Elementary, My Dear Watkins by Mindy Starns Clark

Stepping back, she admired her work, trying to remember how long it had been since she was caught making her last escape. Three weeks? Four? Long enough that she was ready to try it again, albeit armed with better knowledge this time.
    Ever since she got back to her room after her art therapy session, she had put the conversation with Nicole out of her mind and focused on the map of the estate that she had taken from the study. Nobody ever bothered her once she went to her room for the night, not even the maids, and with her door locked she had felt safe spreading out the map on her bed and taking her time plotting her route.
    Just as she had hoped, it looked as though there was another way to get out of here. Along the far north wall of the fence, behind the stables, were several dotted lines indicating what looked like a gate. She had a feeling it was for bringing in horse trailers or hay trucks or something, but since there weren’t any horses currently living here—and probably hadn’t been for a while—the gate was more than likely overgrown to the point that she hadn’t even noticed it.
    The walk across the back pasture might be a little creepy, and she wasn’t sure what lay on the other side of that gate, but she was a big girl. She could handle it.
    Now she was dressed all in black, her hair pulled tightly into a ponytail and tucked under a knit cap. She would bring along her little backpack, inside of which was a hairbrush, a wide belt, and some chunky jewelry to make herself look better once she was free. In the meantime, however, she needed to be silent and sleek, with only a flashlight, a bus route map, some money in her backpack, and a good bit of nerve.
    Alexa turned off the light and crept to the window, slowly sliding it open. The night was warm for May, and she could feel the heat swooshing into the room along with the fresh air. Carefully, she slid up the screen as well, and then swung one leg over the sill, shifted her weight, and lowered herself down the other side until her toe touched the stone of the second floor wraparound balcony. The setup of this place was perfect for climbing out at night, as all she had to do was cross under the hall window and slip down the balcony stairs to get to the backyard.
    Alexa reached in through the window for her flashlight and backpack then slid the window shut except for the last quarter inch. As long as she returned before sunrise, she’d be able to slip inside and crawl into her bed, no one the wiser. Keeping the flashlight turned off, she slung the pack over her shoulder, crouched down, and started moving.
    She had to stop short of the stairs to keep from passing through a beam of light that was coming from one of the empty guest bedrooms. That was odd. Before proceeding with her escape, she carefully crept to the window of the room and tried to peek in, but the curtains were drawn except for the slightest gap where the light was coming through. She held her face close to the glass and peered inside, disappointed that she could see movement in the room but couldn’t tell who it was or what they were doing.
    Alexa was concerned. Did they have a guest she didn’t know about? Maybe someone had switched rooms for the night? It wouldn’t really matter except that everyone was supposed to be asleep by now. What if something was going on and someone came to her room to get her, and she wasn’t there? She’d be busted.
    Alexa crept back to the hall window, which had no curtain, and slowly raised herself to eye level to peek inside. The hall was empty, but the door to that guest room was wide open, the light forming a rectangle on the hall rug. Alexa watched but no one went in or out. She didn’t know what to do.
    She sat down under the window and thought about it, trying to decide whether or not to abort her mission. Almost desperate to escape by this point, she was just about to bite the bullet and go ahead with it when she heard a noise.
    It was the crunch of