Page 52 of Bear In A Bookstore
He tipped the screen just enough that she could see monotone security footage of a living room. A dark shape moved in the corner.
“Someone is inside my house.”
Chapter Eighteen
Allthelightswereon in his living room when he pulled in.
He’d watched the live feed as he drove, dividing his attention between the screen and the road. There was a twenty second lag in the feed, and when he stopped at a red light, the perp was gone from the footage.
His security was set up to illuminate the space if the alarm was tripped. If he’d had his way, he would have included automatic locks and a disorienting strobe system to trap the perp inside until law enforcement arrived, but his apartment complex had stupid rules that prohibited his high-tech toys.
The alarm blipped from inside, probably pissing off his neighbors. While he’d like to sit here a moment longer to get a full assessment, he got out and made his way cautiously up the back stairwell and let himself inside the secured entry. His animal senses heightened, listening, smelling, feeling for a change in the air. But as he climbed another set of steps and reached his level, he didn’t sense anything out of the ordinary.
His door was cracked, and a woman in a fluffy pink robe stood next to it with her arms crossed. It was his neighbor from two doors down.
“Lou, are you okay?”
Desi approached the door, eyeing it, his body on alert as if someone might run out at any moment.
“I’m fine. I already called the cops. Some guy ran out of here with a red backpack.”
“Just stay here.” He motioned for her to move away from the door.
Listening for a second, he pushed it in and quickly surveyed his living area. His senses told him the interior was empty. Moving to the security panel, he turned off the alarm and cursed under his breath.
Lou peeked her head inside. “Anything else missing?”
Desi ran a hand over the back of his neck and made a slow loop around the room. “What did the backpack look like?”
“Large, kind of rectangle shaped. Red with green stripes.”
Fuck. Why would someone want his backpack full of rappelling gear?
His laundry basket had been overturned and two drawers from his desk were cracked. His kitchen drawers had been rifled through, and his bedroom was a mess. Someone had been looking for something.
The back of his neck prickled.
Patting his front jean’s pocket, he slipped his fingers inside and felt the ring. He intended to take it to his father’s and put it in the safe, but it would stay firmly on his person until then. Seems like he’d made the right decision.
His copy of the treasure hunting book had been in the backpack.
His apartment was tossed.
Who knew that he had found the ring? He combed through everyone he and Kora had come into contact with after finding it. They’d stopped here after leaving the mountain, seeing no one until they’d arrived at the bakery. There’d been a handful of people in the bakery, but the only person they’d shown the ring to was Ben.
He’d detected the scent of someone on the mountain. Had they been followed? It made sense. Someone stole the bag with the equipment needed to get back into the Angel’s Mouth.
“Thanks, Lou. Sorry about the alarm.”
She waved a dismissive hand. “I hope this doesn’t mean I have to start locking my doors.”
Desi sighed. “Lock your doors, Lou.”
She grinned and shuffled back to her apartment.
Desi grabbed his laptop just as the cops showed up. Waving them inside, he pulled up the security footage and played it back. Officer Millum waltzed in with his hands on his duty belt.
“What happened here tonight?”
