Free Whistleblower by Tess Gerritsen Page A

eat."
    She retreated into the bathroom. Through the door she could hear the drone of the TV, the sound of Victor's voice ordering a pizza over the phone. She ran hot water over her cold, numb hands. In the mirror over the sink she caught an unflattering glimpse of herself, her hair a tangled mess, her chin smudged with dirt. She washed her face, rubbing new life, new circulation into those frigid cheeks. Glancing down, she noticed Victor's razor on the counter. The sight of that blade cast her situation into a new focus—a frightening one. She picked up the razor, thinking how lethal that blade looked, how vulnerable she would be tonight. Victor was a large man, at least six foot two, with powerful arms. She was scarcely five foot five, a comparative weakling. There was only one bed in the next room. She had come here voluntarily. What would he assume about her? That she was a willing victim? She thought of all the ways a man could hurt her, kill her. It wouldn't take a razor to finish the job. Victor could use his bare hands. What am I doing here? she wondered. Spending the night with a man I scarcely know?
    This was not the time to have doubts. She'd made the decision. She had to go by her instincts, and her instincts told her Victor Holland would never hurt her.
    Deliberately she set down the razor. She would have to trust him. She was afraid not to.
    In the other room, a door slammed shut. Had he left?
    Opening the door a crack, she peered out. The TV was still on. There was no sign of Victor. Slowly she emerged, to find she was alone. She began to circle the room, searching for clues, anything that would tell her more about the man. The bureau drawers were empty, and so was the closet. Obviously he had not moved into this room for a long stay. He'd planned only one night, maybe two. She went to the nylon bag and glanced inside. She saw a clean pair of socks, an unopened package of underwear, and a day-old edition of the San Francisco Chronicle . All it told her was that the man kept himself informed and he traveled light.
    Like a man on the run.
    She dug deeper and came up with a receipt from an automatic teller machine. Yesterday he'd tried to withdraw cash. The machine had printed out the message: Transaction cannot be completed. Please contact your bank. Why had it refused him the cash? she wondered. Was he overdrawn? Had the machine been out of order?
    The sound of a key grating in the lock caught her by surprise. She glanced up as the door swung open.
    The look he gave her made her cheeks flush with guilt. Slowly she rose to her feet, unable to answer that look of accusation in his eyes.
    The door swung shut behind him.
    "I suppose it's a reasonable thing for you to do," he said. "Search my things."
    "I'm sorry. I was just..." She swallowed. "I had to know more about you."
    "And what terrible things have you dug up?"
    "Nothing!"
    "No deep dark secrets? Don't be afraid. Tell me, Cathy."
    "Only...only that you had trouble getting cash out of your account."
    He nodded. "A frustrating state of affairs. Since by my estimate I have a balance of six thousand dollars. And now I can't seem to touch it." He sat down in the chair, his gaze still on her face. "What else did you learn?"
    "''You—you read the newspaper."
    "So do a lot of people. What else?"
    She shrugged. "You wear boxer shorts."
    Amusement flickered in his eyes. "Now we're getting personal."
    "You..." She took a deep breath. "You're on the run."
    He looked at her a long time without saying a word.
    "That's why you won't go to the police," she said. "Isn't it?"
    He turned away, gazing not at her but at the far wall. "There are reasons."
    "Give me one, Victor. One good reason is all I need and then I'll shut up."
    He sighed. "I doubt it."
    "Try me. I have every reason to believe you."
    "You have every reason to think I'm paranoid." Leaning forward, he ran his hands over his face. "Lord, sometimes I think I must be."
    Quietly she went to him and knelt down beside