David headed back toward the door where he’d broken into the house. There was no point in staying here any longer – he wasn’t going to find what he was looking for, not without a lot more time. He came up short, his breath catching in his throat when a wrinkle in the carpet held back one foot. His arms flailing for purchase, one hand hit the portrait on the wall beside him. He clung to the wall until his balance returned, the sound of his pounding heartbeat and the swinging of the portrait all he could hear. Something caught his attention, and his eyes widened to twice their normal size. Behind the portrait, the wall was different, dark and shiny instead of a dull beige. Carefully, David took the picture from the wall and set it on the floor, revealing a safe set into the wall.
He started
