The Private Eye

– ” She broke off as he silenced her by kissing her mouth.
    “No, I didn't. But that's okay, too,” he assured her. “When it happens for me, I want to be deep inside you, Maggie. And it's a little too soon for that. You need time to get to know me better. I want you to be sure of me, sweetheart.”
    She shook her head in wonder. “You're playing the noble hero again, aren't you?”
    He frowned. “I've told you, I gave that role up a long time ago.”
    “I don't believe you.” She traced the line of his nose with a soft fingertip.
    Josh opened his mouth to tell her not to get the wrong idea about him, but something stopped him. A tiny sound from somewhere in the house. A sound that was not quite normal.
    “Josh? What is it?” Maggie looked up at him. “Is something wrong?”
    “Hush.” He touched her mouth with his fingers, silently warning her. When he knew she had gotten the message, he sat up slowly on the sofa.
    The sound came softly down the front hall – a small, muted click that could have been metal on metal. Maggie sat up beside Josh, fumbling with the buttons of her dress. He could feel her watching him and knew she wanted to ask questions. But she obviously knew when to follow instructions. She kept silent.
    Josh touched her shoulder and put his mouth to her ear. “Stay here. Don't move.”
    She nodded and then put her lips next to his ear. “Call police?”
    “No. Not yet. But be ready.” He stood and moved to the door of the parlour. He listened intently, straining to hear the soft clinking sound before he stepped out into the hall. He caught it echoing faintly and knew for certain, now, that it was coming from the basement.
    Josh limped forward and silently cursed the weakness of his still-healing left foot. He went quietly down the darkened hall, his bare feet making no sound on the carpet. When he reached the door that opened on the basement stairs he hesitated once more.
    Silence .
    Josh unlocked the door and opened it. The hinges made only the faintest whisper of sound. The stairs to the basement descended into an inky darkness. If there was anyone down there, Josh thought, he had the eyes of a cat.
    But his instincts told him the basement was empty.
    Josh waited another moment and then decided to chance the light. He flattened himself against the wall and crouched low. There was no need to make a target out of himself, just in case someone was hiding among the wine bins and filing cabinets. He reached up over his head to flip the light switch.
    The lights came on and Josh swept the large room below in a single glance. The basement was empty. He straightened slowly. “Maggie?” he called softly over his shoulder.
    “Right here.” She hurried barefoot down the hall. “Is everything all right?”
    “Yeah, I think so, I was sure I heard something, though. I'm going to go on down and take a closer look.” He started down the stairs, using the handrail to take the weight off his bad foot. Maggie floated along behind him like a nervous little ghost.
    The cold draft that swept the room caught Josh's attention first. He glanced toward the two narrow, ground-level windows near the basement ceiling. One of them was open.
    “Hell.” He reached the bottom step and crossed the concrete floor, He sensed Maggie following him with her gaze.
    “Josh, that window should be locked. We always keep it locked.”
    “It was locked,” Josh told her quietly. “I checked it earlier, myself. But the latch is not much more than a toy. Easy to pry open from the outside. Hell, maybe it fell open on its own. It's old.”
    He contemplated the window for a moment longer and then studied the arrangement of filing cabinets and boxes stacked beneath it. An ancient blanket had been placed on top of the metal cabinets. There were some bits of dirt scattered on it. Josh touched them with his fingers.
    “What have you found?” Maggie came close. “Dirt?”
    Josh nodded slowly. “If there was someone in here, he came and went through that window. Could have used these boxes and cabinets to climb down and back up again.”
    Maggie considered that. “It's a very narrow window. Josh.”
    “It's big enough for a slender man to crawl through.”
    “Or a woman.” Maggie looked around the cold basement. She crossed her arms and hugged herself. A shadow flitted across her face, giving her a vulnerable look. “Josh, do you think someone was actually in here?”
    “I think, it's a real strong