Page 49 of Tide and Seek
“Makes sense,” I said.“It’s a small and quiet community.”
“Usually,” Max muttered.
As darkness settled around the homes, the screen showed the same entrance.The community remained serene, with only the occasional security light casting pools of illumination across the empty road.Then, at 1:34 a.m.according to the timestamp, a figure appeared at the edge of the frame.
“There he is,” Jones said.
“Can you enhance that?”I asked, squinting at the monitor.
Jones clicked a few keys, zooming in on the figure.The person was slightly above average height and build, wearing dark clothing and what looked like a ski mask.The image quality wasn’t perfect, but it was clear enough to see that whoever this was had deliberately concealed their identity.
“He’s obviously up to no good.He’s not using the main entrance,” Maxwell observed, his voice tight with tension.
“Yep,” Jones agreed.“He was clearly trying to skirt around the security cameras.Didn’t work, but they tried.”
The figure moved along the perimeter of the camera’s range, staying in the shadows but clearly heading toward the beach houses.
“Would you say that could be Luke?”I asked Max quietly.
Max leaned closer to the screen, studying the figure’s movements.“I’m not sure.Luke looked really skinny when we saw him the other day.This guy’s not huge, but he’s stocky.”
“I agree.This person has a bigger frame.”
“Could it be one of the other residents at the colony?”Jones asked.
Max hesitated.“Not sure.Obviously the mask makes it harder to tell, but they don’t seem familiar.James was out of town, Luke’s build is more lanky and tall, and there’s no way that’s C.J.The physique is too masculine.”
“I agree,” I murmured.
“Keep watching,” Jones said, advancing the footage slowly.“Maybe something will strike you.Sometimes the way a person walks or swings their arms can be recognizable.”
“Okay,” Max agreed.
Jones reran the tape a few times, showing different camera views, but Max didn’t seem to see anything that sparked recognition.
“Will we get a chance to see inside my house too?”Max asked hesitantly.
“Absolutely.”Detective Jones nodded.“We’ll switch over to the inside cameras from your security company in just a second.I wanted to give you the opportunity of seeing the person from all angles.Cameras can distort things.”
“Appreciate that,” I said.
Max sighed.“While I’m glad of this opportunity, I have to admit it’s unsettling watching them creeping around outside my house.”
“Yeah.”Detective Jones snickered.“They look kind of like a rat scurrying around, looking for a way inside.”
I peered closer at the screen.“He didn’t seem to give the other homes much attention.He headed straight for Max’s place.”
“Yep.Sure did.”Detective Jones nodded.“Whoever they are, they knew what house they wanted to hit.”
The figure disappeared from view for several minutes, presumably at the front door, breaking into Max’s house.Jones pushed a few buttons and suddenly we had a view of the inside of Max’s beach home.
The room on the monitor was mostly dark, with silver moonlight spilling through the floor-to-ceiling windows and across the hardwood floors.Furniture appeared only as silhouettes: the sharp edge of the dining table, the ghostly outline of the sofa, the upright shadow of a lamp.Beyond the glass, the restless shimmer of the Pacific made a dim, shifting backdrop against the stillness of the interior.
The door eased open, and a figure appeared in silhouette against the dark.They turned and confidently punched a code into the alarm pad beside the door.Without hesitation, they strode inside as if they owned the place.But ten seconds later, when white strobe lights began to flash, the figure froze.Each burst of light caught them mid-motion, turning their panic into a jerky stop-motion reel.
“Cocky bastard thought he knew the code.”Jones chuckled.“Apparently not.”
We watched as the figure burst forward a few steps, head snapping side to side in a frantic scan of the room.Their movements grew jerky and uncoordinated, as if they couldn’t decide where to go.They started toward the hallway that would lead upstairs, only to spin back, then stagger toward the front door.Finally, they bolted outside, stumbling in their haste as though demons were on their tail.
