“Shhh,” Ted said. “Tell me what you want us to do, Maggie. Yeah, yeah, I have one in my backpack. Tell me again. Do we take what we find if we find something, or do we just photograph it? Yeah, yeah. No sign of Snowden’s people, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t inside. Those assholes probably dropped down the chimney, or else they’re stuck up there. Yeah, sure, we’ll leave them stuck in there if it turns out to be true. No problem. Hey, hey, we have Harry with us. Don’t worry. What’s the bonus on this?” Ted asked, hoping it would make a dent in the four earrings he was going to have to buy. “That’s not enough. This is dangerous. Higher, much higher. Come on, you can do better than that.” Whatever Maggie’s response was, Ted clamped his lips shut and opened the car door.

“I guess that means we’re going to crash this place,” Jack said, hopping out of the Rover, Harry and Espinosa right behind him. He was glad he was wearing his desert boots when he stepped into cold, slushy snow.

“I guess you know we’re going to be leaving footprints,” Espinosa fretted.

“Only if visitors can see the footprints.” Ted reached up and turned off the gas lamp. “Everybody hit one of the houses on the street and turn off the lamps. The gizmo is right there below the flame.” The guys sprinted off to do Ted’s bidding.

“If Bell and Newsom show up, their headlights will pick up on the tracks,” Espinosa mumbled, continuing to fret. “I think we should turn around and park at the house next door and walk across the backyard. The way it’s snowing now, the tracks will fill in pretty quick. It won’t hurt to pray that the people who own these houses are summer bunnies. Hop in, guys.”

“I have an idea,” Ted said. “Let’s pick the lock on the neighbor’s house, light it up from top to bottom. If, and I say if, Newsom and Bell show up, we can come up with some kind of story as to why we’re in the neighbor’s house. Assuming they knock on the door to find out why their gas lamp isn’t working. I’m sure the gas connection is somewhere around the back door. Like a gas leak or something. Since all the lamps are now out, it will hold water. I think.”