Gloria remained standing where she was, her whole body as rigid as if it had been chiseled out of rock. She turned her eyes to his face.
This was what they meant by a deer-caught-in-the-headlights look, he thought.
“Do something.” It was half a command, half an appeal.
Just what did she expect him to do? There were precious few options available. “Well, I’d get out and push the car up to the next landing, but my cape’s at the cleaners.”
“Do something,” she repeated, more insistently this time.
Okay, he’d bite. “And just exactly what is it that you’d have me do?”
She shrugged helplessly. If she knew, she’d have done it herself. “I don’t know—a guy thing.” Looking around, she saw what appeared to be a removable panel directly above their heads. “Like climbing up and pushing that off.”
He looked up at the same panel. “What good will that do?”
“We could climb out.” With a dismissive snort, he looked down at her high heels. “I’m very nimble,” she insisted.
He decided to humor her for the space of a moment. “Okay, supposing we could climb out, then what?”
She didn’t know about him, but it would do her a world of good. “At least we wouldn’t be trapped in here, suffocating.”
“We’re not suffocating. There’s plenty of air in here.”
She had her hand on his arm again. For a relatively small woman, she had really strong fingers. “Please.”
Jack knew she wouldn’t give up until he gave in. He supposed that since there was no one answering him on the phone, it wouldn’t hurt to try to see what was going on, although he wasn’t about to attempt shimmying up the cables to the next floor. There was no way he could possibly pry open the doors on the next landing. Even if he were a weight lifter, it wouldn’t be possible.
He moved to the wall and tested the integrity of the railing that ran along three sides of the car. Recessed from the wall, it seemed sturdy enough to hold him.
Jack glanced back at her. She’d shed her coat in a heap on the floor. “Come here, give me your shoulder.”
He watched her tongue lightly run along the outline of her mouth and tried not to let it affect him. “Why?”
Exasperated by the situation and by the fact that there didn’t seem to be anything he could do to negate the mounting anxiety in her eyes, he snapped, “Because I didn’t have any breakfast this morning and I’m hungry.” Taking her arm, he pulled her over to the wall. “I need it for leverage, that’s why.”
Removing his shoes, Jack clamped his hand on her shoulder. She wobbled a little, then braced herself. The phrase “iron butterfly” teased his brain. “You’re sturdier than you look.”
“So they tell me.”
He raised his foot as far up as he could, getting it onto the railing. Gloria spread her legs apart, taking a stance as he pushed off her shoulder and rose up parallel to the wall. There was a space between the ceiling and where the sides ended. He secured his fingers along that ridge. Moving in half inches, he managed to make it to the trapped door.
Holding on with one hand, he pushed the panel with the other. It took a little doing, but the panel finally gave way. Jack moved it to the side. Clearing an opening large enough to accommodate him, he pulled himself up with his arms.
Watching his every move, Gloria held her breath. She saw him disappear through the opening. For a moment she was alone. Alone in a small space. Just as she had been all those years ago. Perspiration was forming all up and down her spine. She could feel her blouse adhering to her back.
Damn it, stop panicking. It’s not going to do you any good, she insisted silently.
Gloria forced her feet to move until she was standing directly under the opening that the panel had covered. She craned her neck. There was nothing but darkness outside the car.
“What do you see?”
“Nothing.”
“Nothing?” Disappointment resonated through her like a death knell.
“Nothing,” he repeated. “No lights, not even slivers of light between the floors. No nothing.” Which, as far as he could see, could mean only one thing. “It looks like there’s some kind of power failure going on in the building.”
Her breath felt almost jagged as it caught in her throat. “Do you think it’s affected the whole city?”
“Probably just us,” he told her in the calmest voice he could muster.
And then he looked down into the car. She’d been right. He had to do something. “Look, I’m going to try to see if I can get to the next floor.”
“No!” Her sudden cry surprised him. Her next words surprised him even more. “Don’t leave me.”
She wasn’t being rational. “Gloria, I—”
“Don’t leave me,” she repeated, the urgency in her voice growing.
He supposed there was no way of knowing just how far up he was going to have to climb before he could get out. And if he left her, there was no telling what condition she’d been in by the time he could get back to her. He made his decision.
“Okay, stand back,” he ordered. “I’m coming down.”
She moved to the opposite wall, pressing her back up against it, her eyes never leaving his face. Gloria held her breath as she watched him jump down. He winced as he landed.
“Are you all right?”
He’d landed wrong on his ankle. Testing it now, he shrugged. “I’ll live.” And then he looked at his clothes. “But I don’t know about my suit.”
She tried to smile and succeeded only marginally. The space around her was growing smaller. “Can’t stay clean around me, can you?”
“Doesn’t look like it.” They both jumped when the elevator phone rang. Jack grabbed it. “Hello?”
“Hello? This car number seven?” a deep male voice rumbled against his ear, carrying beyond the receiver.
Jack glanced up at the certificate housed behind glass. It okayed the car for service. He squinted to make out the number.
“Yeah. We’re stuck.”
“So are all the other elevator cars.” The technician sounded harried and resigned at the same time. “Power’s out throughout the building. You’re going to have to hang tight.”
Gloria was directly behind him. Desperate, she grabbed the phone from his hand and yelled, “How long?”
“Dunno. We’re working as fast as we can.” There was a pause, as if the technician was calculating time. “Couple of hours, maybe more.”
“A couple of hours?” Her eyes widened as her claustrophobia threatened to take over every square inch of her. She could feel it cutting off her air, making her want to gasp.
“Can’t be helped,” the technician informed her.
Jack looked at her as she handed him the phone. “Is the blackout confined just to this building?”
“Looks more like a few blocks. As close as I can tell, a grid went out.” Then, because nothing could be solved on the phone like this, the technician said, “I’ll get back to you.”
And suddenly the line went dead.
A fresh assault of panic struck Gloria. She felt as if they’d been abandoned.
“No, wait, wait,” Gloria cried as she grabbed the receiver from Jack. But there was no one on the other end to