Page 105 of Finding Amanda

"Sophie's the older one. She has dark brown hair. Madi's the blonde. She has asthma, so if she has any trouble breathing, call me right away." He grabbed the inhaler from the cupboard and set it on his countertop. "Give her this. She knows how to do it. If it doesn't help?—"

"I had a roommate with asthma. I know how it works."

"Okay. Thanks."

Annalise laid the pillow on the couch and pulled the blanket over her. "Go ahead. I'll be here."

"Thank you. I owe you one."

"Forget it. Go."

He ran out the door, took the steps two at a time, and bolted to his truck. Leaving his daughters with Annalise felt about as natural as sending Amanda out of town alone this weekend.

He rolled into the driveway and parked behind the two police cars, whose red and blue lights were casting reflections off the windows of his empty home. Four officers climbed from the two cars when he parked. "Mark Johnson?"

"Yeah."

"Officer Baker. Unlock the door, and we'll go in and make sure there's nobody in there. Then you can see if anything's missing."

He unlocked the front door and stood aside to let the officer in. He could have joined them, figuring his Marine training would be as good as or better than their police training. What would have been the point? He wasn't a cop. He wasn't a Marine. He was a glorified handyman. He leaned against the doorjamb and waited for them to come back.

A few minutes later, Baker stepped onto the porch. "A window's broken in the back of the house. Guy prob'ly took off as soon as the alarm went off. Take a look, tell us if anything's missing."

Mark stepped inside and looked around. "Bathroom or office?" he asked.

"Office. There's a bookshelf tipped over under the window. Prob'ly the guy changed his mind and bolted, knocked the thing over climbing in. I bet it was a couple of kids, knew you guys were gone."

The cop seemed certain this was nothing serious.

Mark checked the upstairs first. Indeed, everything looked normal, nothing out of place. The living room, kitchen, and downstairs bath also looked untouched. He entered the office and stopped in the doorway. Baker almost rammed into him from behind, but Mark ignored him. He stared at the room. The bookshelf beneath the window was tipped over, and the books that had been lined neatly along the three shelves were now scattered on the carpeted floor. The bookshelf itself had landed at an angle against Amanda's desk. Glass glittered across the carpet like confetti.

The desk, neatly arranged with her notebook, a pen, and a house phone, looked too empty. The computer was missing. She would have it with her. She never went anywhere without her laptop. Nothing else looked out of place. He dialed her cell.

The phone rang three times before she answered it, her voice hoarse but alarmed. "Mark? What's wrong? Is it Madi?"

"Madi's fine," he said gently. "The house was broken into."

She cleared her throat. "What?"

"The police called. The alarm was going off."

"Are you there now?"

"Yes. Somebody broke the window in the office and knocked over your bookshelf, but . . . Do you have your laptop with you?"

"Yeah. Of course."

Mark looked around. "I don't know this room very well. It seems fine." He studied the desk again, the bookshelves behind it. Nothing looked touched. Nothing was overturned. The furniture seemed to be in the right place. "Well, if you have your computer, then I guess . . . The police officer thinks somebody broke the window to unlock the sash but when it lifted, it set the alarm off. Whether he came in and then bolted back out or just . . ."

Mark scanned the room and spotted a piece of glass behind Amanda's desk, at least three feet from the rest of the broken window. He knelt beside it, and from his position near the floor, looked toward the window. With the desk in the way, the glass couldn't have fallen here. "The intruder came in," he said. "He tracked a piece of glass on his shoe and dropped it behind your desk."

"Okay. So . . . ?"

"I don't know. The house looks fine. Is there anything in particular you want me to check? I mean, I checked your jewelry chest. It's there, untouched. The TVs and electronics are where they should be. I guess this cop's right. Whoever broke in was spooked by the alarm and took off."

He heard her sigh. "Okay. Thanks. Should I come home, or?—?"

"No. I'll take care of this."

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