Page 33 of Midnight Secrets

“Pebbles…” I let out a sigh.

“What’s she barking at?”

“I have no idea. I thought it was you, but you’re inside, and she’s not paying any attention?—”

A thump overhead silenced my words.

What the heck was that?I glanced at the ceiling.

Pebbles let out another flurry of barks and ran for the stairs.

“Pebbles!” I took off after her, depositing my mug on an end table. I made it just past the couch when a strong hand encircled my wrist, bringing me to a halt.

I looked back and right into a pair of intense, fierce, dark-brown eyes.

“Stay here. I’ll check it out.” He let go and moved swiftly around me to run up the stairs after a still barking Pebbles.

A series of thumps and bangs on the side of the house sent my heart into my throat, where it raced at a frantic beat.

What was going on?

“Hey!” Oscar’s deep shout echoed downstairs. “Stop! Police!”

Pebbles’s barks accompanied him.

Eyes wide, I moved closer to the staircase. Who was he talking to?

I looked up to see Oscar appear at the top, running at full speed and taking the steps with fast feet.

“Call 9-1-1. Tell them I’m in pursuit of a burglary suspect.” He flew past me to the front door.

“Burglary?” My feet grew roots, and I stared at him, eyes round and jaw slack.

“Just call.” He threw open the locks and let himself out.

The frozen air that came through was enough to snap me out of my state of shock. In just a few strides, I was standing in the doorway, watching him run down my driveway after a figure cloaked all in black.

CHAPTER 11

Ozzie

Subfreezing air filled my lungs and stung my face as I chased after the figure fleeing Claire’s house. It was a man not quite my height, but he had some speed.

I urged my legs to go faster.

Rounding the intersection, I left the sidewalk and cut through the front yards of the corner lots, closing the gap.

The man glanced back, but there were too many shadows for me to see his face.

“State police! Stop!”

My shout only spurred the man to run faster.

Grinding out a quick growl of frustration, I wondered sometimes why I bothered wasting my breath.

We turned another corner onto a dead-end street. Beyond the last house, wilderness stretched. This area of Parker’s Landing was little more than a thin strip of houses before it melded into the forest.

I eeked the last bit of speed out of my legs, but it wasn’t enough. The man disappeared into the trees fifteen yards ahead of me. I dashed in after him, but the dense foliage stopped me after only twenty feet or so. In the dark and in the heavy bush, I’d never find him. Not without help.

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