She said for a week.” His words came faster, the way they do.

“She said there’s no phone up there so don’t worry.

But the phone still works, so I called.”

I asked the next question slowly.

“Is anybody in the house with you?

A sitter?

Anyone at all?”

“Nobody.”

That single word went straight through the floor of everything I believed I knew about that woman.

I was on my feet, jeans, keys, shoes in hand.

“Is the front door locked?”

“It’s open a little.

It gets stuck.”

“Leave it like that.