The Family Across the Street by Nicole Trope
33
Logan
Logan stands at the back door of the house. It’s a standard back door with an easily opened lock. It wouldn’t take much to push it open. The gate at the side gave way easily enough with just a small lift and shove, the old wood splintering. Logan hesitates. If there is nothing going on in the house – if he’s just imagining this and he gets inside, actually breaks in – then he is going back to prison for a long time.
But the scream sounded like it came from a child. That was a few minutes ago. It’s all quiet inside now. Maybe she saw a spider? Debbie screams blue murder when she sees one of the huge huntsman spiders that stalk the Australian summer. They’re harmless unless they give you a heart attack. Maybe that’s all it was. The neighbours on either side of him have kids and sometimes it literally sounds like someone is being tortured. Debbie has gone over to check once or twice, only to be told, ‘Oh, he just didn’t want to eat his carrots,’ by a harassed parent who would rather she hadn’t interfered.
He presses his ear against the door, hoping that he will hear something that can give him a clue as to what is going on inside. But there is only silence. He has left Gladys out the front waiting for the police and he hopes, actually prays, that they turn up soon so he doesn’t have to do this.
Pushing up against the door, he covers his other ear with his hand so he can hear better. The sun is relentless and he can feel it burning the skin on his arms and face. A large blowfly lands on his arm and he swats at it irritably, trying not to make a sound.
No one is in the kitchen behind this door, he’s sure of that. He’s assumed this is the kitchen. It may be the laundry. It would be better if it were the laundry because then it would be less likely that anyone is in there right now.
Taking a deep breath, he turns the handle, meaning to lift and shove as he does so but knowing he needs to be very quiet about it. And the door opens.
It was never locked.
This is an expensive house in a nice suburb. People don’t need to lock their doors, but sometimes, the threat is already inside the house.
Logan steps in, holding his breath and freezing as the door opens and there is a sound like a click. He listens for something, anything, calling on all his instincts, unsure and a little scared at what he’s going to find.