She didn’t move a muscle. Desperate to get inside, I tried opening the front windows, but no luck. The garage! I thought, jumping off the porch. I remembered Mandy saying it had one of those old-fashioned garage doors—the kind you lifted up and down. When I pulled the door up, I heard the sound of a car engine . . . running! Carbon monoxide! I thought in a panic. Carbon monoxide was colorless, odorless, and deadly! “How could they leave the car on?” I asked myself as I ran toward the car. “How can they be so stupid?” I flung the car door open, found the keys, and turned off the engine. Then I bolted through the side door into the house. Was I too late? Had the noxious gas killed the Casabian sisters? The windows were easier to open from inside. As fresh air blew into the house, I ran to Mandy and touched her neck. Her pulse was throbbing. She was still alive. “Mandy, sit up,” I said, lightly slapping her face. Mandy mumbled something I couldn’t understand. But I had to leave her at the staircase to check on Mallory and Mia.
