Page 19 of Already Lost

“I think we should go in alone,” she said.“It’s a quiet, residential place. He won’t know that we’re coming. I think ifwe go in all guns blazing, we’ll cause more problems than we solve. Quick,quiet, and efficient is best.”

“Hm.” Nate chewed his own lip for a momentbefore looking back at Laura. “Fine. But at the first sign of anything goingsouth, we retreat and call for backup. No heroics, alright?”

Laura glanced at him. “Is this because Igot hit in the head last time?”

“And burned the time before that,” Natesaid, gesturing to the side of her hand. She was still wearing a bandage there,though a very light one. It was getting along towards healed. “Not to mentionall the other times. Laura, you kind of have a reckless approach to arrestingsuspects.”

Laura shrugged. “I just don’t want anyoneelse to die,” she said, looking away from the bandage. She hardly thought aboutit anymore. There was always something more pressing – a case, Lacey, a datewith Chris, her visions. It was only when she had to go back to the hospital toget the dressing changed and the progress checked that it bothered her.

“Yeah, well, I don’t wantyoutodie,” Nate said, starting the engine. “So sue me. I’m going to pull up rightoutside so we can get him out here in cuffs easier, alright?”

“Right,” Laura agreed, finding no reasonto argue with him about the other thing and prolong the discussion.

Nate did as he said he would, slowlycreeping the car forward and then pulling to a stop directly outside the home.Laura eyed the door, the front yard, the car parked in the driveway. She wasmentally assessing, looking for escape routes they’d have to watch out for,things that might go wrong.

“Ready?”

Laura nodded. “Ready.”

The two of them got out of the car intandem, timing it well to slam their doors shut in the same moment. Laura wason the passenger side and therefore the fastest to walk up the short path tothe front door, but Nate was right behind her as she knocked loudly andforcefully. She waited a moment, listening hard. She wasn’t against the idea ofbreaking the door down if no one answered. They had reasonable suspicion thatsomeone could be held captive in there even right now, after all.

But then she heard a footstep on the otherside of the door, and felt every muscle in her body tense for theconfrontation.

It was a man that answered the door, whichwas a good start – but she had no idea yet what their suspect looked like.“Yvan West?” she asked, barking the words louder than she’d intended.

“Yes,” he said, looking taken aback,glancing between her and Nate on his doorstep.

“FBI,” Nate announced, quickly movingforward to put himself in the doorway so that West couldn’t close it. “We havesome questions to ask you. Alright if we come inside?” He was already moving,forcing West to walk back with him in the narrow corridor, keeping him awayfrom the door and the exit to potential freedom.

“Um,” West managed, beginning to stammer.Laura stepped in after Nate and closed the door behind her. Perhaps they werebeing heavy-handed, but not if they were dealing with a killer who had alreadytaken multiple lives. “Wh-what’s going on – who are you -?”

“Take a seat, Mr. West,” Nate said, deftlyfinding the living room and gesturing their suspect towards a sofa. He satobediently, almost falling down as if he had no control over whether he obeyedor not. The house was cramped inside, filled with too much furniture, most ofwhich was also covered in boxes and stacked organizers. What was this?

“What’s happening?” Mr. West asked again,almost plaintively.

Laura glanced around and her heart almoststopped.

Right in the front of the living room,tucked inside a bay window with the curtains resting right up against them,were three devices that looked like they played music. But they were notgramophones.

“What are those?” Laura asked bluntly,doing nothing to assuage his fears just yet. If he was on the back foot, andnot putting on a performance, so much the better. They didn’t want him to thinkhe could get the upper hand on them if he really was the killer.

“Phonographs,” he said. “They’re an oldkind of record player. I- I work at the community theater in town and wethought they might add a bit of class to our performances, but we needed three,you see – two to run in alternate scenes and one in case the others breakdown.” He was rambling, seemingly with nerves, his words fast and running intoone another.

And Laura had a very bad feeling.

“Where did you get those from?” she asked.

“Antique Sound, over on Rose Avenue,” Westsaid.

Laura’s stomach dropped even further.

“Have you purchased anything else fromthat store?” she asked.

“N-no,” West stammered, looking utterlybewildered. “Is there some kind of problem with the store? I only discovered itlast week. It’s my first time buying anything there.”

Nate swore under his breath.

“Let me be absolutely clear about this,”Laura said, looking him dead in the eye. “You purchased three phonographs fromAntique Sound last week. You didn’t purchase any gramophones?”

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