Family Jewels Read Online Free PDF Page A

as he really was.
    “Mo? Baby, what’s wrong? Come on out of there.”
    She flattened herself on the floral rug and reached an arm in as far as she could with the hope of grabbing him by the collar. He hissed and scooted backward.
    The sudden, sharp crack of breaking glass made her scramble out from beneath the bed and jerk upright in surprise. Confused, heart pounding in her ears, she listened for more noise.
    Glass crunched under someone’s foot. From the living room? Questions of how an intruder had gotten past the steel bars outside her windows and not set off the alarms flooded her mind for one paralyzing second.
    She glanced up at the security panel on the wall. All of the lights still flashed green. How was that possible? What happened to the alarms? Standing she dashed over to the panel and slammed her palm down on the red panic button.
    Nothing.
    The police should have been notified immediately! They should be calling her, asking if this were a real emergency. She used both thumbs to press down on the button again and again. It remained silent.
    Oh , no , no , no ! This can ’ t be happening .
    She whirled away from the door and reached for the phone on her nightstand. It wasn’t there. All day she carried the cordless phone from room to room. Exhaustion had made her careless tonight. She’d left it on the table in her studio.
    The sound of the intruder’s muffled steps told her he’d already found that room. She listened to him move around in the small second bedroom she used as a studio, while her heart beat against her rib cage like a battering ram. The intruder wouldn’t find anything significant left out on the work table. Religiously, she kept everything in her safe. Unless he was a jeweler, he wouldn’t know what to do with her valuable tools.
    The floor in the hall creaked.
    The intruder moved closer, coming toward her bedroom. Cynthia’s heart squeezed up into her throat, making it hard to swallow. Her mind raced. What to do?
    She tiptoed to the closet, opened it and crouched down in the dark corner. Using her fingertips she teased the door almost shut. The near total darkness was unnerving. There was no sound for an unbearable number of seconds. She tried to slow her rapid breathing, clear her head and think straight.
    Why had she been targeted for a break-in? She maintained a low profile in her community and in her business life. No flashy signs announced her location or profession in this building. She only listed her phone number in a small yellow pages ad. Potential clients had to call to arrange a visit. She kept a detailed logbook, did everything she was supposed to do to stay safe.
    Careful footsteps drew closer. She heard the bathroom door open. She cringed, praying the intruder wouldn’t suspect where her safe was hidden. Aside from Mr. Andrews’ uninsured diamond it also contained her personal collection of precious gems and scrap gold.
    Insuring all of them was something she couldn’t afford.
    A thin light flickered under the seam of her bedroom door. The intruder’s steps stopped. Cynthia’s heart tripled its erratic beat. She bit her lip welcoming the sharp self-induced pain. She had to stay alert and ready.
    The concept of rape or murder spurred her into action. She took a mental inventory of her bedroom, searching for a weapon. The golf club. It was a birthday gift for Dad and it was propped in the corner. The red and white sale tag still dangled from the leather-wrapped handgrip. Salvation lay in the Big Bertha’s cold forged steel shaft.
    Inside the closet she heard the bedroom door latch click and open. A thin beam of light flashed briefly over the closet. She heard his breathing. He wheezed as if he had asthma, shallow and fast. Was he nervous? Maybe she could talk to him, use his fear? A self-defense class in college had taught her to try, if given an opportunity.
    Then again, Criminal Psych 101 had taught her that more than likely this excited him and he couldn’t wait