She shrieked when that happened.
The elevator came to an abrupt halt with a jerk and a clunk.
“What’s going on?”
"Don't worry, I'm sure the power will come back on shortly."
It was an optimistic statement at best.
4
We both whipped out our phones and clicked on the flashlight. The beams cut through the darkness, and I flashed my badge. "Don't worry, I'm a cop."
She seemed to breathe a little easier.
"My name’s Tyson.”
"Elana," she said, forcing a smile.
"I don't think we’ll be in here long," I said, trying to put her at ease. Her whole body was tense, and she fidgeted with nerves.
She nodded. "I don't do well in small spaces."
"Slow, deep breaths. Think about something positive."
She nodded again, but the only thing she was thinking about was getting the hell out of this elevator. Elana took a slow, deep breath, then blew it out in a calm fashion. "You know, I can do the whole positive mental attitude thing for alittle while. But if we are going to be stuck here for six hours, it's not going to be pretty. And I'm beginning to realize I shouldn't have had all that coffee.”
I chuckled. "I'm sure we’ll be out by then. What brings you to Coconut Key? You don't look like you're on vacation.”
"A little business, a little pleasure.” She looked at her watch. "I'm going to be late.”
"I'm sure they'll understand.”
"I'm giving a lecture here in the ballroom.”
I lifted a curious eyebrow. "Let me guess, how to survive being trapped in an elevator with a stranger?"
A slight chuckle escaped her plump lips. Elana was well put together. Classic features, sculpted cheekbones, emerald eyes.
Sweat had already sprouted on her brow. Her elevated heartbeat pulsed her neck. "Psychology of group dynamics in high-stress environments."
"That sounds interesting.” I was going to leave it at that, but I couldn't help but ask, "What is your experience in the subject?”
"I did my PhD in behavioral psychology. My dissertation was on group dynamics."
"Combat, law enforcement, public service, that kind of thing?"
She nodded. "Submarines, saturation dives, space travel, and other civilian applications as well."
"You have any real-world experience with any of that?" I asked with a degree of skepticism in my voice.
That annoyed her. "I can assure you, I've done more research on the subject than probably anyone else. I'm fascinated by how groups interact. Hierarchies, cohesiveness, normative drift.”
I didn't win any brownie points when I said, "Real life is different than a textbook."
Her face tightened. "What's your experience?”
I declined to list my resume and just said, "Let's put it this way, I've been in a lot of high-stress situations. Some people can handle it, and some people can’t. Sometimes you can pick who’s going to bug out beforehand, and sometimes people will surprise you. The only way to know how you will respond in a high-stress situation is through experience. The crucible of fire, so to speak.”
