Book Five: Chapter 72

“I won’t even pretend to understand what you’re doing,” Sofia muttered.

“I’m multitasking.” Eulalie stared at the data as it came in on multiple screens. Her spider eyes allowed her to watch all three at once, and she sat back on her rear legs and used her front legs on the touchpads of the computers to help her navigate. “Looks like the drone is up.”

On their screen, the house came into view. At first, it looked normal, but Eulalie realized that something was off. The yard was disproportionate to the house, and it seemed smaller somehow.

“Weren’t there three levels?” she asked. “And the porch looks tiny. Wasn’t there an extra room over here?”

“Shit.” Sofia leaned in and squinted at the screen. “This is the version of the house that appears when the real house is asleep. That can only mean one thing.”

“Which is?”

Sofia shook her head. “The Caretaker has died. Something has happened to Mike in Oregon, that’s the only explanation.” Tears shimmered i