The Holcroft Covenant by Robert Ludlum Read Free Book Online Page B

lamps went on simultaneously; Noel dropped his suitcase and stared in disbelief at the room.
    Nothing was the same as it was three days ago!
Nothing
. Every piece of furniture, every chair, every table, every vase and ashtray, was moved into another position. His couch had been in the center of the room; it was now in the far-right corner. Each sketch and painting on the walls had been shifted around, none where it had been before! The stereo was no longer on the shelf; instead it was neatly arranged on a table. His bar, always at the rear of the living room, was now at the left of the door. His drafting board, usually by the window, was now by itself ten feet in front of him, the stool somewhere else—God knew where. It was the strangest sensation he had ever had. Everything familiar, yet not familiar at all. Reality distorted, out of focus.
    He stood in the open doorway. Images of the room as it had been kept reappearing in front of his eyes, only to be replaced by what was in front of him now.
    “What
happened?
” He heard his own words, unsure they were his at first.
    He ran to the couch; the telephone was always by the couch, on a table at its right arm. But the couch had been moved, and the telephone had not been moved with it. He spun around toward the center of the room. Where was the table? It was not there; an armchair was where the table should be. The telephone was not there, either!
Where
was the telephone? Where was the table? Where the
hell
was the
telephone?
    It was by the window. There was his
kitchen
table by the
living-room
window, and the telephone was on top of it. The large center window that looked out at the apartment building across the wide courtyard below. The telephone wires had been taken out from under the wall-to-wall carpeting and moved to the window. It was crazy! Who would take the trouble to lift tacked-down carpeting and move telephone wires?
    He raced to the table, picked up the phone, and pressed the intercom button that connected him to the switchboard in the lobby. He stabbed the signal button repeatedly; there was no answer. He kept his finger on it; finally, the harried voice of Jack the doorman answered.
    “All right, all right. This is the lobby.…”
    “Jack, it’s Mr. Holcroft. Who came up to my apartment while I was away?”
    “Who came what, sir?”
    “Up to my
apartment!
”
    “Were you robbed, Mr. Holcroft?”
    “I don’t know yet. I just know that everything’s been moved around. Who was here?”
    “Nobody. I mean, nobody
I
know of. And the other guys didn’t say anything. I’m relieved at four in the morning by Ed, and he’s off at noon. Louie takes over then.”
    “Can you call them?”
    “Hell, I can call the police!”
    The word was jarring. “Police” meant questions—
Where had he been? Whom had he seen?
—and Noel was not sure he wanted to give any answers.
    “No, don’t call the police. Not yet. Not until I see if anything’s missing. It might be someone’s idea of a joke. I’ll call you back.”
    “I’ll call the other guys.”
    Holcroft hung up. He sat on the wide windowsill and appraised the room.
Everything
. Not a single piece of furniture was where it had been before!
    He was holding something in his left hand: the business card. PETER BALDWIN, ESQ.
    “…  
he was very agitated, you know what I mean?… he insisted I ring your apartment … your phone was out of order
.…”
    ST. REGIS HOTEL. RM. 411.
    Noel picked up the phone and dialed. He knew the number well; he lunched frequently at the King Cole Grill.
    “Yes? Baldwin here.” The voice was British, the greeting abrupt.
    “This is Noel Holcroft, Mr. Baldwin. You tried to reach me.”
    “Thank heavens! Where are you?”
    “Home. In my apartment. I just got back.”
    “Back? From where?”
    “I’m not sure that’s any of your business.”
    “For God’s sake, I’ve traveled over three thousand miles to see you! It’s dreadfully important. Now