"I won't. But thanks." And then, he was gone.
I returned my attention to the treats. They all looked the same to me. Would they taste the same? I picked one up and gave it a sniff. Steak? It sure as hell didn't smell like it.
I tossed the thing back down. Screw it.
Two minutes later, I was striding through my back yard. The floodlights were off, and the yard was dark. Through the trees, I spotted the tall iron fence. Just beyond that fence was Chloe's house. I stopped at the fence and looked. Her back patio light was on, but the house was dark, and the blinds were shut.
The way it looked, no one was home.
A familiar male voice sounded behind me. "So you're actually gonna do it?"
With a muttered curse, I turned toward the sound. "No," I hissed. "And keep quiet, will ya?"
"Why? She's not home."
"How do you know?"
"Because I checked."
I froze. "Don't tell me you went in there."
"Alright."
I stepped closer and worked to keep my voice calm. "Did you?"
"No. I didn't have to." He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a foil wrapper. "The way it looks, she buys 'em by the truck-load."
I stared at the thing. "You went through her trash?"
"Nah," he said. "The recycle bin."
I took the wrapper from his hand. It didn't look recyclable to me. Then again, I wasn't exactly an expert. Still, I gave Bishop a good, long look. "If you went inside…"
"I didn't."
Bishop did a lot of things, but lying wasn't one of them. I turned to gaze through the fence. Near Chloe's back patio, I spotted the familiar blue recycling bin next to her trash can.
"See?" Bishop said.
From here, it was hard to see anything. I turned back toward my own house. "I thought you were leaving."
"Yeah." As I walked, he fell in step beside me. "But I was betting you'd be out here."
"You bet yourself?" I said. "How much?"
"Does it matter?" He stopped walking. "I've got to ask you something."
Reluctantly, I stopped too. "What?"
"Were you really gonna hit the house?"
"No."
He was quiet a long moment. "Then what was your plan?"
"I was gonna hit the trash."
He shook his head. "Shit."
