Chapter 186Beats to Follow

It was time to move on, spy on the other windows. It occurred to me, surprising me, that my mind was rearranging everything I saw into an almost perfect map of the building. As I viewed each room, noting the exits and size of the room, blanks were filled in on my mental map of the mansion. The bottom floor was the hardest to explore, with curtains in front of many of the windows except for the large kitchen.

It was harder for me to view the front of the building as well. The back of the building was much less illuminated by lights than the front, giving me ample shadows to hide in on the back, but too much exposure on the front.

There were four other people, two of them cleaning a room on the second floor. They didn't pay much attention to the windows so it was no trouble for me to get a good look at them. They were pleasant looking females of a South American persuasion. Young and good-looking. They didn't really do much cleaning wise, to be honest, just dust the place and talk to each other in a very relaxed manner. I wondered if they were getting paid for that and then smiled as I realized they probably were.

The other rooms were all empty and not really important and just looked like a repeat of a few common types in a few styles. A small living-room and a large one. A study room without a computer and one with. A small, good-looking library that almost used more space for the windows than the bookcases itself. The bathroom and the three toilets were all impossible to really look in, covered by frosted glass, but not important anyway. No one was there.

In the kitchen I found the fourth person, making a sandwich while smoking a cigarette. He was also watching something on a small television that was out of my sight, but it sounded like something comical. He was dressed in a sort of suit that looked expensive but not important, I couldn't quite place it. He looked a lot more at home than the two cleaners though and didn't glance to the window once.

The last person was a bit harder to verify. My ears told me he was in the basement but there weren't really any windows covering that low. Only three that I could tell from above and none of them showed anything directly. There was no way I could find out the layout of the basement from outside.

And I wasn't planning on sneaking into the house just yet.

The dogs weren't as much of a problem as I expected them to be. They stayed at the front of the house, which kind of made sense. I didn't really smell like anything or made noise as I walked around. Plus, it felt to me as if they were avoiding me on purpose. I wasn't that much of a danger to them, was I?

Maybe they could sense my presence in their own way.

I remembered the dog at the farm, which acted surprisingly friendly to us as strangers. Perhaps animals did know more than humans.

Not that it would really surprise me.

My feet touched the ground lightly and immediately I heard the sound I realized was looking for all this time.

Boom...

A slow, heartbeat. Two of them. Weak and slow almost, but as real as my own existence.

Boom...

The next beat helped me get the direction from which they were coming. A small closed off opening. An old window perhaps? But something was covering it. If I didn't know any better, I would suspect it to be a sheet of metal, build into the wall.

Boom...

It was. But I was sure I could hear the slow heartbeats from behind this piece of metal. Someone was behind here, the beat was too slow for a normal person, and too strong for someone who would be in a coma. The thought surprised me, where did I pick up this knowledge?

Boom...

Every beat reminded me that I had to do something, but the metal was strangely strong. Pressing against it, I couldn't even bend the metal slightly. But were they really in there?

Boom...

The last option presented itself to me in it's elegant simplicity. Feeling stupid I didn't think of it before I tapped the metal softly. Hard enough for those inside to hear if they were awake, but soft enough not to be heard by anyone else. I hoped.

Boom...

Tap...

After their heartbeat I heard someone getting up. After a pause, the softest tap came back on the metal from the other side. It wasn't very loud but it was enough for me to know someone was in there. I tapped again, twice this time.

Boom...

Tap tap...

An answer, I guess there was no other way to test this, no better way to find out of it was really who I presumed it was.

With my cheek touching the metal itself I whispered in tones I hoped would not carry far. The metal was cold against my skin but it was worth it all. Even if someone did hear or see me, if they were really here it was worth it to know it. Although, they might transfer them somewhere else if they found out someone else knew.

"Khuna? Valerie?" My voice felt like a thunder in the night.

But it was soft enough.

Back came a voice I recognized immediately. Barely more than a whisper, but normal enough to actually hear. It may have been weak, but it was the lightning to my thunder. To me it was louder than all the world around me, but no one else should be able to hear this.

"Amy?"

Valerie.