I was standing in the hallway with a leaking trash bag, coffee grounds dripping onto my bare foot, when I jokingly told my quiet neighbor she should come on vacation with me.
I expected an eye roll.
I expected a sarcastic laugh.
I expected her to call me ridiculous and disappear into the elevator.
Instead, Claire looked me dead in the eyes and said, “Okay.”
And before I could laugh, her phone lit up with a message that said:
Don’t run. I know where you live.
PART ONE