Laura’s heart softened too. “Oh Marcie,” she moaned. “I guess it really isn’t anybody’s fault. Burr’s still in love with you. None of us realized how much. He had to be jealous of somebody, and he knew you weren’t dating anybody else. We’ve all been pretty stupid about the whole thing. I just hope to God it blows over.” All of a sudden she felt powerfully tired. “It’s all my fault,” Marcie said. “Everything’s my fault. I’ll make it up to you, Laura, I promise.” “Never mind, honey. Just keep out of trouble tonight. I’ll be home about ten. I’ll call you first.” “Okay.” Marcie was still crying when she hung up. * * * * * For a long time Laura sat at her desk, staring into space. The windows were black, gold-spangled with the city night, and everything was still. She got up, feeling weak and tired, and yet not desperate or frightened any more. Burr had no proof of anything. Marcie would deny everything. And if things went as it seemed they must, Burr would act like a crazy man and convince the police he was bent on violence. Marcie would be genuinely frightened and it would show. There ought not to be any difficulty about it. She got her things together and turned out the office light. The hall to the elevator was bare and echoing as she walked down it. The elevator boy was silent, as if he too had been touched by the vast quiet of the night. Laura walked out on the street. People hustled by, lights shone, cars honked. But it all seemed far away, not very real. Her senses registered only half of what they perceived. _Where shall I go? I’d better not try to go home for a while. Not till Burr leaves. Another hour, at least._ She looked at her watch: eight-thirty. She walked slowly, gazing ahead of her like a sleepwalker. _I’ll go somewhere where I can sit down and read_, she thought. She bought a magazine from a corner stand and sauntered on another couple of blocks until she saw the McAlton on the next corner. She almost exclaimed aloud, as if the hotel had been sneaking up on her while she marked time on the sidewalk. She stopped in her tracks to stare at it and then looked self-consciously into a shop window. After a few minutes she moved on to the hotel. _If I just sit in a corner, as if I’m waiting for somebody, they can’t do anything. I’ll just read this thing till nine-thirty or so._ A tiny unworded excitement knotted itself around her heart and stuck there, prepared to stay for as long as Laura stayed in the lobby. She didn’t go over to the desk. She just sat down in an alcove on a leather covered sofa next to a fat middle-aged woman. She read until nine-thirty. Then she got up and walked halfway across the lobby to the phone booths, entered one, and dialed the penthouse. Marcie answered. “Is everything all right, Marcie? It’s Laura.” “Yes.” She sounded tired, reticent. “What happened?”