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"I was thinking the sa," Teel said "You want to look any farther?"

"Not just the two of us, by God Let’s radio for assistance"

They began to retrace their steps, warily keeping a watch on all sides as they o far before they heard the noises A crash A clatter of

Ken had no doubt whatsoever where the sounds cainated inside the closest of the three houses that were nearing completion and that would serve as sales ht and no clue as to where to begin looking for one, they would have been justified in returning to the patrol car and calling for assistance But now that they’d heard the disturbance in theand instinct required them to act more boldly They moved toward the back of the house

A plyboard skin had been nailed over the studs, so the walls were not open to the elements, and chicken wire had been fixed to the tar-papered boards, and half the place was stuccoed In fact, the stucco looked damp, as if the job had been started only today Most of the ere installed; only a few cutouts were still covered with tattered sheets of opaque plastic

Another crash, louder than the first, was followed by the sound of lass door that connected the rear yard and the family room It was not locked

Frolass Although soht still entered the house by way of undraped doors and s, shadows ruled the interior They could see that the fah the half-open door with his flashlight in one hand and his So around front," Tee! whispered, "so the bastard doesn’t get out that way"

Bending down to stay belo level, Ken hurried around the corner, along the side of the house, around to the front, and every step of the way he half-expected soh one of the unfinished s

The interior had been Sheetrocked, the ceilings textured The fa the kitchen, all of it one large flowing space without partitions Oak cabinets had been installed in the kitchen, but the tile floor had not yet been put down

The air had the li scent of wood stain

Standing in the breakfast area, Tee! listened for

If this was likeroo room, the entrance foyer, and a den If he went into the hallway that led out of the breakfast area, he would probably find a laundry room, the downstairs bath, a coat closet, then the foyer He could see no advantage of one route over another, so he went into the hall and checked the laundry first

The dark roo half-open, and the flashlight showed only yellow cabinets and the spaces where the washer and dryer would be placed However, Teel wanted to look at the section behind the door, where he figured there was a sink and work area He pushed the door all the way open and went in fast, swinging the flashlight and the gun in that direction He found the stainless-steel sink and built-in table that he expected, but no killer

He was e that he had been in years He could not keep the Ih his ht Face it, you’re scared shitless

Out front, Ken jumped across a narrow ditch and headed for the house’s double entrance doors, which were still closed He surveyed the surrounding area and saw no one trying to escape As twilight descended, Bordeaux Ridge looked less like a tract under develophborhood Shadows and dust created the illusion of rubble

In the laundry roo to step into the hail, and on his right, in the group of yellow cabinets, the two-foot-wide, six-foot-high door of a broo came at him as if it were a jack-in-the-box, Jesus, for a split second he was sure it ht mask He could not see clearly in the backsplash of the flashlight, which was pointed away from the attacker, but then he kneas real because those eyes, like circles of slass, no way

He fired the revolver, but it was ai plowed harmlessly into the wall out there, so he tried to turn, but the thing was all over hiain, into the floor this ti in that enclosed space- then he was driven backward against the sink, and the gun was torn out of his hand He also lost the flashlight, which spun off into the corner He threw a punch, but before his fist was halfway though its arc, he felt a terrible pain in his belly, as if several stilettos had been thrust into hi to hiloom the misshapen face of the jack-in-the-box looain, flailed, and h the soft tissue of his throat- Ken Dimes was four steps from the front doors when he heard Tee! scream

A cry of surprise, fear, pain

"Shit"

They were double doors, stained oak The one on the right was secured to the sill and header by sliding bolts, while the one on the left was the active door-and unlocked Ken rushed inside, caution briefly forgotten, then halted in the gloo had stopped

He switched on his flashlight Eht E up to the second floor No one anywhere in sight

Silence Perfect silence As in a vacuum

For a moment Ken hesitated to call out to Teel, for fear he would be revealing his position to the killer Then he realized that the flashlight, without which he could not proceed, was enough to give him away; it did not h the vacant rooms

"Teel, where are you?"

No reply

Teel must be dead Jesus He would respond if he was alive

Or heIn that case, perhaps it would be best to go back to the patrol car and call for an ambulance

No No, if his partner was in desperate shape, Ken had to find hiht die in the tireat a risk

Besides, the killer had to be dealt with

Only the vaguest sht penetrated the , for the day was being sed by the night Ken had to rely entirely on the flashlight, which was not ideal because, each ti illusory assailants Those false attackersthe front door wide open, he crept along the narrow hall that led to the back of the house He stayed close to the wall The sole of one of his shoes squeaked with nearly every step he took He held the gun out in front of hi, because for the ive a daht, a door stood open A closet Ereater than the lime and wood-stain odors of the house

He caht revealed nothing out of the ordinary, though his own frightened face, reflected in the mirror, startled him

The rear of the house-family room, breakfast area, kitchen-was directly ahead, and on his left was another door, standing open In the beaan to quiver violently in his hand, Ken saw Teel’s body on the floor of a laundry room, and so much blood that there could be no doubt he was dead

Beneath the waves of fear that washed across the surface of his e, hatred, and a fierce desire for vengeance