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“DECEIT IS IN THE HEART OF THEM THAT IMAGINE EVIL.” —PROVERBS 12:20

H e waited until dark before parking his car behind the garden and feed store, a couple of blocks from her house. All he had to do was follow the railroad tracks. His pace quickened the closer he got to Sydney’s. The lights were out in the house. G ood. A dog barked in the distance.

His hands worked expertly to open her back gate where he made his way to the patio. Opening the French door was a cinch, and then he took a step back. He cursed when a flowerpot came crashing around his feet. He waited for a second, half expecting to hear a siren or an alarm. There was no sound except the steady pounding in his chest. He entered the house and turned on his small flashlight. Several folders were scattered on the dining room table. He almost stopped to examine them and then changed his mind. Last time she’d come home and surprised him. He’d get what he came for this time. He made his way to the desk. An unfinished letter lay on top, along with a stack of bills, ready to be mailed. He tugged at the locked drawer and smiled. It would be easy to pry open.

The shrill ringing of the phone startled him. He listened to the message. “Hey Sydney, it’s me, Ginger. Where are you? Call me back.”

A few more precious minutes. That’s all he would need.