Shuck, and the other guard crossed the rose garden. At that pace, it would take them maybe seven minutes to reach the gate—another ten or so to check the area and alert the house. At best, he had twenty minutes to get into the house and rescue his father. That was if he could get into the house.
Jake had visited Green Gables many times. The place was a high-tech fortress, the doors electronically secured. With one eye on the monitors, he searched the coats that hung behind the door. Nothing but sweet wrappers and pocket fluff. He turned his attention to the filing cabinet. Papers, bills, receipts, old security tapes …
The minutes ticked by and his search became frantic. No longer caring about the evidence he would leave behind, he tore open files and ransacked drawers. His gaze shifted to the screen marked Woodland Path . The guards and the dog flashed across the monitor. Soon they would be at the gate.
He spun around and, in his panic, knocked a mug of cold tea from the desk. Jake cursed. Then, seeing what lay beneath the cup, his heart leapt. His luck was holding—Brett had been using his keycard as a coaster. Jake grabbed the card and checked the house monitors. Each showed an empty room. An idea popped into his head. If this was the only monitoring station, he might be able to buy himself a little more time. He grabbed a hammer from a toolbox under the desk and set to work. Within seconds he had smashed every one of the monitor screens.
The silent fortress waited.
Jake went to the back door. A card swipe device was bolted to the wall. He tried the keycard. The LED flashed red. Maybe the card was faulty. Maybe that was why Brett had been using it as a coaster. If he ran back to the hut …
A low growl came from the bushes directly behind Jake.
‘Oh crap,’ he muttered.
There was no hope of running back to the hut now. Any sudden movement and the dog would be on him. He tried the card again. Red.
‘Good doggy,’ he said, frantically swiping the card. ‘Good pooch.’
The LED flashed: red, red, red, red …
The growl deepened. Paws padded onto the path.
‘Good Rex. Good Rover.’
… red, red, red, red …
Wet jaws slapped together. The hound came closer, closer.
‘Come on, come on!’
Swipe. Red . Swipe, swipe, swipe. Red, red, red.
Claws clicked across the paving. Saliva slopped onto the ground.
Jake felt hot breath against the back of his legs.
‘Don’t eat me,’ he pleaded.
Swipe.
Green.
The door swung open.
Jake moved just in time. He heard the snap of the dog’s jaws followed by a yelp of frustration. The beast pounced as Jake closed the door. A thrashing head with spittle-flecked jowls caught against the door jamb. Jake fell back into the hall while his foot kicked out at the door. For a moment, he thought that the massive hound would succeed in forcing its way into the house. He could hear the scrabble of its hind legs, could feel the power of those heavy-muscled limbs. The battle of wills between Jake and the dog lasted less than a minute. To Jake, it felt like hours. Finally, the dog let out an exhausted pant and pulled its head back. Its collar caught against the jamb and slipped from its neck. The door slammed shut.
The silver name tag twinkled up at Jake, and identified his attacker as ‘ Cerberus ’. A dark catalogue reference told him that, in Greek and Roman mythology, Cerberus was the ancient guardian of the underworld—a monstrous beast with three heads.
‘Cerberus.’ Jake nodded. ‘Figures.’
Despite the rumpus, the household remained undisturbed. Jake got to his feet and crept along the corridor. His plan had been hazy at best and now that he was inside Green Gables he wondered how he would find his father. There must be over a hundred rooms, most of which he had never seen.
The corridor opened out into a huge entrance hall. Like the rest of the house, it was a scene of luxurious splendour. Beautifully woven tapestries hung from the walls. A staircase made
Jake had visited Green Gables many times. The place was a high-tech fortress, the doors electronically secured. With one eye on the monitors, he searched the coats that hung behind the door. Nothing but sweet wrappers and pocket fluff. He turned his attention to the filing cabinet. Papers, bills, receipts, old security tapes …
The minutes ticked by and his search became frantic. No longer caring about the evidence he would leave behind, he tore open files and ransacked drawers. His gaze shifted to the screen marked Woodland Path . The guards and the dog flashed across the monitor. Soon they would be at the gate.
He spun around and, in his panic, knocked a mug of cold tea from the desk. Jake cursed. Then, seeing what lay beneath the cup, his heart leapt. His luck was holding—Brett had been using his keycard as a coaster. Jake grabbed the card and checked the house monitors. Each showed an empty room. An idea popped into his head. If this was the only monitoring station, he might be able to buy himself a little more time. He grabbed a hammer from a toolbox under the desk and set to work. Within seconds he had smashed every one of the monitor screens.
The silent fortress waited.
Jake went to the back door. A card swipe device was bolted to the wall. He tried the keycard. The LED flashed red. Maybe the card was faulty. Maybe that was why Brett had been using it as a coaster. If he ran back to the hut …
A low growl came from the bushes directly behind Jake.
‘Oh crap,’ he muttered.
There was no hope of running back to the hut now. Any sudden movement and the dog would be on him. He tried the card again. Red.
‘Good doggy,’ he said, frantically swiping the card. ‘Good pooch.’
The LED flashed: red, red, red, red …
The growl deepened. Paws padded onto the path.
‘Good Rex. Good Rover.’
… red, red, red, red …
Wet jaws slapped together. The hound came closer, closer.
‘Come on, come on!’
Swipe. Red . Swipe, swipe, swipe. Red, red, red.
Claws clicked across the paving. Saliva slopped onto the ground.
Jake felt hot breath against the back of his legs.
‘Don’t eat me,’ he pleaded.
Swipe.
Green.
The door swung open.
Jake moved just in time. He heard the snap of the dog’s jaws followed by a yelp of frustration. The beast pounced as Jake closed the door. A thrashing head with spittle-flecked jowls caught against the door jamb. Jake fell back into the hall while his foot kicked out at the door. For a moment, he thought that the massive hound would succeed in forcing its way into the house. He could hear the scrabble of its hind legs, could feel the power of those heavy-muscled limbs. The battle of wills between Jake and the dog lasted less than a minute. To Jake, it felt like hours. Finally, the dog let out an exhausted pant and pulled its head back. Its collar caught against the jamb and slipped from its neck. The door slammed shut.
The silver name tag twinkled up at Jake, and identified his attacker as ‘ Cerberus ’. A dark catalogue reference told him that, in Greek and Roman mythology, Cerberus was the ancient guardian of the underworld—a monstrous beast with three heads.
‘Cerberus.’ Jake nodded. ‘Figures.’
Despite the rumpus, the household remained undisturbed. Jake got to his feet and crept along the corridor. His plan had been hazy at best and now that he was inside Green Gables he wondered how he would find his father. There must be over a hundred rooms, most of which he had never seen.
The corridor opened out into a huge entrance hall. Like the rest of the house, it was a scene of luxurious splendour. Beautifully woven tapestries hung from the walls. A staircase made
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