SEVENTY-ONE

CLARE

WHEN the exterior lights went out, I should have waited until my eyes adjusted to the dark. But I didn’t know how long Detective Quinn was going to be inside that big house, so I moved immediately.

I didn’t get far.

On the walking path that circled the expansive house, my low-heeled boot caught on a loose paving stone. I sprawled face-first into a mass of decorative shrubbery.

“Son of a bunny!” I hissed (not too loudly).

I sat up spitting mulch—but again, I didn’t get far. My blond wig was tangled with a small metal sign on a three-foot post. I had to do all sorts of contortions to free it. Even in the darkness, the glow-in-the-dark letters on that sign were easy to read:

ERNEST LANDSCAPING

Now isn’t that interesting. Making a mental note of my discovery, I was on my feet again, this time proceeding with a little more caution.

Though most of the ground-floor windows were curtained or shuttered, I did find one that was partially open. This window looked into a vast stainless steel catering-type kitchen. The area was bathed in subdued lighting, with no signs of activity, and I could have easily climbed through the window, but Quinn had warned me not to mess with the windows or doors, so I moved on.

Circling a hot tub large enough for eight, I negotiated a gauntlet of lawn furniture and passed a massive stone barbecue on the vast patio.

In the back of the house, the woods that surrounded Sandcastle ran nearly up to the walls. The stone path ended, and I probably would have turned back, but I noticed a lot of light reflecting off the trees. Steeling myself, I pushed through the branches and stepped between bushes until I discovered a wall of windows.

On the other side of the glass, I spied a large virgin white living room with a fireplace and wet bar. The room seemed showy and sterile. With no art on the walls or sculptures dotting the room, there was almost nothing to give the space personality.

The only adornment in that bleached wasteland was a line of five decorative panels along one wall, each featuring the likenesses of the five Parkview Palace gargoyles.

I was about to turn back when I heard a branch snap behind me. Alarmed, I whirled to find two eyes staring at me through an ebony mask!