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Chapter Seven
I’m going to go pick out a snack and something to drink,” Terri announced, lifting herself from the floor where she had curled up nearly an hour ago to start drawing out ideas for the club. Stretching her aching limbs she looked down at Luke who sat in a similar position at her feet. “Are you sure you don’t want anything?”
Running a finger over his chin, Luke thought carefully before nodding slowly. “I could go for some coffee, if you have it.”
Smiling, Terri nodded and started off for the kitchen. “Coffee is the breakfast of champions, as my father always said.”
“Wise man.”
Not more than two steps inside the kitchen doorway, Terri stopped in her tracks. Her brows knitted together as she stared at the glass patio door standing wide open to the night. The chill of early spring air drifted in at a steady pace, cooling the small space by degrees. She half wondered why she hadn’t noticed the difference from the next room, but that was a moot point. What was it doing open in the first place?
As she stood there staring, she tried hard to recall when she had last opened it. Never, if her memory served. She hadn’t been in the home for long and had no real purpose for hanging around outside. Unlike her last house, garbage was taken out through the garage to the front curb, not the alley she had grown used to. Likewise, she hadn’t had a chance to get into gardening with everything that had been going on in her life over the last year. As for yard maintenance, she had hired a boy in the neighborhood to keep up with the basics, and since it was barely spring, there was nothing yet to do out there.
So, yeah, she had no reason to use the patio or the doors leading to it in months, which begged the question, how had they gotten that way?
“Luke,” she called over her shoulder, “Did you go out back when you went outside earlier?”
Luke’s answer came back loud and clear. “No. Why? Is there a problem?” he asked as he approached her.
Terri tipped her head at the open door. “I don’t recall opening it,” she said by way of explanation. Glancing over her shoulder, she looked up into Luke’s puzzled eyes.
He frowned down at her. “Do you usually keep it locked?” he asked her as he gently but firmly moved her aside so he could get by.
Terri watched as he inspected the opening, sliding the door back and forth on its track, then kneeling down to take a closer look at the lock. “Of course. I don’t even remember opening it since I’ve lived here.”
Luke grunted a response, and Terri noticed that his expression was now pinched.
“What? What is it? Did you find something?” Her heart beat a frantic tempo as she crossed the kitchen to stand beside him. “What,” she whispered, worry consuming her now.
Luke pointed to the lock. “It’s broken,” he stated. Standing, he pushed the door open wider and stepped out onto the deck.
“Broken?” Terri’s hand fluttered to her throat. If what he said was true, and judging by the way the lock hung from its housing, it was, then she might be in some real trouble.
Bending at the waist, Luke picked up something small and dark. Holding it in the air between them, the light from inside reflected off its surface revealing its true nature.
“What is that?” Terri asked, too afraid to get any closer.
Luke did the work for her, however, and brought the tiny metallic object over. “It looks like a knife blade,” he stated simply, as if he just stumbled across knife blades every day.
Terri gasped and took a step back. “What in the world is a knife blade doing on my deck?”
Pursing his lips, Luke regarded her as if weighing his next words carefully. “If I had to take a guess, I would say someone used it to try and break into your house tonight.”
Terri shook her head vigorously, refusing to entertain the idea that someone might have been in her home, invading her personal space. Backing further into the kitchen, she allowed her eyes to roam over the space, feeling strangely violated, though she saw no evidence of any intrusion.
Strong hands came down on her shoulders and Terri nearly jumped out of her skin. “Easy,” Luke’s calm, reassuring voice said next to her ear. “Before we get ahead of ourselves, why don’t we take a look around and see if anything has been taken first.”
Slowly, Terri nodded. “Okay. Yeah, you’re right.” But her feet refused to move. Taking hold of her hand, Luke led the way.
They started with the kitchen, but Terri knew from just a glance that nothing had been moved, so they tackled the living room next. Again, there was nothing that she could see missing. The bathroom was the same story. When Luke opened the door to the guest room and Terri stepped inside, she heard Luke chuckle.
“What?” Pivoting, she looked back at him curiously.
Schooling his features, Luke tried to play it cool. “Nothing. Go ahead.” He waved a hand through the air, but Terri wasn’t about to let her question go unanswered.
Turning to face him fully, she crossed her arms over her chest. “No, you were laughing about something. I want to know what that was.”
Luke’s brow arched in a silent question. Was she sure she wanted to hear what he had to say? Oh, yes, absolutely.
