Chapter 17

“We have to leave the building. I can smell smoke, so it doesn’t appear to be a false alarm,” said the uniformed officer.

I had managed to get my pants and shirt on, but couldn’t figure out where I’d kicked my shoes. Did I really need them? This was probably going to be one of those deals where everybody milled around outside for twenty to thirty minutes. Oh, there they were. I picked up my sneakers and carried them out the door, following Brendan. I’d put them on if I needed to when I got outside.

There were far more people in the stairwell than I expected, including a couple of elderly women who were having trouble with the steps. The cop lagged behind to help them. I considered hanging back too, but Brendan put a hand behind my back and nudged me to continue down the stairs. About two flights down, there was a sudden wave of smoke coming toward us.