The door
thumped once more, the officer shouting “Police! Open up now!”
My husband
and I stood frozen, staring at each other in indecision.
The door
thumped for a third time, closely followed by the bell.
“What do
we do?” Edward whispered.
We heard
the letterbox being pushed open. “Anybody home?” the officer
shouted through it. “There's been an accident,” he continued,
“This area isn't safe, you've got to evacuate.”
He thumped
the door again. “Hello? Anybody home?”
“Well?”
Edward whispered again, but I shushed him with a finger to my lip and
a harsh frown.
The
letterbox snapped closed. “I don't think there's anyone in that
one,” we heard the officer say, but he was moving away from the
house. “There's a light on at the back, but that could be on a
timer.”
That was
when I realised I'd been holding my breath.
