Page 42 of Serial Killer Games

She leans a shoulder against the floor-to-ceiling glass window and peers out. If the glass broke, she’d fall right through.

“Maybe I’ll stay in. Get room service. In my room.” There’s the slightest emphasis on the final two words.

“That would be rude. After I bought you a ticket?”

Her head twitches, as if she catches herself from turning to look at me.

“A ticket?” She says it contemptuously.A ticket.Ludicrous.

“It was just something I thought you’d like. An event I thought you’d be interested in.”

“Right.” She’s silent again, still leaning against the glass. Ifold yesterday’s clothes; zip my bag; put on one shoe; and then the other…

“An event,” she says spitefully. She slurps her coffee with disdain.

Her curiosity is killing her.

“Murderers at Work’s Dead in Las Vegas event.” I use a special tone to let her know she’s an idiot.

She swivels around and sloshes black dishwater on the carpet. “Murderers at Work?”

“Yes. The live event.”

She stares at me, uncomprehending. “You listen toMurderers at Work?”

“I started.”

“Which episodes?”

It’s a bizarre question. Am I supposed to list off the numbers of each episode I’ve listened to? Her harsh angles soften, the line between her eyebrows disappears, and she regards me with an unreadable expression. “Well, this is unexpected. How are we going to incorporate body disposal into our itinerary if you’re booking it up with surprises like this?”

But she doesn’t seem upset. She’s not upset at all. She’s a mercurial little monster, and for this split second in time she’s on an upswing. I did right. She pushes off from the glass and marches briskly past me in her red-soled shoes. She opens the door and I follow her out, and in the hallway outside we collide with—Cynthia.

She blinks owlishly at us. She looks at my damp hair. She takes in the key card in Dodi’s hand. She raises one wrist to inspect the time.

Las Vegas hosts thousands of conferences and trade shows each year. So of course Cynthia is here taking her HR conference at the same time we are, in the same hotel that makes itsmoney by stuffing warm bodies into suites and conference rooms to maximum fire-safe capacity. Nature abhors a vacuum. I wonder if she’s learning any good tricks. I wonder what the speakers have to say about rooting out and quashing workplace affairs, or handling unprofessional behavior between employees on business trips.

If she’s picked up any tips, she doesn’t implement them just now. She just stares at me with the same ice-cube eyes as that day in the annex.Jacob Ripper?I still can’t recollect how we crossed paths before.

Cynthia turns into her room across the hall from ours and the door clicks shut behind her.

Dodi bolts down the hallway and I race to catch up. She smashes the elevator button with one hand.

“What thefuck,” she hisses.

The doors open and we enter, and I press the button for the second floor.

“She’s in the room across from you,” Dodi huffs under her breath. “Are you fucking kidding me.”

On the second floor there’s a crowd—several crowds—all spilling out from different conference rooms, mingling and getting tangled up in one another. A big panel saysLas Vegas 2023 HR Expo. We’re swimming with sharks now. I grab Dodi’s hand and tug her across the room. A big menu of lectures on the far wall reads things likeDemystifying the Millennial Employee: Lazy or Under-motivated?AndWhy Work-from-Home Doesn’t Work. We wind down a tortuous hallway, leaving the noise behind, and come to a smaller sign taped to a door:

PIVOT Synergistic Systems Certification

A woman at the door smacks gum and hands us a pamphlet.

WELCOME! This lightweight, custom-tailored and solution-driven course will equip you with the practical strategies and problem-solving mindset to confidently implement transformational change in your organization within a holistic framework…

“What does this mean?” Dodi demands.

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