Page 55 of Cassidy

A fact that worked in her favor.

As she headed toward the brown cabin, she paused when she saw headlights growing brighter as a vehicle approached. Lifting a hand to ward off the brightness, she relaxed when she recognized Jina’s SUV.

Her teammate pulled off to the side of the road and lowered her window. “See anything yet?”

“No car in the driveway,” Cass confirmed. “It’s that brown house up ahead.”

“I’m ready.” Jina raised the window and shut down the car. She slid out and quickly joined Cass. “You really think Travis is being held here?”

“There’s only one way to find out.” Cass gestured toward the driveway. “Let’s not take the direct approach yet. I’d rather we split up and get close to the house, see if anyone is inside.”

“Works for me.” Jina grinned, never one to be afraid of a confrontation. “I’ll take the east; you take the west.”

Cass nodded, and they quickly broke apart to head off in opposite directions.

There was some foliage along the sides of the driveway, which helped keep her in the shadows. She held her service weapon ready as she covered the distance to the house. There she paused, giving Jina time to get in position.

She didn’t see any lights on inside, but it was also early. Her stepbrothers slept till noon on weekends, and if Miles and Travis had been out at the restaurant last night, they were likely still sound asleep.

The garage was on Jina’s side, so she didn’t have a chance to look inside. She kept her attention focused on the windows lining the side of the house closest to her. Beyond that, she caught a glimpse of the serene lake. The water along the shoreline was iced over, but the weather hadn’t been cold enough to freeze the deeper areas. That would come in January and February, she knew.

The first window she reached was a bedroom. Disappointed to find it was covered with curtains, she moved onto the next. That was also covered, so she crept to the front corner of the house. Surely the windows facing the lake would not be shrouded in drapes.

She peered around the corner to the backyard. On the opposite side of the small home, she saw Jina doing the same.

Her colleague shook her head, indicating she hadn’t seen anyone. Cass shook her head too, then eased around the corner to sidle up to the next window. As she’d anticipated, this one did not have curtains pulled across the opening. She scanned the interior, but unlike the mess at the restaurant, there were no empty wrappers or dirty dishes lying around.

On the other side, Jina was approaching the window closest to her. Then she gestured for Cass to join her.

Bending at the waist to avoid being seen, she moved quickly to Jina’s side.

“Looks like computer gaming devices on the living room table,” Jina whispered in her ear.

Cass nodded, seeing them for herself. The handheld gaming controls weren’t necessarily proof that Travis and Miles were inside. Still, she felt certain they had been there, and recently.

“Did you see an SUV in the garage?” she asked in a low voice

“Negative,” Jina whispered back. “It’s empty.”

She pursed her lips, realizing Miles and Travis must not have come back here for the night, as she’d hoped. “What do you think? Should we go back to the front and announce ourselves? We don’t have probable cause to break in.”

“Can’t hurt,” Jina agreed with a shrug. “Right behind you.”

Cass took the lead, going around the corner to reach the front of the property. As she passed by the windows, she noted that like the others there were curtains covering the opening. The boys could have ditched the SUV somewhere close and walked there, but it didn’t seem likely.

As she approached the front door, twin headlights cut through the darkness. On instinct, she and Jina turned and darted back to the far east side of the property, seeking cover behind the garage.

The lights drove past, likely someone heading to the day job. She felt foolish for overreacting, but Jina patted her shoulder.

“Time for take two,” her friend whispered in a teasing tone.

She offered a rueful smile and waited for the lights to dim in the distance, before heading back out to the front yard. In silent agreement, she stood to one side of the door while Jina took the other. More than once, bad guys had fired through doors to deter cops from coming inside.

At close range, a bullet to the chest even while wearing a vest could be deadly.

She knocked sharply on the door. “Miles Wayland? We’re with the police! I need you to open the door and come out with your hands up over your head!”

There was nothing but silence. She hadn’t heard any movement from inside, but the cottage could be well insulated.

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