King's Ransom

Alex sat upright in bed. The room was growing dark and the blinds were rattling in the wind. A light from the street cast a faint red glow on the far wall of his room. He was still tired, but he climbed out of bed and looked out through the open window into the dusk.
The red light was coming from the house opposite - an alarm on the wall between the two first floor windows. There was no noise, just one bulb glowing steadily. Did that mean there had been a break-in or not? Alex tried to remember who lived in the house. Not that it mattered, he thought to himself. He had no intention of going over there.
The road was on a steep slope, and further down the sky was brighter, the railway bridge drawing a silhouette below (...more)