It was two A.M. Her mind and body were exhausted but her nerves forbade sleep. She had nearly drifted off a few times only to be awakened by the annoying bing of the elevator bell. She would be sure to request a room farther down the hall next time, although that was little consolation now. Judging by the elevator traffic, there was some kind of party happening on her floor. She closed her eyes and waited for the next installment of the business-traveler’s equivalent of Chinese water torture, the cursed elevator bing. She eventually drifted off again, dreaming of endless dark hallways and brightly lit elevator doors. Then lightning struck as one door opened and she bolted upright in bed. She knew where Odi was hiding! The clue had been there in the background during his call, a very different kind of bell. ~ ~ ~ Two hours later Cassi parked her rental car at the Lever’s, knowing that Thelma and Morton were always in Fort Meyers this time of year. She had driven the last quarter mile without the aid of headlights, but she still gave her eyes a few minutes to adjust to the darkness after slipping quietly from the car.
