Page 60 of In the Line of Ire

"I'mgoing to walk the perimeter," said Solomon. "I don't want tooverlook anything. Is there something you need to do?"

"I'mgoing to collect some more clothing and the rest of the things onthe list Natalie emailed me," I said as I pulled out my cellphoneand scrolled to my email app. Natalie wrote out a concise list ofeverything she and the girls needed for next week.

"I'llclose the door behind me and ring the doorbell," said Solomon. Hestooped to peck a kiss on my lips, then packed up his gear and leftthe bag by the door. As he ducked out, the door closed with a softclick, leaving me alone.

Ishivered despite the sun streaming through the window. It didn'tmatter how lovely Natalie made her home; the very thought thatsomeone was strolling in uninvited and whenever they felt like it,gave me the chills. The sooner I found out who the perp was, thesooner Natalie, Emily and Lucy could get on with their lives. Untilthen, all I could do was pack up the things sherequested.

I founda large bag in the hall closet like she said and I grabbed that andmade my way upstairs. First, I went into Natalie's room and packedquickly, finding all the items exactly where she said they wouldbe. All the time, I kept wondering if someone other than Solomonwould walk in. Shaking off the unpleasant sensation, I went intothe girls' room and gathered up their requested itemstoo.

Back on the landing, I dropped the bag on the floor and rolledmy neck, pausing when I saw two small, rectangular indentations onthe carpet. I glanced around for anything that might have causedthem but there wasn't any furniture to move. Looking up, I saw asquare hatch in the ceiling with a small metal ring protruding fromit.Why didn't I notice the entrance tothe attic before?I couldn't recall Nataliementioning it and we never entered it in my initial walk-through ofthe house.

Lookingaround, I saw a long, wooden pole with a hook on one end that washanging on the wall, almost concealed by a long mirror. I unsecuredit and stretched up on my tiptoes to slot the hook through themetal ring before I tugged. The wooden square flopped down and ametal ladder that was attached to it slipped down halfway. Grabbingit, I pulled the ladder to its full length, and it neatly perchedon the floor, fitting right into the same indentations that Ispotted on the carpet.

The onlylight I had was the flashlight app on my cellphone so I activatedit and shone the light upwards into the dark space. I had to takeone quick look if only to satisfy my curiosity before folding theladder back up and relocking the hatch in place.

Testingthe first rung on the ladder, I decided it was safe enough to climbeven though some of the other rungs showed signs of rust. Grabbingboth sides, I climbed the ladder, carefully securing my feet witheach step. When I reached the attic opening, I grabbed the edgewith one hand and prepared to hold up my camera as I took my firstlook inside. But before I could do that, two hands suddenly clampedunder my arms and unceremoniously yanked me away, screaming andfighting, into the darkness.

Chapter Fourteen

My legsthrashed helplessly in the air, and I was powerless. All I could dowas wriggle with fear as the strong hands gripped me securely.Floundering with rage, I kept trying to get away from the brutethat grabbed me. Then I was bodily dropped with a thump onto thefloorboards of the attic and released.

For amoment, I remained frozen, breathing hard and blinking repeatedlyin the dark. A large shape moved in front of me. By reflex, Iraised my fists and prepared to deliver a blow to whatever bodypart I could manage to connect with. But before I could do that, alight flicked on, hitting me squarely in the eyes.

"Lexi,it's me!"

"Solomon?"

"Whoelse?"

"I don'tknow! A monster?" I shouted and blinked harder as I batted away thebright light. "Maybe a stalker? You know, or a creep that loves toroll around in other people's beds!"

"Iunderstand the last bit but... a monster?"

Ishielded my eyes from the narrow light beam. "We all know whathappens to women who venture into attics by themselves," I said."They get eaten by monsters! I am never going into another atticagain. I almost died from fright!"

"I wasjust trying to be helpful. I saw you clambering through and youlooked a little shaky." The beam dropped and a moment later, softlight flooded the attic. "Found the switch," saidSolomon.

"How thehell did you get in here anyway?" I asked as I looked around. Theattic was partially boarded and a few dusty cardboard boxessurrounded the hatch. But in the middle, just beyond where Solomoncrouched opposite me, was a large beanbag, and a blanket foldedinto a neat square, as well as a grocery bag. The strange setuppiqued my curiosity and I walked in a half-crouch over to it.Inside the grocery bag were a couple of small bottles of water,some unopened bags of chips and a few candy bars. Frowning, I movedover to the beanbag. Under the blanket was a flashlight and apaperback thriller.

"I thinkI stumbled over that when I passed it," said Solomon. "What isit?"

"Waterand snacks. A flashlight and a novel. Was someone killing timewhile hiding up here?" I asked.

Solomonpoked inside the grocery bag. "No receipts but this stuff looksnew. Or, fairly recent at the least."

"Someonewas living up here?"

"Notliving necessarily but definitely visiting. You might be rightabout killing time."

Igulped. "I found a receipt for beverages and snacks in Natalie’sbedroom. It was dated recently but she said it wasn’t hers. Whoeverwas going into the house must have been waiting up here and thendropping down through the attic. That's how he knows when they'regone and manages to leave so quickly. He never really leaves atall!"

"I'llshow you how I got in," said Solomon as he edged past me. Ifollowed him to the far end of the attic. He reached out and pusheda boarded-up window that swung open. "The catch was fixed so itcan't lock but it jams just far enough to keep it closed. It's abig enough opening for me to slip through so I assume anyone elsecould too."

I leanedout the window and looked down, noticing the dense ivy and behindthat, some wooden slats. I completely missed the window whenNatalie walked me around outside. No other windows overlooked thisside of the house and the hedge partially obscured the neighboringproperty. It was highly unlikely anyone could be seen in the fewseconds it took to climb up. "Is that a ladder?" Iasked.

"Atrellis. A pretty strong one too. It's almost hidden by theovergrown ivy so the family living here might never have noticedit. When I spotted this window, I took a chance and climbed up toit; then I went in. I was just starting to look around when I heardthe hatch opening."

I leanedin again and turned around, resting my back against the wall. "Thisis very creepy."

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