She clutched the green-covered diary and stood, her movements mechanical and awkward. She flipped off the lights and climbed into the dumbwaiter, the diary clutched to her chest. She rose slowly, the mechanism groaning as before. When she stepped out, all was dark and eerily quiet. She made her way to a lumpy couch at the back of the research room and switched on a small lamp on a side table. She looked at her watch. Midnight. She flipped through the dagboek again, her eyes taking in line after line of cramped, scrawled words. So many, many pages to read! She lay down on the couch. If she had just a few more hours she would be able to finish it, maybe take some notes and leave it here. She wanted to take it with her, but the receptionist had Marijke’s address. If they discovered it was missing, they would find her and make trouble. She walked out to the lobby and pushed against the glass doors. That was futile and she knew it.
