How will Andy and I ever get away from here? he wondered, feeling all of his muscles tighten in panic.
Despite the hot night air, a cold chill ran down Evan’s back. He shuddered so hard, he nearly toppled off the ledge.
The blue can stuck to his hand. The Monster Blood sucked at his fingers. But he couldn’t worry about that now.
He could hear Conan moving around inside the room. Was he dancing to the loud music?
Evan glanced across the window at Andy. Her eyes were shut. Her face was clenched in a tight frown.
“Andy—!” Evan whispered. He knew that Conan couldn’t hear a whisper over the booming music. “Andy—it’ll be okay. As soon as he leaves, we’ll jump inside and sneak down the stairs.”
Andy nodded without opening her eyes. “Did I ever tell you I’m afraid of heights?” she whispered.
“No,” Evan replied.
“Well, remind me to tell you!”
“We’ll be okay,” he murmured.
Clinging to the side of the house, Evan kept repeating those words to himself. “We’ll be okay. We’ll be okay. We’ll be okay.”
Then Trigger started to bark.
A low bark of surprise at first. And then a louder series of barks, insistent barks, excited barks.
Evan swallowed hard. He glanced down to the ground.
Trigger was peering up at him, jumping against the side of the house, as if trying to reach the ledge. The dog barked louder with each jump.
“Trigger—no!” Evan called down in a frantic whisper.
That only made the dog bark more furiously.
Did Conan hear it? Could he hear Trigger’s ferocious barks over the music?
“Trigger—stop! Go home! Go home!”
Suddenly the music stopped.
Trigger’s excited barks rose up even louder against the new silence.
Conan must hear them now, Evan realized.
The cocker spaniel threw himself wildly against the side of the house, trying to get up to Evan and Andy. Despite Evan’s frantic signals to be quiet, the dumb dog barked his head off.
Evan’s breath caught in his throat as he heard Conan making his way to the window.
A second later, Conan stuck his head out. “What’s going on?” he shouted.
Evan’s knees buckled. He started to fall.
Evan clung to the brick wall and stopped his fall.
He stared at Conan’s blond hair poking out the window. Evan was close enough to reach out and touch it.
“Shut up down there!” Conan shouted.
That made Trigger bark even louder.
He’s going to see us, Evan thought, trembling all over.
There’s no way Conan won’t see us.
“Conan—come here!” Mrs. Barber’s voice floated up from downstairs. “Conan—come down and have your cake and ice cream. You said you were dying for dessert!” she called.
Conan’s head disappeared back into the bedroom. “There’s some stupid dog barking down there,” he called to his mother.
Clinging to the side of the house, struggling to keep his quivering knees from buckling again, Evan shut his eyes and listened.
He heard Conan’s footsteps cross the room. The bedroom light went out.
Silence.
“He—left,” Evan choked out.
Andy let out a long breath. “I can’t believe he didn’t see us out here.”
