there in fifteen or twenty minutes. Are you sure you don’t want to come, Della?”
“How about I take a rain check on that?” To Matthew, I said, “You can leave Winston with me if you like. That way you don’t have to detour by your place. You can pick him up tomorrow afternoon, same as usual.”
“Good idea.” Matthew patted Winston’s head. “See you tomorrow, buddy.” I walked them to the door, faking a few more yawns and squashing my guilt for deceiving my friends. Poor Emma. She needed somebody to help her. The second the door closed behind them, I sprang into action.
“Let’s go, Winston.” He followed me to my bedroom, where he plopped onto the cushion I kept in the corner for him. I tore into a pair of black jeans, grabbed a black turtleneck, and rummaged through the bottom of my closet until I located my running shoes. I knew I’d bought those for a reason. After I pulled my hair back into a ponytail, it occurred to me that I was now dressed as a cat burglar. Great. If anybody spotted me going in, they’d think I was up to no good, which I was—sort of. I hesitated, as the full impact of what I was about to do hit me. Nobody would see me. I’d make sure of it. I hurried to the kitchen and grabbed a flashlight from my catchall drawer.
There is nothing like doing something you know is wrong to make you paranoid. At the bottom of the stairs, I stopped. What if Matthew had guessed my little ploy and was now lying in wait? I stuck my head outside, glancing both ways—no sign of him. I took off, sprinting around the building to the lane where I parked my Jeep. I had no sooner hopped in than I stopped again. What if somebody in Belmont noticed my Jeep? It was candy-apple red, not exactly an inconspicuous color. Supposing the cops suspected me of trespassing, what excuse could I have for being in Belmont? On the other hand, taking a cab would be more dangerous. A driver could later recognize me and testify against me. I had to use my car or not go at all. And since that was out of the question, I turned on the motor and drove out.
Everything would turn out fine, I told myself over and over. And it might have been, except that by the time I was halfway there, my steering wheel suddenly began to vibrate. It wasn’t much more than a slight tremor at first, but the faster I drove, the worse it got, and it didn’t disappear until I slowed to less than thirty miles an hour. I pulled to the side of the road and checked my tires—no flats. I hopped back in and settled for a speed somewhere between shaking like crazy and perfectly smooth. I checked the speedometer again—forty miles an hour.
Crap!
I’d be lucky if I didn’t get a ticket for driving too slow.
I entered the Belmont city limits and cruised along until I spotted the place. It was a typical old-fashioned commercial building not unlike my own, with a business on the first floor and residential apartments above. I slowed as I drove by, then turned and went by again. At the street level was a camera shop—
how appropriate
. I looked upstairs, making certain all the lights were out. They were.
So far, so good
.
I drove on, turning left at the first corner and then right. I pulled to a stop on a quiet residential street, where my Jeep would hopefully go unnoticed among half a dozen other parked cars. I hopped out and forced myself to walk slowly. I hoped that to any passersby I looked like just another person out for an evening stroll.
In front of the building, I glanced up and down the street quickly—no police vehicles anywhere. As for witnesses, the only people I could see were a block or two down the street, nowhere close enough to later be able to identify me.
I slipped the key into the lock and almost fell on my face as the door swung open on its own. Why would the door be unlocked? Was there already someone up there? I slipped inside, my heart thudding hard against my ribs, and listened. Nothing. I took a steadying breath and tiptoed
“How about I take a rain check on that?” To Matthew, I said, “You can leave Winston with me if you like. That way you don’t have to detour by your place. You can pick him up tomorrow afternoon, same as usual.”
“Good idea.” Matthew patted Winston’s head. “See you tomorrow, buddy.” I walked them to the door, faking a few more yawns and squashing my guilt for deceiving my friends. Poor Emma. She needed somebody to help her. The second the door closed behind them, I sprang into action.
“Let’s go, Winston.” He followed me to my bedroom, where he plopped onto the cushion I kept in the corner for him. I tore into a pair of black jeans, grabbed a black turtleneck, and rummaged through the bottom of my closet until I located my running shoes. I knew I’d bought those for a reason. After I pulled my hair back into a ponytail, it occurred to me that I was now dressed as a cat burglar. Great. If anybody spotted me going in, they’d think I was up to no good, which I was—sort of. I hesitated, as the full impact of what I was about to do hit me. Nobody would see me. I’d make sure of it. I hurried to the kitchen and grabbed a flashlight from my catchall drawer.
There is nothing like doing something you know is wrong to make you paranoid. At the bottom of the stairs, I stopped. What if Matthew had guessed my little ploy and was now lying in wait? I stuck my head outside, glancing both ways—no sign of him. I took off, sprinting around the building to the lane where I parked my Jeep. I had no sooner hopped in than I stopped again. What if somebody in Belmont noticed my Jeep? It was candy-apple red, not exactly an inconspicuous color. Supposing the cops suspected me of trespassing, what excuse could I have for being in Belmont? On the other hand, taking a cab would be more dangerous. A driver could later recognize me and testify against me. I had to use my car or not go at all. And since that was out of the question, I turned on the motor and drove out.
Everything would turn out fine, I told myself over and over. And it might have been, except that by the time I was halfway there, my steering wheel suddenly began to vibrate. It wasn’t much more than a slight tremor at first, but the faster I drove, the worse it got, and it didn’t disappear until I slowed to less than thirty miles an hour. I pulled to the side of the road and checked my tires—no flats. I hopped back in and settled for a speed somewhere between shaking like crazy and perfectly smooth. I checked the speedometer again—forty miles an hour.
Crap!
I’d be lucky if I didn’t get a ticket for driving too slow.
I entered the Belmont city limits and cruised along until I spotted the place. It was a typical old-fashioned commercial building not unlike my own, with a business on the first floor and residential apartments above. I slowed as I drove by, then turned and went by again. At the street level was a camera shop—
how appropriate
. I looked upstairs, making certain all the lights were out. They were.
So far, so good
.
I drove on, turning left at the first corner and then right. I pulled to a stop on a quiet residential street, where my Jeep would hopefully go unnoticed among half a dozen other parked cars. I hopped out and forced myself to walk slowly. I hoped that to any passersby I looked like just another person out for an evening stroll.
In front of the building, I glanced up and down the street quickly—no police vehicles anywhere. As for witnesses, the only people I could see were a block or two down the street, nowhere close enough to later be able to identify me.
I slipped the key into the lock and almost fell on my face as the door swung open on its own. Why would the door be unlocked? Was there already someone up there? I slipped inside, my heart thudding hard against my ribs, and listened. Nothing. I took a steadying breath and tiptoed
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