Re: First floor: 2:15 a.m.
He came following after her at top speed, reaching the room soon after she'd hidden herself. He saw the scrap of fabric and the hair caught in the edge of the chute, and nearly leapt inside.
Then he stopped.
She'd fooled him once, tricking him with an errant piece of clothing. He wasn't going to leap after another potential false trace without being sure. If she was in the basement, she could only go up, and the laundry room door was ajar, giving a good view of the lobby. No, better to wait, search the room first. If she had gone down the chute, she'd have to come up the stairs again, and he'd hear her.
There was no way to scent her out. She'd barely been in the room, and the smell of clean clothes, laundry detergent and softener successfully swamped everything else. He padded along the washing machines, looking inside. No girl. He sniffed at the air, trying in vain to catch a trace of her scent, still dripping water.