You’re upset. You try to remember what happened just a few hours ago. There was the phone call. She sounded frenzied. Then the long drive in the pouring rain, with you barely able to see where you were going. You used to know her place, but it’s been a while, and these rooms in the night look different, feel different. You fumble around, looking for the switch for the main light. The furniture must have been moved, because you don’t remember there was a bookcase in this part of the room.

Your heart is beating fast and you’re sweating. You pause to take a good breath. The already dim light from the desk lamp goes out.

You are in a poorly lit room. The only light comes from a desk lamp. It must be the study. There is a violent rainstorm outside and the lamp’s bulb flickers.