Pitch Madness B-11: Adult: TIMBER POINT

Genre: Adult fiction Suspense Thriller

Word Count: 60,000

 Pitch:

A cat burglar prowls into the wrong house– a serial killer’s lair. She thinks she’s escaped unnoticed, but a hidden camera proves otherwise. With no one to trust, nowhere to run, her survival turns deadly.

Excerpt:

I eyed the perfect house, a two-story contemporary in an upscale neighborhood. Cased it night after night to learn the occupant’s schedule. Shattered the streetlight out front with a rock to cloak me in darkness, and then returned tonight for the heist. Learning the habits of my targets is essential in good prowling. The last thing I need is an unannounced arrival, or a half-asleep homeowner surprising me in the dark. I get in and get out. That is my specialty. Simple. Smooth. Stealth. Homeowner’s insurance will cover the stolen goods anyway. It’s a victimless crime, in my opinion.

I waited for just the right moment to strike. The ideal opportunity when the neighbors’ homes blacken and all movement stops inside the target property. To me, it’s a dance. The music starts slow as the first house-light extinguishes, enhances as the second home darkens, and then elevates into a vibrant symphony once the last glimmer eradicates.

A modern home constructed of wood and stone triangular shapes, jagged edges in a rich cedar encompassed smoked-glass walls, opaque for privacy. But my favorite feature: the catwalk, made from the same wood as the house with chest-high railings that stemmed from the front gate, traveled over a rocked stream– a kelly green manicured lawn on either side– and continued straightly to the front door. The rods of the railing reminded me of nutcrackers standing at attention, one long row of hundreds.

I saw their two-thousand-and-fourteen Mercedes leave the residence minutes ago.

Mr. Boddy is discovered in the Hall leaning over the table with a tiny puncture wound in his neck. The area around the wound is swollen and irritated. A lady’s wallet is found at the door. Only a photograph of a family in elegant evening wear, the oldest woman wearing a tiara, is found inside.