The Chase: A Novel Read Online Free PDF Page B

comprehend that David wasn’t there, asleep.
Where was he?
    Her neck seemed to prickle again. Claire went back into the hallway, turning on the lights, relieved to chase the last of the upstairs shadows away. Now she was acutely aware of the house being too silent around her. The dogs were kenneled in the yard out back. She was alone in the house—but no, that wasn’t true. David was also in the house. Except—the house somehow felt empty.
    But that was impossible. David had passed out somewhere, she decided with a flash of anger, and it was inappropriate. Gripping the railing, she hurried downstairs.
    It was so dark.
    There were shadows everywhere.
    But that was only because everything had been so bright and festive a few minutes ago. “David?” Claire called, turning on lights one by one as she entered the living room. She did not expect him to be there, and he was not.
    She turned on the last hall light, walking down to the den. She pushed open the door, which was slightly ajar, and hit the wall switch, flooding the room with light. “David?” She saw instantly that he wasn’t there, either.
    On impulse, she checked that bathroom—it was empty. Her heart began to thud in her chest. Where could he be?
    He’s only passed out somewhere
, she told herself again, trying not to become frightened.
    Claire hesitated before the home office they shared. What if he had fallen and hurt himself?
    Then she pushed open the door, quickly fumbling for the light, praying that he would be asleep on the couch inside. It came on and she looked around, but the office was deserted.
    She felt unbearably alone.
    Worse than ever before.
    Claire hugged herself.
    Somehow, she knew that she really was alone in the house. It was a sickening feeling. Panic assailed her, making her dizzy.
    She needed to go get the dogs. But to get to the kennels, she had to cross the backyard, and she was suddenly afraid to step out of the house and into the looming night.
    Claire thought she felt a movement behind her. She whirled. The threshold was vacant. It had been her imagination, nothing more.
    Where was David? Where could he be?
    Was she really alone in the house?
    Claire now ran through the entire house, to the kitchen and dining room on the other side. As the caterer had said, her kitchen was as clean as a whistle—no one would ever know that she’d had a party that night. And it, too, was empty.
    Panicked, Claire stepped into the dining room. This time she didn’t bother to turn on the light—the illumination from the kitchen showed that no one was there.
What was happening?
    She rushed to the phone and called her father, but there was no answer. He lived in Tiburon—he should be home at any minute. She decided not to worry him and did not leave a message. But she would kill David when she found him.
    Claire hesitated, then unlocked the kitchen door, telling herself that there was nothing to be afraid of. She turned on the outside lights. The backyard brightened, and across it, she could see the wire kennels. The dogs had awakened and began to bark.
    Claire left the kitchen door wide open and ran across the yard to the kennels. She let out the dogs, hugging them all. She was shaking. “Where’s David? Jill, help me find David,” she cried.
    The dogs seemed very happy, oblivious to her worries, and raced ahead of her into the kitchen, all except for her beautiful purebred poodle.
    Jilly paused, sniffing the air, and she began to growl.
    Claire didn’t know what to think. Jilly was very intelligent and a great watchdog. “What is it?” she asked hoarsely.
    Jilly growled again—and she took off. Not into the kitchen, but behind the house, disappearing where the terrace was.
    The terrace where, just an hour ago, her guests had been dancing beneath the moon and the stars.
    Frantic, territorial barking sounded from the terrace.
    Claire needed a flashlight. She didn’t have one and couldn’t think where one was. Filled with fear, Claire headed