Deadly Sanctuary Read Online Free PDF Page B

new life and promised to call them again soon. As I hung up the phone, a sharp pang of homesickness enveloped me. To ward off the blues, I turned up the television and cleaned the kitchen.
    Still filled with restless energy, I went outside to sweep the walkway and water the small front garden filled with a bright orange sea of desert poppies. The sound of a vehicle made me look up. The black Mercedes I’d seen the first day purred down Lost Canyon Road followed by a white van. Was that perhaps my nearest neighbor, Dr. Price? I’d been meaning to check out Serenity House for days now, but hadn’t had the time. I decided a nice long walk would do me good. Mary Tuggs had said it was about two miles away, so I should be back before dark.
    It was so quiet I could hear my tennis shoes crunching on the rocky road. Except for the birds and an occasional gust of wind, nothing disturbed the silence.
    When I reached a fork in the road, I chose the left which looked well traveled. The right fork, overgrown with tall grass and tumbleweeds, snaked off into the desert. I slowed my footsteps as I approached a large sign with bold red letters announcing: DANGER! NO UNAUTHORIZED PERSONNEL BEYOND THIS POINT.
    The high fence topped with jagged coils of razor wire looked ominous, but in a way it made me feel secure to know it was there. For a fleeting second, visions of violent ax-wielding mental patients flashed through my mind like scenes from a cheap horror movie. “Don’t be stupid,” I muttered under my breath. I’d read that many of the new drugs did an excellent job of subduing patients.
    I peered through the chain-link fence. Enclosed inside a second fence I spotted the top of an ancient bell tower. Patches of red tile roofs and white stucco buildings were visible among the groves of palms and cottonwood trees. It looked quite peaceful and not at all threatening.
    Then, seemingly from out of nowhere, two enormous Dobermans rushed to the fence, eyes gleaming, teeth snapping, their throaty barks echoing through the stillness. My heart pounded as I jumped back. Without hesitation, I retreated. All during the walk home, the memory of the dogs’ snarling faces kept me in a state of watchful anxiety.
    Sometime during the night, the wind kicked up again. It whistled around under the eaves and rattled the windows. For hours, I thrashed about restlessly. When I finally did fall into a deep sleep I kept having the same annoying dream over and over. A voice kept calling for me to get out. “Get out. Get out.”
    The persistent phrase was so irritating, I finally opened my eyes. Then I heard it again. Was I awake or still dreaming?
    “Get out!” The voice was quite distinct that time. This was no dream! Pulse racing, I sat bolt upright in bed and stared at the partially open arcadia door. “Who’s out there?”
    Besides the murmur of the wind rustling through the trees, I thought I heard footsteps disappearing into the distance.

5
    Moonlight, bright and harsh, lit the patio area and the vast desert landscape beyond, in cold blue tones. Wind-tossed cottonwoods joined waving fan palms to send lacy shadows dancing across the table and scattered lawn chairs. My heart hammered in my ears as I stood in the doorway searching for the reason I was now awake. I snapped on the back patio light and called out again, “Okay, who’s out here?”
    Not really expecting an answer, I listened intently, hearing only the branches of the paloverde tree scratching against the side of the house. The effect was definitely eerie, and I was more aware than ever of my total isolation.
    After I’d closed and locked the door, I reached for my inhaler. Several deep breaths of the medication loosened the tightness in my chest, bringing a semblance of calm. Perhaps the former tenants believed in ghosts, but I didn’t. The first thing that came to mind was perhaps there had been another escape from Serenity House. That thought was definitely unsettling.
    The digital