Page 1 of Tide and Seek
Chapter One
Maxwell
It was the perfect day.Royce and I were at my new house, outside, enjoying the day.I was floating in my beloved pool, relishing the gentle lapping of water against my skin and the distant call of meadowlarks in the trees.I felt truly content, not something I was prone to.
Royce sat nearby on a lounge chair, and there was a little blond boy on his lap.While I generally had an aversion to children, the presence of the child didn’t bother me.Even Grumpy was there, lying at Royce’s feet, chewing on a stuffed toy squirrel.I was pondering how perfect the moment was when the little boy suddenly looked over at me.He opened his mouth, and a jarring ringing sound came out.
Startled awake, I opened my eyes and realized the ringing was coming from my cell on the nightstand, not the child.I wasn’t outside in the pool.I was in bed, and it was the middle of the night.Beside me, Royce stirred at the sound of the phone but didn’t fully wake.I rolled over and grabbed the cell, clearing my throat.
“Hello?”I said softly, hoping not to wake Royce.He didn’t wake, but Grumpy, who slept at the end of the bed, gave a little groan.
“This is Bright-Eyed Security.We’ve received an alarm signal from your property at 2470 Coral Reef Rd.Can you confirm if everything is all right?”
It took me a moment to recognize the address as my Malibu beach house.“Um… I don’t live at that property.It’s a vacation home.”
“I see.I’m afraid to inform you the alarm has been triggered.”The person spoke to someone off the phone and then returned.“We’re monitoring the cameras at this time, and it does appear there’s someone inside the home.”
I sat up, heart racing, and squawked, “Really?They’re inside the house?”I was no longer concerned with waking Royce.I had many valuable pieces of art and collectibles in my beach home.Purchasing art and especially antique medical devices had been the one thing I’d occasionally splurged on.
“Can I get your security code, sir, just to verify we are indeed speaking with the property owner?”
“Oh, uh…” I glanced down at the caller ID on my cell to be sure I was speaking to the actual alarm company and not being scammed.“Security code?”I frowned.I’d lost so many papers in the fire at my old clinic and had no idea if that information had been one of those things.“I don’t remember the code.But what does it matter about the code?You can see someone is inside my house.Can you please call the police and send someone over there?”
“The police have already been contacted, sir.May I ask your mother’s middle name?Perhaps we can verify your identity that way.”
I gave him my mother’s middle name and answered a few more security questions, all the while wondering what sort of damage the intruders might be causing to my beach home.I felt indignant at the idea some stranger was pawing through my personal belongings.
Royce was awake now and sitting up in bed.He flicked on the light beside the bed.He looked groggy, and his blond hair was sticking up messily.“What’s wrong?”he asked, his voice still thick with sleep.
“Someone broke into my beach house.”I sounded flustered.“They’re inside right now.”
“Really?”Royce ran a hand through his hair and then climbed out of bed.He stood there, looking like he wanted to do something to help.I’m sure that was the policeman in him.But what could he do?We were hundreds of miles away.“Are the police on the way?”
“Supposedly,” I murmured, my anxiety ramping.
The person on the phone came back on the line.“Mr.Thornton, the police have arrived on scene.The person who broke into your home was gone by the time they arrived.”
“Is there any damage?”I squeezed the phone tight, waiting for the response.
“The door was forced, but I’m afraid I have no further information at this time.”
Then what good are you?
I was very proud of myself that I didn’t say that out loud.The old me certainly would have.Instead, I politely asked, “The police are still there?”
“Yes.The police will process the scene and be in touch with you.We, of course, will cooperate fully with their investigation and hand over any security video if requested.”
“Okay,” I mumbled, feeling a bit lost as to what my next step should be.I opened my mouth to ask that very question, but the person on the phone spoke over me.
“Thank you so much for choosing Bright-Eyed Security for your personal home security needs.”A click followed their little speech.
I scowled down at my phone.“That’s it?Seriously?”
Royce moved around the bed to me.“What did they say?Did they catch the perp?”
“No.They weren’t very helpful at all.”I set my cell back on the nightstand and got out of the bed, grumbling, “Apparently the crook was gone by the time the police arrived.”
“Damn.Did they do any damage?”
