Shame

apparently familiar with the sensor’s range and proceeded beyond it, taking up their spots near the barbecue. Only ten feet separated them from Caleb, but they didn’t notice him. After a minute the motion detector’s light kicked off, and he started breathing again.
    He wasn’t the only one who welcomed the darkness. The two women seemed to relax, their whispers becoming more conversational. The purpose of their stealth became clear when a lighter flashed, and the women leaned over the flame, one lighting up a cigarette, the other a joint. Caleb suspected the tobacco was being used to hide the smell of pot, though in California it was possible it was the other way around.
    The blonde was the first to exhale. “Did you see how Brunhilda acted? Right away she came to me and asked, ‘Were you smoking, Vicki?’ That cow thought I was the one that set off the alarm.”
    “Shh,” said her friend. “Don’t wake her up.”
    “Nothing’s going to wake her up. Did you hear the way she was snoring? We could sneak in the football team tonight and she wouldn’t know it.”
    “I wish.”
    They both giggled. The more they tried to suppress their laughter, the more they failed.
    “I’d rather have the track team,” said Vicki. “I met a high-jumper at the Zetas’ party last week. He could jump me any time.”
    Both of them laughed again, then exchanged their smoking sticks. They kept looking around, probably wary of being found out by the house mother.
    “It’s so boring tonight,” said the dark-haired one.
    “I know. I thought I’d get all this work done, but I didn’t even finish my report.”
    “It was that dumb alarm.”
    “No, it was Brunhilda. She should join the army. I mean, like, we all knew it was a false alarm, but first she has to take roll, and then she has to make sure there isn’t a fire or anything before resetting that stupid alarm. Like we all weren’t telling her, ‘Turn off the alarm.’ It was like she wanted our eardrums to pop.”
    “Maybe she just wanted to show off her nightgown. Did you see that thing? God. Industrial-strength flannel.”
    “In prison-guard green.”
    They laughed a little more, finished up their toking exchanges, then carefully disposed of the evidence, shredding the remains and depositing them among the charcoal. As they walked toward the house, they tripped the sensor light again. Under the spotlight, Vicki did a little dance. Her shadow jumped all over Caleb, and pushed him that much further into the ground.
    The women disappeared back inside, and the sensor light deactivated. Caleb raised his head and tried to think. He was bothered by what he had heard. The false alarm could have been an accident or a malfunction, but he couldn’t take that chance. In the chaos of everyone running outside, the killer could have gotten inside.
    Was inside.
    He had to act. Gas can in hand, he ran over to the west side of the property. There was a thicket of pampas grass that separated the sorority from the neighboring house. On occasion, Caleb’s job required him to clear brush by setting controlled fires, and he knew that pampas grass was extremely combustible. He poured the gas around the brush, then tossed the can in the middle of the pampas grass.
    The pampas grass hadn’t been trimmed back in years, if ever. The interior, with all its old and dead leaves, was a fire waiting tohappen. He applied his lighter, saw the fire catch, and then watched as the flames quickly torched upward. As he ran up to a side window, he could see the reflection of the fire behind him. The orange flames seemed to be catching up to him. In a matter of moments, the pane was awash with the fiery glow. Caleb picked up one of the ornamental rocks and rapped it hard against the glass. The pane didn’t break and neither did the alarm go off. He hit it again, and this time the glass cracked and the clanging started.
    Caleb ran across the street, looking for a vantage point from which he could see and yet not be conspicuous. There wasn’t any good spot. Maybe he should have set a second fire. Maybe he should have done lots of things.
    He hid behind the line of cars. The fire would draw plenty of spectators, and in a minute or two he’d be able to circulate among the gawkers without drawing any attention. Already he could hear voices, people shouting. He looked over the hood of the car. Figures were spilling out of the sorority. A woman with an imposing figure and a loud voice took charge.