Thud-a-ba, thud-a-ba, thud-a-ba, thud-a-ba…

Bonnie and Ned's house was quiet. And it wasn't coming from the Noonans' over the back fence because they were still in Florida and their security system could wake the dead.

Thud-a-ba, thud-a-ba, thud-a-ba, thud-a-ba…

Her head whipped around-it had to be the Chippendales guy!

Charlotte gathered her snacks and tiptoed around to the driveway, where she stood half-hunched in the darkness, listening,

"Uhmph! Uh! Mmmm, mmmm, uhmph!"

"Good Lord," Charlotte whispered to herself. Still hunched over, the Triscuits tucked close under her elbow, she glanced furtively up and down the street, making sure there were no cars or dog walkers coming. She then slipped past the pine trees to the edge of her property and sidled up to the privacy fence around the Connors' in-ground pool and patio.

The sound was definitely coming from behind the fence, but it wasn't the pool pump. It wasn't mechanical.

Charlotte pressed her face up to the fence boards, and though she tried several angles-twisted around until her neck hurt-she couldn't quite find a way to align her eyeball with the small vertical slits. She sure couldn't peek over the fence-it was nine feet tall! So all she saw was a sliver of light and indistinct movement.

Thud-a-ba, thud-a-ba, thud-a-ba, thud-a-ba… "Uhmph!"

Someone was being murdered! That had to be it She suppressed her gasp and skittered away from the fence, racing full speed to her own patio, running inside the back door. Hoover lay in wait, hair on end, ready to pounce- and his whole big body shuddered with relief that it was only her.

She slipped him a Triscuit. "Good boy, Hoov."

Charlotte bolted the lock on the family room double doors. She did the same to the laundry room door leading to the garage; and the front door.