Page 34 of No Escape

Suzie’s interest piqued, and she eagerly leaned forward. “A tree? Like Oak Street, or Elm Road?”

Valerie shook her head. “No, it was more unusual than that.”

The sisters exchanged determined glances, their minds racing to uncover the missing piece of information. As they wracked their brains, Valerie’s gaze drifted across the lake, her eyes landing on a cluster of trees near the water’s edge. Among them stood a tall, twisting specimen with a silver hue to its bark, and a name suddenly came to her.

“Silverbell! That’s it!” Valerie exclaimed, her excitement palpable. “Emily Murphy lived on Silverbell Lane. That’s where we need to go.”

Suzie’s face lit up with hope, as she realized they finally had a lead. “Val, that’s amazing. Let’s go, we might still have a chance to get ahead of John.”

Without another word, Valerie shifted the truck into gear and drove out of the park. As the sky slowly darkened into night and the first stars twinkled above, she stepped on the accelerator, her determination driving them forward. She knew that time was running short, but if they could find Emily Murphy in time, then it would all be worth it in the end.

Valerie’s mind raced as she drove, the memory of the conversation with her team filling her with renewed energy. She knew that this was their best chance to catch John Murphy before he hurt anyone else. As she drove through the dark streets, she couldn’t shake the feeling that they were getting closer, that they were on the verge of a breakthrough.

Finally, they arrived at Silverbell Lane, a quiet street lined with modest homes and neatly trimmed lawns. Valerie parked the truck at the end of the street and they got out, hurrying toward Emily Murphy’s house, Valerie thankful she remembered which one it was.

The house was a small, single-story affair, with a well-kept yard and a white picket fence. Valerie and Suzie approached it with caution, their hands hovering near their guns. They knew that a killer could be inside, and they had to be prepared for anything.

Valerie knocked on the door, her heart racing as she waited for a response, her instincts telling her that something was not right.

“No one home?” Suzie asked.

“Maybe… Or…”

Valerie moved to the side of the door and looked through a window into the darkness inside. The light from a streetlight behind them cast enough of its hue to illuminate the outline of an overturned chair lying on the floor.

“There’s been a struggle,” Valerie said, feeling for the knife in her pocket like a security blanket. How she wished it was her revolver.

The upturned chair in the window only added to her unease as night blanketed the world in dark silence.

She exchanged a quick glance with Suzie, and together they cautiously approached the front door again.

Valerie knocked once more, but there was no answer. She tried the handle, and the door creaked open. The sisters exchanged another worried look and then stepped inside.

“Stay alert,” Valerie said quietly.

The interior of the house was dark and silent, the air heavy with the scent of dust and neglect. Valerie’s hand strayed to the handle of the knife, her nerves on edge as she crept forward. They explored the ground floor, searching for any signs of Emily or John Murphy.

As they made their way through the unlit hallway, a sudden noise from upstairs made them stop in their tracks. Valerie motioned for Suzie to follow her, and they crept up the stairs, their steps muffled by the thick carpet.

At the top, they found themselves on a small landing, with two doors off to either side. Valerie held up a finger, signaling Suzie to wait, and then pressed her ear to the first door. She listened intently, but all she could hear was the sound of her own breathing.

With a sudden burst of courage, Valerie pushed the door open, revealing a small bedroom, empty except for a neatly made bed and a few pieces of furniture. The second bedroom was empty as well. Valerie let out a sigh of relief, her mind racing with possibilities of where John Murphy could be hiding.

“What was that noise then?” Suzie asked.

Valerie pointed to the window in the first room. Silhouetted against the dark was an overgrown tree, its branches occasionally slapping against the window sill whenever a breeze filtered across the night sky.

She looked around the room.

“I think the house is empty,” she said. “But I don’t understand why the front door was unlocked.”

“Should we go back downstairs?” Suzie asked.

Valerie nodded to Suzie, and they made their way back down to the first floor. As they entered the kitchen, Valerie’s eyes scanned the room, searching for any clues that could lead them to John Murphy or Emily. That’s when she saw it—a note lying on the kitchen table.

Valerie’s adrenaline surged as she spied the note on the kitchen table addressed to someone named James. She snatched it up, her breath quickening with dread.

Hey, James. Emily had a bad fall. Me and two other neighbors called an ambulance. She’s okay, but I think she hurt her hip. I’ve written down where she is, the note began.

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