we got on?" Anita moved towards the door to investigate. I jumped up and just managed to prevent her leaving the lift.

"No, you mustn't exit the lift, I know that. Otherwise it doesn't work, and we could be stuck here forever." I took her by the arm, not for the first time. "Look, I don't know which floor we're on. I really don't. But let's assume we have moved. Which floor's next?"

"Two"

"Two it is. Hold that light here where my hand is, would you?"

A moment later, I had pressed the button for the second floor. This time we could definitely feel the lift moving. It wasn't very noticeable, but it was definitely there.

"There. You felt that? I told you we were moving. Trust me, we'll be there before you know it."

The lift door opened. This time there was no denying that we were on a different floor as soon as the door opened. It was equally dark, but an unexpected shape was just about visible on the opposite site of the corridor directly opposite the lift door.

"There, you see that? No, don't poke your head out of the door! That's a fire extinguisher there. I remember that from the way up." Also untrue. I'd had other things on my mind on the way up in that lift, but as a police officer I was a master of the reassuring and well-intentioned lie. "That proves we've moved, if nothing else. Okay, what's next?"

"Four. ... Wait, no, six."

"Are you sure?" To be honest, I'd forgotten myself.

"Yes, I'm sure, it's the sixth floor, and don't shout at me. I'm doing the best I can."