Another crash of thunder rolled over the house, and faintly O’Brien heard Pete yell through the door panel.
“What was that?” Conrad asked, looking up.
“Thunder,” O’Brien said. “What did you think it was?”
As he spoke he felt the pressure on the door suddenly cease; then the door handle twisted sharply.
“I thought I heard someone call out,” Conrad said, and moved along the passage. He paused outside Frances’s door and listened.
O’Brien stood still, his heart beating unevenly.
Thunder crashed and rolled overhead. The hiss of rain against the windows and the gurgling of water in the gutters blotted out all other sounds.
Then he heard a faint groan come from behind the bathroom door. It was a sound that made the hairs on the nape of his neck stand up stiffly.
He stepped away from the door, took out his handkerchief and wiped his face.