Page 41 of A Song for the Dead

With her keys in one hand, the Glock in the other down by her side, she moved as fast as possible to the front door. In darkness, she fumbled for the lock but under her hand the door swung open. She froze, gaping inside the black maw that was her family room. Had she left and not locked the front door? Was she losing her mind? Leaving the fire burning was one thing, but going out in Serial Killer Central without locking the door? She swallowed hard and ran her fingers along the wall for the light switch. When the room flooded with light, she stood transfixed, too afraid to go inside and too scared to risk running back to the Jeep.

The house appeared to be undisturbed. If someone had broken in, surely there would be signs? She pushed her keys inside her pocket and holding the Glock out in front of her with both hands, moved through the house. Everything seemed normal. She’d locked the back door when leaving and it was still locked. No drawers hung open, no one had riffled through her things. She turned back around and walked to the front door, turned the deadbolt, and collapsed against it, heaving a sigh of relief. No one had been there and her home was safe. It had been a long day. She’d eaten at Aunt Betty’s and needed to take a long hot shower and relax for a few hours. Maybe she’d watch TV in bed.

Heading back to the kitchen, she dumped her purse, Glock, and keys on the kitchen table and went to the mudroom to remove her coat and shoes. Returning she stared at the fog pushing hard against the kitchen windows. A wave of fear gripped her as something moved deep in the misty depths. Was the breeze from the river swirling the mist into strange shapes or was someone out there watching her? Had the fool with the Halloween mask returned to play a cruel joke on her again? That had been the most embarrassing thing ever. After calling Zac Rio for help and then having Jake Rowley assume she was hitting on Zac had made her blush for days just thinking about it. As if she’d do such a thing? She had to work in close proximity with the sheriff’s department all the time and she didn’t need any kind of awkwardness. Next time she needed help, she’d call 911.

She went to her bedroom after pulling her phone from the top pocket of her shirt, tossed it onto the bed, and undressed. After pulling on a robe, she went back to the mudroom, to drop her clothes into the washer. The smell of cooking lingered on them and she could almost scrape the feel of oil from her skin. As she walked along the passageway to her bedroom, a familiar grinding creak sounded behind her. Heart pounding, she stopped midstride and looked over one shoulder. The one place she hadn’t checked was the cellar. She always kept the bolt across the door and never went down there. It was filled with storage boxes and some old furniture, spiders, and cobwebs. In her mind it was a no-go zone but she recognized the whine of the old hinges and every hair on her body stood to attention. It wasn’t her imagination this time. Floorboards creaked. Someone was inside the house. Trembling with fear, she moved into her bedroom. She’d left her Glock on the kitchen table and frantically looked all around for a weapon. Rushing into the bathroom, she grabbed a can of deodorant and went back into the bedroom and snatched up her phone. She called 911 and the call went straight to Rio. “It’s Wendy. There’s someone inside my house.”

“You sure it’s not your imagination again?”Rio let out a long sigh.“It’s foggy outside and spooky. Maybe it’s just the trees scratching against the house again.”

Wendy wasn’t imagining the sound of footsteps moving through her house. Someone was looking for her. “I can hear footsteps, Zac. I’m stuck in my bedroom and my gun is downstairs. I need help.”

“Okay, I’ll call it in. I’m on a case right now.”He disconnected.

Panic gripped her and she stared at the blank screen in her hand. Would anyone come and help her?

FORTY-EIGHT

When Rio’s voice came through Jenna’s earpiece, she tensed ready for action. “What happened?”

“It’s Wendy from Aunt Betty’s. She called again about a prowler. What do you want me to do? I figure she’s just lonely and seeking attention.”

Annoyed, Jenna glanced at Kane. He could hear the conversation through his comm. “What prowler? You’ve never mentioned it before.”

“Twice now. Once, she saw someone in a Halloween mask outside her window; second, she said someone had been inside, set the fire, and filled the coffee machine. I did report we went by her house to check it out but not about a prowler because there wasn’t anyone. It’s her imagination, is all. We searched all around, did a drive-by later that night as well, but there was nobody there.”

Shaking her head and dialing her phone to speak to Wendy, Jenna sighed. “Do you have eyes on Stark?”

“Yeah, he’s right here.”

“Watch him.” Kane’s chair scraped along the floor as he stood.

Dragging on her coat and heading for the door with Kane and Carter on her heels, Jenna waited for Wendy to pick up. “It’s Jenna.”

“Someone’s in the house.”Wendy was breathing heavily.“I just got home and heard the cellar door open. I hear footsteps like someone is searching around.”

Jumping inside the Beast, Jenna kept the phone pressed to her ear. Panic for Wendy’s safety gripped her, but she needed to sound calm and in control. “We’re on our way. Where are you right now?” She switched the phone to speaker.

“I’m in the bedroom. I shut the door, but my Glock is in the kitchen with my purse.”

Jenna glanced at Kane as he hit lights and sirens and pushed his way through the dense fog along Main. “Okay, do you have anything to push across the door? If so, do it now.” In the background she could hear grunts of effort and furniture moving.

“I’ve put the bed across the door but I don’t think it will stop anyone coming in. Just a minute.”She grunted and heaved.“Okay. I’ve turned the nightstand around so one end is butted up against the bed. I figure it will hold for a short time.”

Heart thumping, Jenna bent to switch off lights and sirens as they turned onto Maple. If this was the killer, they could sneak right up on him in the fog. She kept her voice steady. “We’re close by, whatever you do don’t go into the shower. If this is who we think it is, he likes to strike in the bathroom.”

“I hear someone in the passageway.”Wendy’s voice was just above a whisper.“He’s here right now. Oh, my God the doorknob is turning. He’s trying to get inside.”

“Do you have a two-way lock on the bathroom door?” Kane took his foot off the gas and rolled onto Maple.

“Yes, it has an inside lock and outside I can lock it with a key. The key is always in the lock.”Breathless, Wendy was trying so hard to keep calm.

“Okay, go and lock the door, take the key, and then hide in the closet. He’ll think you’re in the bathroom. We’re two minutes away. Stay on the line, but don’t say anything. We’re sneaking inside.” Kane’s voice was low, controlled, and calm, and his eyes were as cold as ice.

The Beast came to rest about twenty yards from Wendy’s house. Jenna muted her phone and tucked it inside her top pocket, she glanced at Kane. “She has a deadbolt on her front door, how did he get inside?”

“Not sure.” Kane looked at Carter. “Can you get through a deadbolt without making a sound?”

“Can you tie a shoelace?” Carter slipped away into the fog.

---