Page 9 of The Guy Next Door

No, there’s definitely more to this. And only my weird-ass neighbor knows what that is.

“Is that what happened?” Kendrick asks me, casually, not like she’s waiting for me to shout,“No, this guy had a fucking gun to my head, and I thought he might kill me.”

But he doesn’t seem nearly as intimidating now.

“Yeah, that’s right,” I say. “When Zane was looking around, I saw someone head out through the back door.”

The officers let me change into sweats and a tee, and I meet them downstairs with Zane. Kendrick inspects the front door, getting down on her knees with a flashlight as she takes a look at the lock. “Did you leave it unlocked?”

“I don’t think so, but I really can’t remember.”

Zane and I exchange an awkward look, and I try to read his expression, as though all the answers I need for what’s going on will be encoded somewhere on his face.

“I don’t see any signs of forced entry,” Kendrick says, pushing to her feet. When we head into the kitchen, the back door’s open too. Kendrick performs a similar inspection, aiming her flashlight at the lock before saying, “There are some markings here. Could’ve been picked by whoever broke in.”

“Should we change the lock?” I ask.

“Maybe get one with a different locking mechanism, since whoever came in has clearly figured out how to crack this one, but it seems like you scared them off. I wouldn’t be too worried about it.”

After the scare I’ve had, I think I’ll go for changing the lock.

Kendrick and Diaz take some more notes.

“We’ll check around the neighborhood for anyone suspicious,” Kendrick says as she leads Diaz to the front door, “but keep your alarm on, and you should be fine.”

Are they about to leave me with Zane?

As if sensing my fear, he pipes up. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Leif.”

The goose bumps return.

Tomorrow? Am I really going to see him then?

I mean, he does owe me an explanation.

Or maybe he wants his gun back.

For now, he leaves with the cops, and I hurry around, locking the doors and turning on the security system before taking a deep breath.

You’re alive. You’re fucking alive.

But what the hell just happened?

2

ZANE

As I approachthe door, I wonder what the hell I’m doing.

This is a mistake.

He could call the cops; heshouldcall the cops. Hell, he should have told the cops I’d broken into his house and pulled him into a closet with a gun like a fucking monster.

Standing on his front porch, glancing around, I remind myself what a shit idea this is, but I need to talk to him.

And I need my gun back.

After I ring the doorbell, a few moments pass before I notice Leif through the sidelight windows.

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