Page 49 of Monsters

Nothing.

There was no response. When the sky lit up once more, the lights in the house went out.

“Jesus! Don’t do this,” I pleaded to the universe. Panicked, I backed up toward the chaise sectional couch, hugging my knees to my chest. A booming clap of thunder that sounded more like battling machine guns cracked directly above. An involuntary shriek escaped my lips, tears prickling my eyes. The house shook in the thunder’s aftermath, my body trembling in sync. A blinding flash of lightning violently cut through the darkness revealing an empty porch. Mason was no longer there. At least when he was in front of me, I knew where he was.

To my right next to my pot of Bolognese, the parmesan cheese bag lit up in a dull glow, a stark comparison to the sinister darkness surrounding me.

My cell!

Feeling an inch of hope return, I scrambled to my feet, the vibrating beckoning me with urgency. Reaching over the counter, I pushed the cheese aside and briefly saw Peter’s name on the screen before the call ended. With fumbling hands, I attempted to unlock the screen by connecting the dots in a backward L. Each try, the dots turned red denying me access.

“Oh, come on! Just—”

“Gemma!” The man’s voice called behind me, his shoe crunching on the broken glass. I jumped, almost choking on my heart, my cell somersaulting from my hands before thudding onto the counter. Snatching the chef’s knife from the cutting board, I turned with a new-found determination to end this once and for all. The blade glinted as I moved it toward the face of the man before me.

“Whoa!” Two hands raised in surrender as he took a step back. “Whoa! It’s just me, Gerald Harper from next door.” The older man in his early seventies spoke calmly, his placid demeanor wracking me with guilt.

Pulling the knife away, I tossed it on the counter like it had burned my hand. “Mr. Harper, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s all right, love. I shouldn’t have snuck up on you like that. You are…” He hesitated. “You seem a bit jumpy.” Mr. Harper pointed to the knife on the counter.

“Yeah, I saw someone standing on my porch. They threw a rock through the door.”

Turning on his flashlight, he shone the light on the broken glass.

“Yeah, we heard the smash. That’s why I’m here. Probably the kids that just moved in a block away. The family is new to these parts of town. Not the desirable type, if you know what I mean.”

“Yeah, I know,” I agreed, happy to brush it off.

“Never mind, love. I’ll organize to have this fixed for you in the morning. I’ve got some glass and a cutter in the shed.”

“That’s real sweet of you, Mr. Harper.”

“Ah, nonsense,” he dismissed. “It’s what neighbors do. Now, Glenys said you’re to use the spare room tonight until we get this place cleaned up.”

My heart both swelled and pounded at the same time. It was so lovely to have such caring people around me, and even more the reason why I feared for them. I couldn’t put the Harpers at risk if Mason came back for round two.

“That’s very generous of you both, and please thank Mrs. Harper, but I’ll be fine here. Plus, I’ve made an ungodly mess in the kitchen.”

Mr. Harper looked to the ground, not expecting my refusal. “Well, I don’t think this storm is going to let up anytime soon, so we’ll keep the back door unlocked if you decide to come over.”

“Thank you,” I said, touching his arm gently. “And thank you for coming over to check on me.”

“All right then, I’ll see you in the morning to fix the door. Night, Gem.”

“Goodnight, Mr. Harper.”

Crunching back over the glass, I watched my neighbor leave and then run through the rain and across the lawn back to his house.

“Compose yourself,” I chided, tapping my hand on my thigh and debating the questionable decisions I’d made on the Mason Carter situation. “Get a grip and sort this shit out.”

Retrieving my cell and successfully joining the dots, I dialed Detective Kinross. I waited three rings before he picked up.

“Ms. Sinclair, is everything okay?” His voice was husky like I’d woken him from sleep.

“Mason was here.”

These three words got his attention. “You saw Mason Carter?”

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