TUESDAY arrived with an eerie stillness that weighed heavily on Orlanda's mind. The memory of Carlson's instructions replayed in her head like a broken record, it was always replaying, filling her with dread. Today was the day she was supposed to meet him again. The fear of what he might want tugged at her nerves, but she knew she had no choice. Carlson had always made that clear all the time they spoke.

The mansion was quiet, as it usually was in the late morning. Orlanda glanced at the clock hanging above the fireplace, 10:00, it read. Time to go.

She quietly gathered her belongings, not wanting to raise any...