Page 90 of Artifice

Olive ducked behind it and turned off the flashlight on her phone just as the door opened.

Light flooded the room.

A man’s heavy tread entered.

Mr. Thorne, the groundskeeper.

What was he doing in the medication room at this hour?

From her hiding place, Olive could see only his lower half as he moved to the locked cabinet.

He punched in the code and opened it, muttering something under his breath.

Then he removed several bottles of NZ-40X—one of the medications she’d taken—from the top shelf and placed them in a bag.

“Delivery’s ready for tonight,” he said, apparently speaking into a phone or radio. “Karakov’s people confirmed midnight at the warehouse.”

Olive pressed herself farther into the shadows as Thorne moved toward the supply cart. He reached for something on the shelf above her head.

She held her breath.

The amber bottles in her jacket felt suddenly enormous, like they might clink together at any moment. She had to remain perfectly still.

Thorne paused, as if sensing something amiss.

Her lungs froze.

The radio at his belt crackled. “Thorne, we need you at the west wing. Anderson’s having another episode.”

He grunted in acknowledgment. “On my way.”

The light switched off. The door closed. The lock engaged.

Olive remained frozen for a full minute before allowing herself to breathe normally again. The bottles in her pocket might as well have been bombs—evidence that could blow open whatever operation Lighthouse Harbor was running.

First, she needed to get them out of the building.

She checked her watch once more.

Seven minutes until the next scheduled round.

She had to move now.

As Olive eased out from behind the cart, her elbow knocked against a metal tray.

It clattered to the floor, the sound seeming to echo through the entire wing.

She froze.

Then she heard footsteps returning, quickly moving toward the door.

Olive held her breath as the footsteps approached.

The doorknob rattled.

Then a voice called out from farther down the hall. “Thorne! We need you now! Anderson’s having a seizure!”

The footsteps paused then retreated rapidly.