She was thirty and small and had spent most of her career as an accountant. But she also competed in triathlons, so her endurance was excellent.
Lara wanted to check the hotel security footage, but she desperately needed sleep. At midnight she set her alarm, lay down with her gun, and tried not to think about the Puzzle. Tomorrow’s contest was in some ways the most challenging because it would exercise her brain instead of her body. Just her against the clock, trying to MacGyver her way out of a locked room.
Chapter 19
Wed., May 10, 6:05 a.m.
After a rough night of waking every hour, Lara rose early and dressed for a run. Weapon strapped to her side and Mace in hand, she pounded down the stairs and looked over her shoulder every few seconds while passing through the lobby. A certain element of fear and caution were part of her nature after years of being a cop, but she’d never felt hunted before and she hated it. Yet she wouldn’t let it stop her from doing the things that kept her sane.
Outside, the sun shimmered above the horizon and the early morning air was still fresh-warm but not blistering. She ran along the perimeter of the property for an hour, slowly peeling away the stress of yesterday’s incarceration. On the west side, she caught glimpses of the dark cool river. To the east, the expressway hummed with morning commuters. By the time she returned to the hotel, the day had heated up and sweat poured from body.
Rejuvenated, Lara showered, dressed in the mandatory pocketless clothes, and made herself a protein and carrot shake. She left her gun under the mattresses, grabbed her shoulder bag, and caught a shuttle to the arena. Her turn in the Puzzle wasn’t for another hour, but she wanted to arrive early and check the posted times of the first few to complete it.
In the main lobby, contestants ate in the cafeteria and milled around the electronic scoreboard. When Lara approached the group at the board, they fell silent and turned to stare.
“What’s the fastest time posted so far?” She grinned, daring anyone to ask about her arrest.
“Eleven minutes and thirty-six seconds by Julian Romero of California,” a woman said, her voice subdued. Lara recognized her as Suzie Ventola from New Mexico. Julian’s eleven minutes were nearly double last year’s winning time, so Lara wasn’t worried yet.
Suzie added, “The first contestant, Taro Chang from New York, didn’t finish in time and is out of the competition.” The rules allowed only fifteen minutes. Contestants who didn’t get the door open in the allotted time were sent home.
“I was a little surprised to see your name on the roster this morning,” Makil Johnson said. “I heard they arrested you.”
“They did, but it was bullshit, so the Gauntlet organizers bailed me out.” Lara didn’t want anyone to know the commissioner had personally picked her up.
“Do they know who killed Kirsten?” Suzie asked, still subdued.
“Not yet, but I’m hoping the hotel’s security footage caught someone outside the room. Or will at least clear me.” Lara wanted to move on. “Any buzz about what’s in store for us?”
“No,” Makil said. “All the social hubs are blocked. But I wouldn’t be surprised if they recycle some themes from the first year.”
Lara expected some of that too. AmGo couldn’t keep coming up with totally new stuff; it was too expensive. The elevated maze had been a revised version of something they designed for the first Challenge. The one consistency was that the Puzzle had three different scenarios each year and contestants were randomly assigned. Or so the organizers said.
A motorized camera cart pushed out through the double doors that led to the small arena housing the Puzzle. Behind the cameraman came Minda and her co-host Serena, with a grinning Jason Copeland wedged between them. They stopped in the lobby under a row of skylights.
“Seven minutes and thirty-six seconds,” Minda said for the viewers. “Early in the Puzzle rounds, Jason Copeland of Illinois has set an amazing benchmark for the other contestants to beat. What do you think, Jason? There are seventeen more competitors. Do you think that time will hold?”
Jason gave a confident smile. “I think it’ll be hard to beat. I plan to go into the Battle with a strong lead.” Only the fastest twelve competitors in the Puzzle went on to the Battle tournament, and only three proceeded from the Battle to the Obstacle.
Lara saw Minda’s assistant, Serena, head for their group. A knot formed in her stomach. It was time to face the viewers and talk about Kirsten’s death. She would have rather had her back teeth extracted.
The pretty brunette touched her arm. “We need you for some camera time before your turn.” It wasn’t optional.
Lara followed her over. As Jason moved out of the camera’s eye, he winked and whispered, “Go get ’em, killer.”
Lara bit back a response and kept moving. She stepped into the spot where Jason had been and gave the viewers a shy smile.
Minda introduced her again and summarized her win in the Challenge. Then the director turned to Lara and said, “That was Monday afternoon. Tell us what happened Monday night.” Minda pushed the mic at her.
Lara looked right into the camera. “While Kirsten was packing to go home, I went out for a short run. When I came back, Kirsten was on the floor, right inside the door to our hotel room. I’m a paramedic, so I immediately checked her pulse and discovered she was dead. It was a shocking moment.”
“The police arrested you later that night, why?”
Lara had thought about what she would say, but hadn’t really settled on something. It was too late to reconsider. “The police believe Kirsten was attacked with a stun gun. Unfortunately, I have a stun gun in my luggage. I carry it out of habit because my job is sometimes dangerous, and because I used to be a police detective.” Some viewers would find that sympathetic; others would not.
“They released you on bail, so the case against you must be weak.”
“They have no case. I just happen to be Kirsten’s roommate.”
Serena, the assistant, cut in. “Tell us about the argument you had with Kirsten before you went out.” Her tone was more investigative journalist than reality TV host.
“I wouldn’t say we argued.” Lara struggled to hide her irritation. The viewers had probably seen the clip ten times by now. “Kirsten had been drinking and she was upset about losing, so she made some negative comments. I sympathized with how she felt and tried to diffuse the situation. But then she grabbed me, so I reacted in self- defense. It’s part of my training. A few minutes later, I left so she would have time to pack and leave.”
“Have the police dropped the charges against you?” Serena asked
“No, but I expect they will. It would certainly make it easier for me to focus on the competition.” Relieved to change the subject, Lara continued. “I’m excited to participate in the Puzzle. Jason’s time will be hard to beat, but I’ll do my best.”
Minda took over the interview. “Do you have a strategy?”
Lara laughed softly. “I suppose I’ll try some of the obvious solutions first, but other than that, all I can say is that I plan to think and move fast.”
“Are you surprised to still be in this competition?”
“I’ve only completed one phase and I’m grateful to have won it. I expect to solve the Puzzle and go on to fight in the Battle.”
“I like your determination. I hope it serves you well in the next phase. Are you ready for the Puzzle?”
“Let’s do it.”
Minda turned and waited for the cameramen to come around front, then they all moved through the double doors into a giant high-walled arena made of the same plastic-metal blend. The space contained three, twelve-by- twelve, cube-shaped rooms, each with an elevator-style door operated by a keypad code to the right.
“Please leave your bag with Serena and step into the scanner,” Minda instructed.
