Crash! Sarah bolted upright, her heart instantly hammering violently against her ribs. That definitely wasn’t the wind. Something heavy had just fallen in the kitchen, shattering the domestic silence. Her eyes darted toward the open kitchen doorway. Just as her gaze landed on the threshold, a dark shape blurred across the edge of her vision. It looked exactly as though someone had just peeked their head out, spotted her, and quickly ducked backward into the darkness of the kitchen island to avoid being seen.
Panic, cold and sharp, seized her throat. Someone was in the house with her. Her mind began to race in wild, disorganized directions. Did she lock the back door after letting the dog out earlier? She ducked low behind the arm of the sofa, her eyes scanning the room until they landed on the far wall. From her low vantage point, she could just see it: the kitchen window was pushed open wide.
Had someone climbed inside while she was engrossed in the TV? The thought made her blood run cold.