The searing crash of breaking glass came a second before the alarm started howling. I yanked myself off the couch, raced to the back, but I wasn’t in time. When I threw the door open I saw the shards, saw the pillow on the sill and the chair lying on the floor, and knew what had happened. Gary was a smart kid. He’d been afraid to mess with the catches, afraid the alarm would go off before he got the window open. So he smashed it. Held a pillow on the broken glass in the frame, lowered himself out, dropped to the alley. And was gone.
I charged down the stairs and around the block to where the alley came out, because I had to, but it was useless. I chose a direction, ran a couple more blocks calling Gary’s name. A dog barked; a drunk in a doorway lifted his head, held out his hand. Nothing else. Finally I stopped, just stood, gazing around, like a man in a foreign place. Then I turned, headed back to the alley. I checked under my window, where the streetlights glittered off the broken glass. No sign of blood: I let out a breath. I straightened, looked up at the window. Light glowed into the empty alley and the alarm was still ringing.
I’m sorry
, Gary had said, before he closed the door.
REFLECTING THE SKY
Copyright © 2001 by S. J. Rozan
Excerpt from Winter & Night copyright © 2001 by S. J. Rozan
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eISBN 9781429980036
First eBook Edition : June 2011
EAN: 80312-98134-1
St. Martin’s Press hardcover edition / February 2001
St. Martin’s Paperbacks edition / January 2002