Savage Noir

Chapter 55 No alarm! Terry slowly exhaled. He realized he had been holding his breath.  Once inside the bedroom, the musty odor of mold assaulted his nostrils. Neither Francis nor he had prepared for this. He reached down for his handkerchief but it was not there.  He quickly put on his sheer plastic gloves, then rushed to the window. It was scarcely cracked open, covered from top to bottom with a thick coat of dust. And it was stuck. He pounded on it with the heel of his hand. Two quick hits.  Nothing. Three more hits. Still nothing.  Twice more. This time he heard a soft crack. It had come unstuck. The window squeaked and stopped and squeaked and stopped as he jerked the sash up as far as it would go.  He stuck out his head to inhale fresh air. His inner clock kept clicking: Five minutes to open the damn window. He could have picked three locks in that amount of time. Terry allowed himself a quick purview of the room before he started his search...

  Chapter 54 Terry took out his set of picks and worked on the spring bolt lock on the back door. Francis had told him to get in and get out as fast as he could, but rushing was anathema to “second story men.” A minute later he opened the door and stepped into a utility room. Reggie began to bark at him from somewhere upstairs.  Immediately Terry fished out a bit of dog biscuit and knelt. Reggie skidded around the corner, his tiny paws sliding on the linoleum floor. “Hey, Reggie,” he said, his voice soft. He held out the treat, but Reggie kept barking. He tossed the tidbit gently, underhanded. He knew the dog had smelled it immediately and recognized the scent. Another nice man with the same treat! But he had to keep barking.  “It’s okay, boy,” Terry whispered. A soft growl, then one last yip as Reggie snatched the treat and gobbled it up. “I’m going upstairs now,” said Terry. Still in his quiet voice, but moving very slowly. He dropped another ti...