I considered putting the screen back in place, but Eli and I would need to leave that same way, so I left it and tiptoed into the hall, hurried to the corner, and poked my head around.

Empty. Rose’s office was down that hall beside the front door. The basement door was halfway between where I stood and the office. Warning bells were still screaming in my head, despite Bobbie’s absence. I clung to her last words: Be quick.

I headed straight for Rose’s office, covering the fifteen paces on the balls of my feet as quickly and quietly as I could. Harrison’s soft voice carried to me from the porch just outside.

Rose’s office was dark, but I knew it like the back of my hand. Knew where to find the key that opened the bottom desk drawer. Knew that she likely kept the key to the basement locked in that drawer.

With trembling fingers, I pulled the top drawer open, withdrew the desk key, lowered myself to one knee, and unlocked the bottom drawer. It took some fishing around in the dark to find the key ring in a tray at the back of the drawer. Relief flooded me. But Rose could be home at any moment.

I left the drawer open and hurried to the basement door, fighting off panic. At any moment the front door could open. At any moment I could be caught.

So I ran now, on my tiptoes, thankful I was wearing shoes with soft rubber soles rather than my Chapel shoes. They padded loudly in my ears. I desperately hoped the sound didn’t carry outside.

Pulling up in front of the basement door, I shoved the key into the lock, twisted, and let out a breath when the knob turned. Open.

To buy myself some time in the event Rose returned while I was in the basement, I thought to return the key to the office and lock the basement door behind me before I descended. It would take an extra fifteen seconds, and for a moment I hesitated, thinking maybe I should just rush to grab the boy now. But I would have to return the key even after I got him—I didn’t want to leave evidence of a break-in.

At least that was my plan.

I followed it, hurrying back to the office, replacing the key where I’d found it, closing and locking the bottom drawer before setting the desk key back in its upper-drawer tray. Now all I had to do was get Eli, get out of the house, replace the screen and be gone, leaving no evidence. Hopefully, they would conclude the boy had found a way to escape by himself and run away into the mountains. They would never search for him there.