“Roger that.” Jenna moved some distance away, keeping her back to the house and looking in all directions.
With memories of similar disastrous situations during his tour of Afghanistan lingering like a warning in the recesses of his mind, Kane pressed his back to the wall then, heart pounding, took a deep breath and reached for the doorknob. The old wooden door stuck tight, the frame warped from years of neglect. Dammit. He turned the rusty knob again and pulled hard. With a creak of wood and rusty metal, the door inched open. A rush of stale air leaked out and he heard a rustling from inside. He turkey-peeked around the door, relieved to find that no gun sat cocked and ready to blow him away. It was pitch black inside and the rustling came again, making his gut clench. He used his boot to push the door open, then turned to Jenna and whispered into his mic. “I hear something inside, it could be rats. It’s too dark to make out. Can you see the window from your position?”
“It looks like it’s been painted over.” Jenna retraced her steps back to his side. “Why would anyone do that?”
Kane shrugged and kept his vo
ice just above a whisper too. “So no one would know someone was living here or holding a girl against her will.” He indicated toward the mudroom. “Let’s take a look inside.” He pulled out his weapon and then taking a flashlight from his belt held it against his Glock. He aimed the beam inside then climbed the old wooden steps. The light picked out details of the kitchen. The floor was, surprisingly, free of the thick coating of dust that he’d encountered there a couple of years earlier. An overturned garbage bin had spilled its contents over the floor. Red eyes peered back at him and a large rat scampered away into the darkness. “Someone’s been staying here. The kitchen is clear apart from the rats.” He moved the light around the room then eased down the hallway.
“Two bedrooms and the family room is at the end of the hall.” Jenna slipped in behind him. “We’ll be sitting ducks if he’s in there.”
Kane touched his ear. “The floorboards creak. If he moves, we’ll hear him – but the rats are moving around, so it’s unlikely that he’s in here. They took off as soon as they saw me.”
The first door hung open at a strange angle. One of the top hinges had rusted through. Kane shone his flashlight inside but only dust greeted him. “Clear.” He moved to the next door. A new padlock hung open on an improvised lock. He glanced at Jenna. “Stay here. That’s the room he used, so if he’s planted a device it will likely be in there.”
He could only just make out Jenna’s nod of consent in the dim light. Under his boots, the floorboards groaned with each step as he moved past the closed door to check the family room. An old sofa sat before the fireplace and someone had used the grate recently. “Clear.”
“She could be inside.” Jenna’s voice sounded desperate. “Amanda, can you hear me? It’s Sheriff Alton.”
Nothing.
“Amanda, are you in there?”
Nothing.
“Can you see if he’s rigged the door?” Jenna’s flashlight moved all around the frame. “I can’t see any wires.”
Kane examined the door but found no sign of tampering. “Same as before – move back into the kitchen and I’ll try and open the door.”
He waited for her to retreat, and then grasped the handle and the door swung open. Darkness and the smell of pee greeted him. He aimed his flashlight inside and then turned to Jenna and shook his head. “Someone was here but it’s empty now. Dammit, we’ll have to check the cellar.” He holstered his weapon. “If the Shadow Man has used this place Wolfe might be able to pick up some trace evidence.”
“I’ll get his ETA.” Jenna made the call. “They’ve just parked behind your truck and are on their way.”
Kane used his mic. “Wolfe, the back entrance is clear. Follow the tree line and don’t use the animal track. We haven’t swept the front of the house. We’re heading out the back door and over to the barn to check the root cellar.”
“Roger that. We’ll keep clear of the front of the house.”
Thirty-Seven
Jenna followed Kane down the back steps and they crept along the side of the house. The barn doors stood open and a shaft of light picked up the hatch leading to the root cellar. She waited for him to scan the area with his binoculars. “See anything?’
“Nope.” Kane turned to look at her. “Let me go first. We’ll head for the side of the barn, then take a closer look to make sure it’s safe to go inside.”
“Okay.”
As Kane took off across the rough ground between the house and barn, Wolfe’s voice came in her ear.
“We’re at the back door. Want us to watch your back before we go inside?”
Jenna turned to see Wolfe standing at the corner of the house. She pressed her mic. “Roger that.”
Moments later, Wolfe and Webber jogged to her side. She glanced over at Kane’s progress. He’d made the thirty yards to the barn without incident. He scanned the area before waving her toward him. She scanned all directions, and then jogged toward him, but halfway across, Wolfe’s voice broke the silence.
“Sniper!” Wolfe was aiming toward the hill and emptying his weapon.
As she turned to look at him, bullets slammed into her back and the impact, like a baseball bat to her ribs, threw her flat on her face. Pain shot through her like a red-hot poker and she gasped for breath. The ground beneath her wavered slightly and the grass pricked her eyes, then the metallic taste of blood covered her tongue. She turned her head to look at Kane and knew from his expression that it was bad. Oh, Jesus.
“Stay down, Jenna.” Kane’s voice came in her ear. “Don’t move.”