Chapter Nine
It was very dark and very quiet as carefully opened the window of her room. She could hear crickets, other night insects, and the sound of her own breathing, but the trading post town seemed to be deeply asleep. Well, that suited her, except that it was a bit too much like the old movie cliché about it being too quiet. She eased her backpack out onto the porch roof just below her window with great care and waited. After a minute, which she measured on the cheap wristwatch she’d bought earlier, she eased one leg out onto the roof next to the pack. Straddling the windowsill, she waited for another measured minute, looking around and listening. Finally, she got out onto the roof and shut the window behind her…and waited again.
There was no noise or movement that even hinted th
