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stood behind and one step below Benny. He looked anxiously up and down the street. His dark skin rendered him all but invisible, except for his peculiar, light amber eyes with the black line around the irises. He had the eyes of a wolf.
    Benny eased the door open, but as I stepped ahead of him he cut me off with his elbow and entered first. The lights were on low, just as we had left them. Benny gasped and put his hand out and toward me in a protective move.
    I followed his gaze to the staircase. The animal skins that had been lying on the floor of each of the bedrooms were now displayed as if creeping down the stairs. The tiger, the lion, the bears, the leopard, the panther… head to tail and each at a slithery angle, as if approaching prey… us. My brain was slow to process; I heard a ringing in my ears and felt something wedge in my throat… it was a scream.
    Samuel exchanged looks with Benny and then turned his strange eyes on me. I slipped back against the foyer wall with my hand on my neck, an unconscious motion.
    Benny nodded and Samuel closed the door with a thud.
    I heard someone suggest calling the police. It was me.
    My host shook his head. “Perhaps the burglar confused my house with a neighbor’s.”
    “You’ve been living in England too long. You’re making British excuses. Way too polite. Perhaps we should find the burglar and apologize to him for not being home when he came to call?”
    Benny smiled. “I would guess nothing has been taken. At the worst, this is merely a threat.”
    “Someone got in here while we were gone. He could come back tonight and kill us,” I said.
    “If that is Allah’s will… so be it,” Samuel said, his wolf-eyes glowing.
    That response sucked. Who’s side was he on?
    My host turned to me. I shall walk you to your room and see that you are safely locked in.” He motioned to his houseman, “Samuel, please take the skins and place them all in the library.”
    Stunned by his calm demeanor, I said, “So, you’re really not going to call the police?”
    “There would be no point. And it might open the door to further trouble. We need no more visitors this evening from either real or perceived officers of the law.”
    The Tomb Raider in me kicked in. “Are you afraid someone might come here posing as a policeman? What if the rogue interior decorator comes back tonight?”
    “He would not have warned us if he intended to do us further harm. He would have dispatched us… me in my sleep. Now come with me, my dear… I’ll see you to your room.”
    “Samuel… Please tend to the hides and set the alarm.”
    Benny preceded me on the stairs. As he walked, he tipped the paws of each rug so I could ease by and work my way to the top landing. I fought the urge to gallop out the door, but Benny was right. If someone had intended to hurt us, they wouldn’t have laid the animal skins out this way. No, this was a mind game and that pissed me off.
    As I passed the tiger’s paw, a wave of sadness washed over me. Something so beautiful should not come to such an undignified end.
    We walked quickly into my room. Benny waited while I inspected my things. Aside from the missing lion skin, the room appeared to be intact. My host peeked in the wardrobe, the bathroom, and under the bed. No lurkers.
    “I’ll see you in the morning, my dear.” He leaned over and gently kissed my cheek. “Bolt yourself in.”
    Once the door was closed I flipped the lock and propped a chair under the knob. A shudder ran from the ends of my hair to my toes. I felt violated and freaked out.
    I kept the bathroom door open as I stood at the sink and washed off my makeup. No way was I going to step into the shower. I had seen Psycho. I know what happens to blonde women who take showers while there’s screechy music playing in the background. Okay… maybe the music was in my imagination.
    Picking up the little, jeweled flashlight, I grabbed a pillow and blanket and tried to climb into the wardrobe for the