I tried my brass house key anyway.

The tip of the key wouldn’t slide into the narrow vertical slot and hit solid metal with a dull click.

I knocked three times on the frosted glass panel beside the door frame.

A shadow moved behind the curtain in the upstairs master bedroom.

The window sash squeaked twice as it slid up four inches, then rose all the way to the top.

Mark leaned his forearms on the wooden frame, wearing his gray work trousers and no shoes.