Bzzzz! The old-fashioned lock announced that it was open. Karnes
stopped fishing and opened the door, letting Brittain follow him in.
He stayed in the lead to the elevator, and pushed the button marked
"4."
"You getting off before four?" he asked conversationally.
"No."
The elevator slid on up to four without another word being said by
either man.
Karnes was judging the speed of the elevator, estimating the time it
took for the doors to open as they did so, and making quick mental
comparisons with his own ability to climb stairs at a run. The
elevator was an old one, and fairly slow--
When the doors slid open, he stepped out and began to walk easily down
the hall toward the stairway. When the elevator clicked shut, he broke
into a run and hit the stairway at top speed, his long legs taking the
steps three at a time.
The stairway was poorly lit, since it was hardly ever used, and, at
the fifth floor, he was able to conceal himself in the darkness as
Brittain turned up the hall toward 523.
Karnes looked closely at his surroundings for the first time. There
was a well-worn, but not ragged, nylon carpet on the floor, dull
chrome railing on the stair bannisters, and the halls were lit by
old-fashioned glo-plates in the ceiling. The place was inexpensive,
but not cheap.
Having made sure that Brittain actually had entered 523, he stepped
back toward the elevator in order to notify Lansberg.