Page 29 of The Madman's Nightmare
James pulled the SUV up to the edge of the cousin’s property and turned off the engine, casting us into darkness. He made sure the overhead lights were off so that when we opened the door and got out, making sure to remain as quiet as possible, there wouldn’t be any lights to show us approaching.
Lucian’s men emerged from the thick growth of trees at the edge of the property, and they were on alert as they approached us. Looking from Lucian to me, one of them spoke low, but his voice was clear in our ears as he gave us an update.
“The house appears to be empty. No vehicle in the garage and no heat signatures within the structure.” He paused then added, “If there was anyone here, they’re gone. At least for now.”
James stepped up and spoke to the group. “I found the schematics for the house with the city planner from when it was built in the last eighties.” He lifted a small monitor about the size of an e-reader and showed us the floorplans registered with the city.
“Is there power and water hooked up to the property?” Lucian asked, and James began to work on his tablet.
“None reported,” James replied.
“What’s the move?” Rhys inquired as he kept his head on a swivel as the eight of us stood, wearing head-to-toe black and all carrying weapons.
I looked at the group and said, “We search every room of the house and clear the entire property. Look for any signs someone has been inside recently, and if you find anything, call out.”
Grabbing my Glock from the holster at my thigh, I chambered a round and began to stalk toward the wood line. From our understanding, there was maybe thirty feet of dense trees before the back yard would come into view, and as quietly as we could, the group of us emerged from the trees.
I held up a closed fist, and everyone stopped as I listened for any noise coming from the house but heard nothing. Motioning the group forward, we moved low and quickly, using the various objects arranged in the lawn for cover as we approached the house.
When we were at the back walkway, I pressed up against the back of the house and held my closed fist again. The group concealed themselves against the structure, and one of Lucian’s men spoke quietly into the throat mic.
His voice was clear in my ear as he asked, “Why is the lawn perfectly manicured on an abandoned house?”
I hadn’t noticed the perfectly cut lawn which was out of sorts for a house that supposedly had no utilities or occupants. Looking over my shoulder, I expected to see an empty room through the window only to be met with a heavy curtain that appeared new.
“When did Eleanor say the family died?” I asked.
James answered, “Twenty years or so.”
“Something’s off about the house,” I remarked. “Use caution when entering. Look for traps.”
Normally, I would use my tool kit to pick the lock on the ornate double doors beside me, but my arm was killing me from the bullet wound. I didn’t want to mess this up, so I looked at Lucian, and he stepped up to the doors and pulled a small tool kit from his thigh pocket. With little effort, he got the lock opened, turned the handle, and pressed the door open.
No alarms sounded, and he looked at me before I nodded. Stepping into the room, he held up his weapon, sweeping thespace for anyone hiding before he motioned for us to follow. The house was mostly empty, but there were a few random pieces of furniture here and there in the large rooms.
Rhys, James, and I, along with one of Lucian’s men, started to the left while Lucian, Skid, and the other two men started sweeping to the right. We all made slow, deliberate steps, ensuring our heavy boots didn’t make noise on the marble floor. I glanced and saw Lucian’s group sweeping down a hallway as they moved through the house.
James was on my right, and Rhys and the other man were behind us as we moved from the large room into an empty dining room, the only clue that anyone had been inside was a single chair near the far wall. The house didn’t smell musty, like I’d expected, and I was thinking the information we had was wrong.
A closed door was ahead, and James took the lead as I covered him. Approaching the door, he reached out and pushed the edge, sending it swinging out an inch or so. He looked over at me and turned back to push the door open with one hand while he pointed his gun into the dark room.
We entered behind him and when we entered the room, there were some anomalies about what I was seeing. A basic dining room table sat along the wall, and on the far cabinet, there was a knife sitting on the counter. As we moved across to the far counter and cleared the room, I looked to see a single plate and fork in the bottom of the sink, both clean of any food scraps. James gave us the all clear and we all lowered our weapons as we heard Lucian speaking from the other side of the large house.
“I just found a locked room and inside, man, something’s off about all this,” he remarked into the earpiece.
James gave me a confused look, and I replied, “I’m coming to you. Stay put.”
Walking out of the kitchen, I saw Rhys and Lucian’s man following and when I glanced at James, he was leaning against the with his gun tucked under his crossed arms. He was looking over the room in confusion and he didn’t meet my gaze as I stared at him.
I let him analyze the room while I find out what Lucian discovered. Rhys, the man, and I moved across the large rooms and turned down the hallway, keeping our heads moving and our weapons trained ahead as I started looking into the rooms. Near the end, I saw an open doorway and just as I was about to step into the room to see what he found, a voice came over the earpiece that had me turning and running across the house.
“I found her. I found Elise,” James yelled, with a panic in his usually calm voice.
I turned and ran back down the hallway, not caring how much noise I was making, and I heard people following behind me. I was running so fast I didn’t think to ask if she was okay. I just took off, needing to have her back in my arms again.
Chapter 15
James
