Flash

quick, jerky nod to indicate that she understood.
    Together they eased back down the hall. The dark, jagged outline of the staircase loomed to the right.
    Olivia caught the shadowy movement midway up the steps out of the corner of her eye. The light from the stairwell window revealed a figure hovering there. He held a large, heavy-looking object in his upraised hands.
    "Jasper."
    He was already in motion, shoving her hard to the side. She fetched up against the wall with enough force to make her gasp.
    She watched helplessly as Jasper launched himself at the figure on the stairs. The two collided with a heavy, dull thud halfway up the steps.
    There was a solid crunch as the object in the prowler's hands flew over the side of the banister and struck the floor.
    Olivia scrambled out of the way as Jasper and the prowler tumbled down the steps. She caught a glimpse of a face with distorted, deformed features. Muttered grunts were followed by a muffled gasp.
    Frantically she looked around, searching for something, anything that could be used as a weapon. The large object the prowler had attempted to smash into Jasper's head lay on the floor.
    She seized it in both hands and discovered that she was holding a heavy brass planter. She hefted it and then realized to her horror that it was not going to be a simple matter to get a clear shot at the prowler.
    Jasper and his opponent shifted positions in the blink of an eye, rolling together across the floor and into the living room. Olivia followed, planter held on high.
    It was obvious that Jasper's opponent was bent only on escape. He heaved himself upward, struggling to free himself. Jasper made a wild grab for the back of the man's jacket. The prowler wrenched first one arm and then the other free of the garment and lurched toward the kitchen.
    Footsteps pounded on the vinyl floor.
    Jasper rolled to his feet, the windbreaker still clutched in his hand. He flung it aside and started toward the kitchen at a dead run. The light from the street gleamed briefly on his face. Olivia saw the mask of intent ferocity etched there.
    She ran after him. "Jasper, forget it. You'll never catch him now."
    She collided with him on the back step, where he had come to an abrupt halt. There was a jolting thud. Jasper staggered and nearly went down.
    "What the hell?" He caught his balance and put a hand to his ribs. He turned to peer at the heavy brass planter she clutched. "I hope the plan was to use that thing on the other guy."
    "Of course it was. But you kept getting in the way." Chagrined, Olivia took two steps back into the kitchen and put the planter down on the nearest counter. "Are you all right?"
    "Yeah. I think so."
    She saw him touch the corner of his mouth with an absentminded gesture as he surveyed the darkened backyard. She was about to pin him down on the subject of personal injury when she heard the first bark.
    It was followed by several more in quick succession. She had a sudden vision of the prowler arousing every golden retriever and shih tzu in the neighborhood as he escaped through a series of backyards.
    "We'd better get out of here," she said.
    "Hang on." He went past her up the steps and into the kitchen.
    "Hurry," she whispered when she saw him disappear into the living room.
    She cringed when she heard him go swiftly up the stairs. She knew he was checking the rooms above.
    After what seemed forever but was probably no more than a couple of minutes, he returned. He had the prowler's windbreaker in his hand. He used it to wipe off the planter. She realized he was removing her fingerprints.
    "Let's go," he said when he finished.
    He followed her back out onto the step and closed the kitchen door quietly. They went cautiously around to the front of the house. Olivia was relieved to see that no lights had appeared in any of the windows in the neighboring houses. The dog had stopped barking.
    When they reached the sidewalk, she had to fight the impulse to break into a run. She made herself match Jasper's sedate but purposeful pace. They clung to the shadows of the trees that lined the street.
    She did not draw a deep breath until they rounded the corner and saw her car sitting right where they had left it earlier.
    She did not see the blood on Jasper's mouth until she slid into the passenger seat.
    "You're hurt." She was suddenly incensed. "You told me you were okay."
    "Take it easy." Jasper closed the door, cutting off the light and her view of the blood. "I just sliced