Strangers in the Night

I lost my car key. For a few weeks I didn't even try to look for it. We had done some work on the family room and dining room floors. The house was a mess. I was sure the key was on the desk I couldn't reach.
It was clear as we put the house back together that the key wasn't on or in the desk. The missing key went from an annoyance to a problem.
I woke up one night certain that the key was in the foyer cabinet. I went downstairs in the dark to look for it. The key wasn't there.
As I walked back up the stairs, Holly raced into the hallway and started barking. It wasn't the friendly bark I hear when I come in the house. It was an angry, protective bark. I talked to her and turned on a light. She calmed down and went back to bed.
I always wondered what Holly would do if a stranger came into the house at night. Now I know, although I didn't think I was going to be the stranger.