Part Four
There is an old joke about a sadist who marries a masochist. He torments her for the rest of her life, pampering her mercilessly with an excruciating kindness. I have played a similar game with Mandy. For six months I have been unfailingly polite. I have neither come on to her nor teased her about her crush on Katherine. Instead, I have played by her rules, allowing her to maintain the facade.
She is right on time, as always. She doesn’t want to leave Katherine in my evil clutches a second longer than necessary. At five before twelve I buzz her in.
She looks around the foyer, anxious when she sees that Katherine isn’t sitting by the door, tired and subdued, waiting for her ride. I let her apprehension build for a moment before I switch on the intercom.
She starts at the sound
