She looked awfully young to have a wandering kid.

Hands out, palms up, she turned slowly as she looked around.

"Lance!" she cried out "Where are you? Answer me this minute!"

Dana ran toward her.

Every other tourist in the corridor seemed to be watching.

Some were pulling off their headphones.

She stopped in front of the woman. "Who's missing?" she asked.

"My boy. He was right beside me a minute ago, and suddenly he...he just disappeared."

Dana snatched the walkie-talkie off her belt and thumbed the talk button. "Tuck," she said. "We've got a missing boy. Over."

"Nobody's getting past me. Describe the kid."

"How old is he?" Dana asked the mother.

"Nine."

"Hair color?"

"Blond."

"He's nine years old," she told Tuck. "Blond hair."

"How long has he been...oh, great. Here come the..."

The walkie-talkie went silent, but Dana heard Tuck anyway. "Hold it!" Tuck yelled. "Yoshi, wait! Tell them to stop and stay away from the stairs. We have a problem."

In a loud, clear voice, the Japanese tour guide started giving instructions to her group.

Dana turned her attention to Lance's mother. "How long has he been gone?"

"Just a minute or two," she said, her voice pitched high.

"You there, Tuck?"

"Yeah. Everything's under control down here. For now."

"The kid's been gone a couple of minutes."

"He has to still be up there. Look around. He probably wandered off by himself. Get back to me in about two minutes."

"Will do." Dana turned to the mother. "He can't get out. Don't worry, we'll find him. Where were you when you noticed he was..."

"Is somebody looking for a kid?"

"Yes!" Dana called out.

A girl stepped forward. About ten years old, she looked like a tomboy in her short haircut and bib overalls. "A little creep with yellow hair?"

The mother scowled. "He's not a creep."

"Matter of opinion, ma'am," said the girl. "Anyway, he ducked under the rope over there and ran up into the attic."

"When was this?" Dana asked.

"Just before this lady started going all hysterical."

"Was anybody with him?" Dana asked.

"Nope. He was all by himself. You should've seen the look on his face. He thought he was being oh so cute, but he wasn't. I don't happen to find it cute at all, breaking rules."

Dana grinned at the girl. "Neither do I. Thanks a lot of your help."

"You're welcome."

"What's your name?"

"Janey."

"Stick around, Janey." Raising the walkie-talkie, Dana hurried toward the attic. Tourists in the corridor stepped aside to let her by. "Tuck? I just found a witness. Sounds like Lance took an excursion into the attic. I'm on my way."

"Did he go up on his own?"

"That's what I hear."

"Okay. Keep your speak button depressed. I wanta hear what's going on."

"Right."

At the attic doorway, Dana looked up the dark stairs. The entrance at the top looked like a black slab.

Unhooking one end of the cordon, she called, "Lance, please come down from there. It's dangerous. We don't want you to hurt yourself."

Lance didn't answer.

Dana swiveled around to face those who were clustered nearby. "I don't want anyone coming up the stairs after me. The attic is off limits. Okay?"

"Want me to stand guard for you?" asked Janey.

"Sure. Thanks."

Janey came over to the doorway. She turned toward the onlookers and folded her arms across her chest.

Dana started to climb the stairs. "Lance," she called. "I'm coming up to find you. Why don't you...?"

Out of the darkness above her came a squeal.

Her skin rippled with goosebumps.

She raced up the stairs, taking them two at at time, her strong legs pumping.

Mixed in with the sounds of her shoes striking the planks and the stairs creaking and groaning as she charged toward the top, she thought she heard other sounds.

Gaspy whimpers and quick footfalls.

Then something pale lurched into the black doorway and came down at her. Is it him?

Dana had a quick urge to scream.

"Stop!" she yelled.

"It's after me!" the boy cried out.

He dodged to the other side of the stairway to get past Dana but she dropped the walkie-talkie and grabbed the banister with her right hand, flung out her left arm and hooked him across the chest. His whole weight suddenly tried to rip her backward and hurl her down the stairs, but she clung to the rail. The impact turned her sideways. Then the kid lost his momentum and she swung him in against her body.

"Let me go!" he gasped, thrashing. "Let go! It's coming!!"

"Calm down,!" Dana said. She started carrying him down the stairs.

"Let me go! It's gonna get us!"

"Nothing's going to get us."

"Hurry!"

Rushing down the stairs, she listened for sounds of footfalls behind her. She had an urge to look over her shoulder.

Only a few steps from the bottom, she thought, Made it. No matter what, I'll make it to the hall before it gets me.

Get real, she told herself. Nothing's up there.

She scampered down the final stairs and carried Lance out of the stairwell.

The onlookers applauded. She heard calls of "Thata girl!" and "Good going," and "Nicely done."

She set Lance onto his feet and turned him around to face her. Holding him by the sides, she crouched and said, "Everything's all right, Lance. Everything's fine."

He gazed with wide eyes up the stairwell behind Dana. He was gasping and shaking.

"Nothing's up there," she said.

"Oh yes it is."

Keeping hold of him, Dana checked him out from head to foot.

His pale blue T-shirt was dark with sweat. It felt hot and damp under her hands.

Lance didn't seem to be injured.

She turned him around.

No damage that...

"Don't you ever do that again! Do you hear me! Don't you EVER! You scared the daylights out of me!"

"I was just..."

Smack!

He flinched in Dana's hands.

She stood up fast. "Hey!"

He started crying.

"Don't you hit him," Dana snapped.

"I'll hit him if I want." As if to demonstrate, Lance's mother hauled back for another swing at his face.

"No!" Dana caught her wrist.

"Let go of me!"

"Don't hit the kid," Dana said. "It isn't nice to hit little kids."

The mother spit at her.

The gob of saliva landed on Dana's uniform blouse just above her left breast.

"Lady," Dana said.

Then Janey kicked the woman in the leg.

"Ow! You little twat!" Her left hand darted at Janey.

As the girl leaped away, Dana jerked the woman's right arm and swung her around and slammed her against the wall.

"That's enough!" Dana shouted in her face.

The woman blinked.

The spit had soaked through Dana's shirt. She felt its cool wetness against her skin.