She had definitely heard something, and it was definitely inside the house. Just before she dialed the last digit of Alice’s number, she saw a dark silhouette in the doorway to the kitchen.
It was a little four-footed silhouette with a ball of yarn in its mouth.
“Boots,” she breathed, and she went over to pick up the cat. “You scared me to death. And that is not for you to play with.”
She put the phone down on the kitchen table and carefully disengaged the yarn from the cat’s mouth. Then she walked back into the living room and found that her crochet hook was underneath the coffee table. Well, that would account for the clattering noise she had heard.
“You, missy, had better learn to leave my stuff alone.” She held up the hook for the cat to see. “This isn’t a toy, and I don’t need you to make me nervous.”
Undaunted, Boots batted at it until Annie pulled it away from her.
“You are obviously not listening, so we’re going to bed.”
Holding Boots in one arm, she put the yarn and the hook into her crochet bag and closed it up, protecting it from curious little paws.
“OK, baby cat, nighty-night.”
She turned out the lights in the living room and froze once more. She was sure she had seen something move outside the window. Was it just the bushes? Again she stood in the darkness, unmoving. Boots squirmed against her shoulder, but Annie wasn’t quite ready to let her down. She wasn’t quite ready to feel totally alone.
As swiftly as possible, she went back into the kitchen and picked up the phone she had left there. Once more, she dialed Alice’s number and then hung up before it could ring.
No, she didn’t know that someone was out there. The doors were locked. She hadn’t actually seen anyone.
She trembled a little where she stood. Had those notes spooked her enough to make her imagine things that weren’t there? Enough to make her feel unsafe in her own home?
But if someone was out there …
She went back through the darkened hallway and into the living room. Still holding Boots, she rummaged through her purse until she found the business card she had slipped into her makeup bag. Reading the number by the light from the hall, she dialed the phone. It rang only once.
“Hello?”
“Roy?”
“Well, Annie, what a surprise.”
“I hope I’m not disturbing you, Roy. I know it’s late and everything, but I think there may be somebody in my yard, snooping around outside.”
“Did you see anybody?”
“No. A little movement out there maybe, but I couldn’t be sure it was actually a prowler. I didn’t want to make an official call to the police if I wasn’t sure.”
“No, you don’t want to do that. But if it would make you feel better, I’d be glad to come take a look around and makesure everything is secure. Maybe have a cup of coffee?”
As much as she didn’t want to encourage him, she couldn’t help the rush of gratitude at his offer. “Absolutely.”
He showed up just a few minutes later. Annie didn’t let Boots down until she went to open the door for him.
“Thanks for coming, Roy. I’m sorry to get you over here in the middle of the night.”
“Not a problem. I was still up.” He looked her over, obviously noting that she wasn’t dressed for bed. “Looks like both of us are night owls.”
“I guess I fell asleep in the chair. Boots woke me up growling at something.”
“Does she usually do that?”
“No. Not unless there’s something wrong. I never saw anything, though.”
“You just get that coffee ready. I’ll have a look around outside and be right back.”
He was as good as his word. By the time the coffee brewed, he was sitting at the kitchen table eating goldfish crackers. She had offered him a choice of several things she had on hand, but he had specifically requested those. Little John and Joanna would find him a kindred spirit.
“I never saw a thing.” He tossed a goldfish into the air and caught it in his mouth, making sure she had seen and properly appreciated his feat.
She acknowledged it with a distracted smile. “No footprints?”
“Only mine, I’m afraid. It could have been the wind. In all likelihood, it was just that, but I’m glad you called me. I’d rather be wrong on the side of caution than take the chance of you being over here alone if there was a problem.”
“That’s sweet of you, Roy. But I’m fine now. I’ve been pretty jittery ever since I started getting those notes, and now I don’t know if I’m seeing things.”
“Then again, something made your cat growl. They can be pretty inscrutable little things, I know, but they’re pretty smart too. Sometimes they know things we don’t.”