Page 39 of Fight or Flight
Katherine looked at the time on her phone. Half past nine. Not too late, though she had no clue if Doc’s friend went to bed early. “Okay, but hurry. Tyler is here with me now.”
“Good. You can trust him, K, with your life. Now I’ll get back to you as soon as I can,” Doc Baker said. “Remember, stay put. Keep your alarm on.”
She hung up, unsure of her next move.
“You said you have cameras? Can you access them on your phone?” Tyler asked.
Katherine’s hands shook as she typed in the web address on her phone, then logged into her account. “These aren’t super clear. They’re small, but all the cameras are here.” She held her phone out so they could view the images. As they were time-stamped, she forwarded to the images from the early afternoon and to the camera that focused on the French doors and the deck. There were seven surveillance cameras outside, each directed at the entrances. The most obvious entry point for an intruder were the doors she always left open for the dogs. Nothing looked unusual until 4:45.
“Look at that,” Tyler said. “Do you recognize this person?”
Katherine took the phone from him, replaying the image. A person—she couldn’t tell if they were male or female—ran through the open French doors. They wore a camouflage jacket with a hoodie and dark denim jeans. She replayed the video again, then hit stop and could see dark boots. The intruder’s head was lowered. Based on how they’d disguised themselves, the person must have known she had security cameras, even though they weren’t visible unless one knew where to look.
“Forward that time to half an hour ago,” Tyler said.
Katherine used the slide bar on her cell phone touch screen, stopping at nine o’clock. That would’ve been about when they’d heard the glass shatter and the footsteps running across the deck. She let the video play for a few minutes, and then an image of the intruder appeared, a flash of black racing across the deck.
“At least I know they’re not inside now. I hope,” she said, her voice a bit high-pitched as she tried to steer her thoughts away from what she’d seen. This was the most horrific scare she’d had in a very long time. In all her years of living alone on the mountain, she had never been frightened like this inside of her own home, other than her panic attacks, which were internal. Now, even with all her security cameras, her home violated by this . . .person. She wouldn’t feel comfortable until they were caught. Without calling the police, she knew the chances of the intruder being arrested were slim, unless Doc’s CIA friend could help.
“Let’s go downstairs, if you’re ready,” Tyler suggested. “Your prowler must be gone by now.”
“Wait. From what I remember, once you turn off Red Oak Road, it’s what . . . a mile or so leading up to the house? I need to warn Doc. He could still be out there.”
“It is about a mile, I guess,” Tyler agreed.
She speed-dialed Doc again. “Listen, whoever was in my house has left. They’re on foot and could be hiding. Be careful. Watch out for a tall person wearing a camouflage jacket with a hoodie and a backpack.”
“Damn it, K! You need the police. I’m getting ready to turn off Red Oak Road now. I’m bringing Ilene with me. If she tells you to call the cops, you better do what she says.” Doc ended the call. Katherine knew he was angry with her for not doing what any normal person would do in the same situation.
“Doc will be here in a few minutes,” Katherine said. “Come on. I’ll make a fresh pot of coffee.” Making coffee was the last thing she wanted to do. Now, more than ever, she needed to check her Friendlink page. Surely the break-in wasn’t connected to Karrie? But she needed to verify it for herself. Together, Katherine and Tyler made their way, silently and extremely carefully, out of the bathroom. They left the dogs inside to prevent them from racing around. They then crept out of the bedroom and down the stairs. They paused every few feet to listen and observe, but there were no sounds or signs or any other activity in the house.
Finally, they made their way back into the kitchen. After a thorough inspection that didn’t turn up anything new, Tyler went upstairs to release the dogs. Katherine waited for the familiar physical sensations that indicated an oncoming attack. Other than a rapid heartbeat and a bit of sweat under her arms, she seemed to be dealing with this. She rinsed out the coffee pot and refilled it from the tap. She dumped the grounds from earlier into the sink, added fresh coffee, then hit brew. She found the mindless task she performed daily comforting, and it helped steady her still-trembling hands. Turning to face Tyler as he reentered the room with the dogs close behind, she said, “I need a minute. Be right back.”
“Of course,” Tyler said.
Sam and Sophie at her heels, Katherine slipped inside the small powder room under the stairs. “Come on, you two. Now sit,” she commanded. The dogs obeyed. Sitting on the edge of the toilet seat, she took her cell phone from her pocket and logged onto her Friendlink page.
Bigfan216: Hey!
HotandCool: WTF girl! Where you been?
Bigfan216: Just busy.
They were the only two on the page at the moment.
Bigfan216: Any newbies? No one here!
HotandCool: Nope. Same peeps.
This was getting nowhere fast, and she didn’t have much time. She wanted to ask about Karrie without coming off as a weirdo.
Bigfan216: Karrie been online?
HotandCool: Nope. Just me and you.
Bigfan216: She was supposed to call. Kinda worried...
HotandCool: So call her yourself!
