Read Full House for Free Online Page B

crossed the street and spoke with a young policeman.
    "We had a break-in," the officer said. "About an hour ago. Seems the owners are on vacation."
    "Yes," Billie said. "The Sherringtons took an Alaskan cruise. I don't expect them back for a few more days. Do you have any idea who did it?"
    He shook his head. "Doesn't look as though anything was taken. Someone tried to pry open the back window and set off the alarm. Needless to say, they didn't hang around."
    "Thank goodness. The Sherringtons are such nice people."
    "I understand there was another minor burglary in the neighborhood not long ago. Have you seen anything out of the ordinary recently? Kids loitering about? Anybody suspicious-looking?"
    She hesitated, wondering if she should tell him of the strange noises she'd heard outside her bedroom window. Had she simply been going through a period of paranoia with her children away?
    "Anything you can tell me will help, ma'am," the man said, as though reading her mind.
    Billie smiled. "I know it's just my imagination," she said, "but from time to time I hear rustling sounds outside my bedroom window. I'm sure it's nothing. This neighborhood has always been so safe."
    "We suspect kids setting off alarms as pranks," he said, "but it never hurts to be cautious. I'll check around your house before I leave."
    Billie spotted a set of headlights and saw Raoul's truck pull up in front of the house. "You might want to talk to that gentleman," she said, pointing. "Mr. Hernandez keeps an eye out when people go out of town. I know he's collecting the Sherringtons' mail and newspapers."
    The officer thanked her and headed in Raoul's direction. Billie sighed and started toward her house. She had always felt so safe there. Perhaps it
was
time she purchased an alarm system.
    Christie and Joel hit her with a dozen questions the moment she stepped inside the house. "Everything's okay," she assured them and explained what the police suspected. "Where's Lisa Marie?"
    "She's calling her mom to come get her," Christie said. "She's scared to stay here, what with the burglary and the spiders. I dread going back to school and having the other kids tease me about all the bugs in our house and my mom marrying a man who's almost a stranger. I mean, what do we really know about Nick and his crazy cousins?"
    "It's
so
cool," Joel said. "I can't
wait
to tell my friends."
    Lisa Marie came into the living room. "My mom's on the way. I'm allergic to insect bites. Nothing personal, you understand."
    Billie nodded. "Don't forget your clothes," she said.
    Ten minutes later, Lisa Marie's mother picked her up. Billie assured the woman everything was okay, but she didn't look convinced as she hurried down the walk with her daughter in tow.
    Billie sent Joel and Christie upstairs for a shower and put on a pot of coffee. She was getting ready to pour a cup when the doorbell rang. She let Raoul in.
    "The Sherringtons are going to be upset over this," he said. "I was supposed to be watching the house."
    "You can't be there twenty-four hours a day."
    "I could have prevented it if I hadn't fallen asleep on the sofa watching TV."
    He looked so downtrodden that Billie felt sorry for him. "Come in and have a cup of coffee with me."
    He started inside and paused. "Is that crazy woman here?"
    Billie chuckled. "No, Deedee is out. Probably won't get in until the wee hours."
    Raoul closed the door behind her and followed her into the kitchen, taking his usual place at the table. He remained quiet as Billie prepared their coffee. "Any luck with the German roaches?" she asked, taking a chair across from him.
    He shrugged. "I'm still working on it. How's your place?"
    "We've seen a few more spiders. Deedee shrieks every time she sees one, and I think Christie is considering running away."
    He looked tired and worn. "I must be losing my touch."
    "I'm sorry to complain, but it's getting out of hand."
    "I'm going to try something stronger. You'll have to put your animals outside and