23
I narrowly avoided stepping on Ralph’s heels as we crossed the threshold.
“Anita?” Ralph called out. “Anita Hanlon?”
The house had an odd, claustrophobic layout, like a cheap condo, with tiny rooms stacked in sequence by the entrance. We ignored them as there was a crash! and the sound of more glass breaking from the space beyond. Ralph, still leading the way, rushed forward, then stopped so suddenly when he entered the open living room that I walked into him.
The sliding glass doors that led to an outdoor patio were now nothing more than shards. I caught a glimpse of a man as he ran from the patio to the right and out of sight. I shouldered Ralph out of the way, instinctively wanting to give chase, and then I stopped, just as suddenly as Ralph had.
Those same sliding glass doors m
