Page 191 of The Sleepwalker
His glasses immediately fog up, and he yanks them off, squints down the hallway and takes a hesitant step forward.
A blurry figure emerges against the orange background.
His finger trembles on the trigger.
The house is too quiet, as though it is holding its breath.
Petrus pushes his glasses back on and realises that the figure up ahead is just a man in an oil painting on the wall.
‘What’s going on?’ Danny asks behind him as he checks the cloakroom to the left.
‘Trouble with the specs, but it’s all good now.’
They cover each other, quickly securing the room as they continue deeper into the house.
In one direction, the entrance hall leads to a number of bedrooms, but the other opens out onto a sumptuous, multi-level living room.
A staircase with glass railings leads up to the first floor.
The two officers hear an irregular creaking sound overhead, as though a child is trying to shuffle forward on a rocking horse.
On the far side of the living room, the sliding door to the snowy pool area is open. A trail of wet footprints lead straight over the wooden floor and rug.
Petrus feels a rush of fear for Danny, and he glances over to him. His young colleague is breathing heavily through his half-open mouth, and his eyes look tense and alert. His black pistol – a regular Glock 45, with a scratched barrel – is trembling in his hand.
Petrus moves forward again, then pauses. He has broken out in a cold sweat, he realises as his eyes turn towards the enormous floor-to-ceiling window, and he sees the dimly lit living room reflected behind him.
He and Danny are standing perfectly still, like a couple of wayward guests in a castle made of glass, when he notices a sudden movement from the corner of one eye.
Petrus swings around and hears the heavy thud of snow falling from the roof to the ground.
His heart is racing.
He feels as though he is being watched, and he looks up. Through the glass, he can see an angled window on the first floor.
‘Pingu,’ Danny says quietly, pointing to the footprints continuing towards the bedrooms.
Petrus lowers his weapon, giving his arms a brief rest as they turn back into the entrance hall.
Somewhere outside, a car engine starts.
Petrus takes the lead again, raising his Sig Sauer as he moves forward into a dressing room with a white carpet, gold-framed mirrors and pale wooden cupboards.
One of the doors is open, blocking his view up ahead.
Petrus realises just how tense he is when he starts thinking that the crazy Don Quixote from the supermarket could be hiding behind the door with a pan on his head.
Face pale, dark circles beneath his eyes, a samurai sword in one hand.
He reaches out and tries to close the wardrobe door, but itbumps up against something, sending a shiver down his spine.
Leaning into the door, he can see a little more of the dark bedroom reflected in a mirror.
There are bloody footprints all over the white carpet.
Petrus composes himself and takes a small step forward, up against the wardrobe door. In the mirror, he can now see that there is a large amount of blood all over the floor and a white armchair.
He backs up and walks straight into Danny. The older officer catches the trainee’s eye and gestures to let him know that there could be someone hiding behind the door.
