Page 52 of Save Her Life

“Good.” With that, Elwood was gone.

“We’re clear to breach and search this entire property, including the outbuildings.”

“I’m going back to the sheds,” Gabe told her, and she didn’t care for the somber note of his voice.

“I’m coming too,” she told him, and Karl also tagged along.

They got outside of the nearest one, and she called out, “Olivia?”

Gabe and Karl exchanged a look.

“You tried that?” she asked on a hunch.

“We did,” Karl admitted.

He didn’t need to say more as she took the following silence to mean there had been no answer. She tried the door handle, expecting and fearing that it would be locked. It turned without resistance. The Novaks must have forgotten to lock it behind them when they moved.Or Duane had been here with Olivia and left…The latter thought had her trembling. After all, where would he have taken her from here? And even if he had kept her here, there were neighbors close enough to hear screaming. And just like that her whirling mind intensified her fears.

Just think positive…

She stepped into the shed, flashing her light over the space. Patio furniture and lawn decorations filled most of it. As she rolled the beam into all the corners, desperation was rising within her. “There’s nothing here.” She turned to leave, almost bumping into her fellow agents, not sure if she was relieved or disappointed but sided with the latter. It still left her girl out there. Somewhere.

She checked the second shed next. This one was locked, but Karl picked the lock. Inside was lawn equipment, bags of potting soil, and garden tools. No sign Olivia had ever been.

The garage was searched next and gave up no obvious secrets, even as Sandra continued to inhale deeply to see if she could pick up even a subtle trace of Olivia’s perfume.

Her colleagues trailed behind her, more than capable of branching out on their own, but she respected that they stayed close to her. It communicated they had her back literally and figuratively. Neither of them had commented on Olivia or expressed their sympathies about the predicament, but she could feel it coming from them.

They entered the house, flicking on the lights there, and she found the stairs to the basement.

“Olivia!” she called out as she took the steps down.

The lower level was finished in this area, but the absence of furniture made it quick to work through. She entered the utility room and tugged down on the chain attached to a simple overhead fixture. This room housed a furnace and water heater, but there was also a washer and dryer, a fridge, and an upright freezer jammed into the space. She moved to the back of the room, catching sight of a door there.

Her heart was pounding as she reached out to pull the handle.

A loud banging came from upstairs.

“Son of—” Sandra laid a hand on her chest.

“Sounds like someone’s at the front door,” Karl said.

“Go check it out then,” Gabe told him.

Karl’s steps thumped up the stairs, sounding like he was taking two at a time. Not a challenge for his long legs.

She stood there, her heartbeat sounding in her ears, and faint voices joined the rhythm.

“You can go ahead,” Gabe gently prompted her, and when she looked at him, he gestured toward the door.

She’d almost forgotten what she was about to do. Almost. She pulled on the door. It was cold storage, and it was empty.

Gabe put a hand on her shoulder but didn’t say a word. She nodded, getting his expression of camaraderie and support.

They left the basement and found an older man standing in the entry with Karl.

The man pointed at them, and Karl turned around.

“This is Tim Hewitt. He lives next door,” Karl told them. “He was curious who was here because he knows the Novaks have moved.”

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