Free Single White Female by John Lutz

believe what he says.”
    “But what could he prove?”
    “I don’t mean he could prove anything,” Allie said. “But he doesn’t have to.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “If he wanted, he could notify Haller-Davis I have a roommate and get us both evicted.”
    “Would they believe him?”
    “They’d send someone to look over the apartment, and they’d see there are two people living there. No way you can conceal that from somebody looking for it.”
    “What if we didn’t let them in?”
    “They’d sneak in with a passkey. Then they’d serve an eviction notice, and it’d be up to me to prove I was living alone. They’d know I couldn’t do that.” Allie wasn’t sure that was exactly how the eviction would go, but she was sure Haller-Davis could and would force her out.
    She remembered how Sam had noticed the beige dress, how he’d said he recognized Hedra from when she’d answered the knock on the apartment door. He was letting Allie know that he knew: Hedra was her secret roommate. She didn’t like that at all. There was no way to predict what might happen; divorces, from affairs as well as marriages, could take unexpected bitter turns.
    The elevator arrived on their floor and the doors rumbled open, admitting a press of warm air from the hall.
    A vision of the countless street people she passed every day invaded Allie’s mind. The ones the rest of the human race avoided thinking about, even avoided seeing, with a convenient selective blindness. She might become one of them. Sam had it in his power to do that to her. A Svengali in jogging shoes. That was what really ate at her, the knowledge that he could do it.
    Absurd! she told herself. I’m self-supporting and every bit as capable as Sam. My life’s in my own hands.
    Hedra stopped halfway down the hall and stared incredulously at Allie. “Sam wouldn’t really turn you in to the management company, would he?”
    “I don’t know,” Allie said. “A month ago I wouldn’t have thought so, but he’s full of surprises. All men seem to be full of surprises.”
    “Not to me.”
    Allie smiled. “I know what you mean, Hedra.”
    But she didn’t.
    In the apartment, the phone rang and Allie absently answered it, still thinking about Sam.
    “Allie?” A man’s voice. Not Sam’s.
    “Yes?” There was only silence on the line. “Hello?”
    A steady buzzing erupted in her ear. Whoever was on the other end of the connection had hung up.

12
    At Fortune Fashions, Mayfair sat at his wide desk, before his IBM computer, and went through the routine taught to him by Allie Jones. His fingers pecked at the gray keys with dexterity now, sure of themselves. She’d done an excellent job of setting up the programs. Inventory, payroll, graphics for sales and manufacturing projections, all reduced to relatively simple commands. She was about fifty percent through the project, she’d told Mayfair. Which meant it was time for him to do what he’d intended from the first moment he’d seen Allie Jones. And why not? You were vice president of a company like this, certain perks were implied.
    Allie had too much time invested to give up the Fortune Fashions account now, and she stood to lose too much money. Without a doubt she’d be vulnerable to pressure. And she’d recently broken up with whatever guy had been balling her; Sam something, he thought she’d called him. So Mayfair figured she was ripe enough to fall. Ah, timing was so important in life.
    Not that he’d explain the facts to her in such crude terms. He was too practiced for that. But in varied and subtle ways, Mayfair would let her know that now he had enough knowledge to call some other programmer in to finish what Allie had started. Even his secretary Elaine must be getting proficient with a computer by now. The basic software systems were online, so no problem there. Allie had gotten a small amount of money upfront. Gradually, over a week or so, he’d make it clear that if she wanted to finish