CHAPTER 21February 23
Friday, 11:20 a.m.
Frank first became aware of the woolly, antiseptic smell of the carpet, then the stabbing pain as if piano wire were tightening around his chest. He could only take shallow half-breaths before the pain stopped him. His head throbbed, and it felt like his last meal had been pushed back up into his throat.
Slowly, his memory returned. He got to his feet and stumbled toward the bed. He lay atop the red-and-gold bedspread for a long time, trying to suppress panic in his fight for air. He looked up. The camera eye had followed, of course. It knew every move he made.
“I have to use the bathroom,” he tried to call out, but the words came out as more of a croak. He heard a metallic snap and a door at the end of the room swung open. Frank struggled off t
