“Turn out the light,” he said. “It’s Emily “
Cora stiffened; she remained where she was. She heat on the pillow with her clenched fists.
George crossed the room and snapped off the light. Then he returned to the window and cautiously lifted the curtain.
The moon was rising above the roofs of the buildings, and part of the alley was no longer in darkness. Immediately below him he could see Emily, Max and Nick. They were standing before the front door. As he watched them he heard a bolt slam back and heard the front door open Emily said something, and then they all entered and the front door closed.
As George put on the light again, they could hear footsteps moving about in the garage below. They made no attempt to conceal their presence now. They talked. They opened and shut doors. Once Nick laughed. The noise they made was more menacing than their previous stealth. They were confident that they would be undisturbed, and that they had George and Cora in a trap.
“We’ve got to get out,” George said. “They’re up to something. We can’t stay here any longer.”
Cora sat up. She was shivering, and she chewed her knuckles until one of them bled.
George went over to the window and opened it. He leaned out. The gutter above him was out of reach; the ground below was too far away. There was no escape through the window. He turned and looked up at the ceiling.
Footsteps came up the stairs and along the passage. The door handle turned and the door was opened until it was stopped by the cupboard. There was a fumbling sound at the door that sent a cold shiver of excitement down George’s spine. He sprang across to the fireplace and snatched up a poker. Then he climbed up on the table and began to hack at the plaster of the ceiling.
“Turn it on,” Nick’s voice called.