The Quiet Room by Terry Miles

Author:Terry Miles [Miles, Terry]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House Worlds
Published: 2023-10-03T00:00:00+00:00

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Millie led them to a four-story stone apartment building set on half an acre of deep green woods at the very top of Capitol Hill. Long-time Seattle residents referred to it as the Bunker.

From what Emily could remember, the neoclassical gray concrete structure had been built by a railroad baron’s ex-wife sometime around the beginning of the twentieth century. It was semi-famous in Seattle because, at one point, there had been a small amateur observatory located on the roof. The rotating dome was still up there, but Emily had heard that it was no longer functional.

“The last time I saw Rowan Chess was here in this building,” Millie said.

“Which room?”

“Four hundred.” Millie shuffled in place. “Can I go now?”

“When you deliver Rowan Chess, you can go,” MayDay said.

“Fine.” Millie shook her head, exasperated. “You guys ready?”

“Is there a number we need to buzz?” MayDay asked as they walked up the wide set of concrete stairs that led to the front door of the building.

“Six, seven, eight, nine, followed by the pound sign,” Millie said.

MayDay pressed the buttons, and a few seconds later there was a loud click, followed by a buzzing sound.

Pepper opened the door and the three of them entered the building.

The first thing Emily thought, when confronted by the building’s lobby, was that there was a surprising amount of blue. From the cerulean walls to the turquoise-and-navy nautical symbols that littered the old mosaic tile beneath their feet, walking into the building kind of felt like stepping underwater. Directly in front of them, a wide set of royal blue carpeted stairs led up to the second floor.

“No elevator?” MayDay asked as the door closed behind them with a deep clang that reverberated through the room.

“I think there’s a wooden freight elevator somewhere in the back, but I’m not sure it’s operational,” Millie said as she led the three of them up the carpeted stairs.

The way Millie had spoken made Emily wonder. It wasn’t that she thought Millie was lying about the freight elevator; it was something else. Playing Rabbits meant keeping track of intricate details, including the way people spoke. Millie’s detail about the freight elevator sounded a bit too specific.

As Millie and MayDay turned a corner and continued walking up to the fourth floor, Emily pulled Pepper aside and led her back down to the second-floor landing. The hall stretched away from them, a checkerboard of black and white tiles.

“We should be careful,” Emily said.

“What is it?”

“I don’t know. Something doesn’t feel right.”

Pepper nodded. “Okay. I’ll see if I can find the freight elevator or a second staircase on the other side, in case things go bad.”

Emily watched Pepper jog down the second-floor hallway, and then turned and hurried to catch up with the others.

She found them standing in front of the door to room number 400.

“Where’s the boss lady?” Millie asked.

“She was right behind me,” Emily said.

“What makes you think she’s the boss?” MayDay said. “What if I’m the boss?”

Millie forced a smile and then raised her hand to knock on the door.

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