I went to the door, opened it wide and was about to enter the room when I heard steps in the outer office.

I ran to the window and looked out. There was a car parked just behind mine. I couldn’t see it too clearly but it was a big shiny car.

I pushed aside the curtains on the open window, eased myself over the sill and dropped to the ground. I started walking toward my car, then thought better of it and sprinted.

I jumped in the car, started the motor and eased into motion as noiselessly as possible.

Someone yelled.

I could see a man’s frame silhouetted against the light in the room, standing in the open window from which I had made my departure.

“Hey, you!” he yelled. “Come back here! Stop where you are!”

I stepped on the throttle.

I had a blurred glimpse of the man climbing through the window and running across the lawn toward his car. Then I skidded into a turn at the end of the driveway, hit the paved road and pushed down the foot throttle.

I had gone about half a mile before I picked up the headlights in my rearview mirror.

I gave the car everything it had…