I'm glad you ended up liking this chapter. One of the things I'm trying with this story is to keep the focus incredibly narrow so that we see everything through Veronica's prism. It's a hard trick because I want her character to be consistent, but it also must evolve in reaction to the events of the story.

I'm very pleased that you felt the balance of description to story was good. That's another thing that I'm really working on with this story. I do have a tendency to stick in way too many details and it pains me when I have to excise them, but I'm pretty sure it's for the best. Pacing is critical in a suspense story.

Thank you for your thoughtful comment. I really appreciate when people look at the writing as well as what happens in the story, and it helps me to focus my thoughts on the chapters I'm currently editing or writing.