That Man of Mine (Whispering Bay Romance 3)
Page 44
Mimi turned on the outdoor flood lights and peered through the kitchen window above the sink, but all she could see was a dark empty backyard. Of course, someone could be lurking in the corners, where the shadows would essentially hide them. That’s where she would be if s
he was lurking in someone’s backyard. Not that she’d be lurking in—
Thump! Thump!
This time, she could have sworn she felt the walls on the house vibrate. Was someone trying to get in through the garage?
Thump! Thump!
Mimi swallowed hard. She could go outside and investigate, but it’s what every dumb blonde did in every dumb slasher movie she’d ever seen. And Mimi was no dumb blonde. But she was as terrified as one. She could call 911, but as a cop’s wife, she hated to activate the emergency system if all this turned out to be nothing.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Her hands began to shake.
Okay. That was not nothing. And this time she could identify the direction of the noise. It was coming from the right side of the house where her bedroom was located. She grabbed a flashlight (it could also double as a weapon if needed) from the kitchen drawer and crept back to her room.
Thump! Thump!
Yes, it was definitely coming from this part of the house.
She tried to calm her shaking hand and gripped the flashlight. She needed to formulate a plan. Okay. So she would calmly (very calmly) push back the blinds on her bedroom window and see if she could see anything. Her cell phone. She’d forgotten about that. She’d need it in case she did see something.
She got down on her hands and knees, scampered toward her bedside table and grabbed her phone. Using the edge of the flashlight, she pushed aside the blinds and popped her head up to look out the window but it was too dark to see clearly. Should she point the flashlight toward the darkness? Or should she—
Thump! Thump!
She immediately hit the bedroom floor.
Oh God. Whatever was out there was close enough that she could practically feel it through the wall.
Her fingers were going numb but she managed to dial the number to the police department. Ellie, the night time dispatcher answered.
“Whispering Bay Police Department, what’s your after-hours emergency?”
“Ellie, this is Mimi Grant—”
“Oh, hi! How’s it going? Say, I’m sure you’ve already heard this a thousand times before, but I’m really sorry about the separation. And just because your husband is my boss, doesn’t mean I’m on Team Zeke.”
“Good to know, Ellie. The reason I’m calling is—”
“I hope you realize we’re all rooting for you guys to get back together. As a matter of fact—”
“Ellie! Someone’s trying to break into my house!”
“Holy Moly! Why didn’t you say so in the first place?” Mimi heard a clicking noise on the line and then another click. “Home invasion in progress!” Mimi heard her yell. After a few more seconds, Ellie was back on the line. “Don’t worry, Mimi, help is on the way. Is the chief aware of what’s going on?”
“No, and…there’s no need to wake him up. A patrol car will be more than sufficient.”
“I don’t know. If the chief finds out there’s a crime going on at his house and I didn’t call him he’ll have my head on a platter.”
Thump! Thump!
“What’s that noise?” Ellie demanded.
“That’s the reason I’m calling. It’s like someone’s taken a battering ram to the side of my house!” Mimi crawled out of the bedroom then shot up and ran back into the kitchen. She had to get as far away from that noise as possible.
“The entire department will be out there in the next few minutes. Be brave! You do know CPR, right?”