Because he never knew what he was walking into, he checked the weapon, then holstered it. He did the same with his side piece, securing it with an ankle holster before getting out of the SUV. He met Brantley around the front.
“Those comms would come in handy right about now,” Brantley said absently.
Yeah. Yeah, they definitely would. Reese would have to follow up with his brother on that. Since they seemed to continuously get themselves in these situations, it would be good to have a way to communicate with each other and with home base. Sooner rather than later.
“We need to find those hidden rooms,” Brantley said as they approached the house. “If those women are here, that’s where they’ll be.”
“And if they’re not?”
“Then we find them.” Brantley glanced over at him again. “One way or another, we put an end to this, Reese. Today.”
Reese nodded, letting Brantley know he understood.
Stepping up on the porch, Reese sidestepped to peek into the living room while Brantley knocked on the door. It wasn’t surprising no one answered.
“We’re goin’ in,” Brantley told Reese, his words spoken softly.
Pulling his pick set out of his pocket, he passed it over. Brantley went to work on the lock, springing it in probably half the time it had taken Reese, which was saying something. Reese had perfected the art of picking locks. Evidently, Brantley’d mastered it.
Once inside, neither of them spoke. Reese kept his ears alert for any noises. The refrigerator hummed in the kitchen, but that was the only noise aside from the heater blowing softly from the air vents in the floor.
Like before, they cleared the house, checking all the rooms to ensure no one was hiding. And like earlier, they found it was clear despite the fact the detective’s car was in the drive this time.
Brantley’s hand signal directed Reese into the kitchen while he went the opposite direction, into the hallway. Between them, there should be two bedrooms and a bath if Trey’s information was accurate. The question was, how did they get in and what was waiting for them behind those walls?
Reese felt along the wall, looking for a secret panel or something that blended. He found nothing, moving in the direction Brantley went. Down the hallway, he continued to scope the walls, the floors. Aside from the ill-constructed wall Brantley had mentioned, he found nothing, so he continued. Through the master bedroom, into the adjoining bath. No sooner did he step into the bathroom than he saw Brantley holding up a hand, motioning him closer.
Brantley was focused on the interior of what looked to be a towel closet.
“These shelves were in place before,” Brantley said softly, pointing to a stack of wooden boards leaning against the cabinet.
Peering into the closet, he saw that it was empty. The perfect place for a hidden doorway.
Sure enough, the wall had been crudely cut so that the Sheetrock could be set aside. On the floor, the chalky substance had been ground into the white linoleum. Had they known what they were looking for earlier, they probably would’ve noticed it.
“If he was in there, that Sheetrock wouldn’t be in place,” Reese noted. “He’d have a hard time puttin’ it in position from that side.”
Brantley looked at him and nodded. “You see if the women are in there. I’m gonna check the rest of the house. Be careful.”
“Always.”
With his Sig in hand, Reese traded places with Brantley, pulling the Sheetrock out of its resting spot, setting it aside. On the other side, there was a thin door fashioned from balsa wood, it looked like. Not sturdy, by any means, but it served its purpose of sealing the space off.
Reese pressed his back to the wall at the side of the door in case Collins was on the other side with a weapon. With one hand, he turned the knob, pushed the door open, then peeked in. On the other side of the door, he was greeted with darkness. The sort that disoriented a person when they were in it for too long. It brought back memories that Reese quickly shoved aside. He would not go there now. He couldn’t.
He retrieved his flashlight from his belt, held it in one hand. Supporting the hand holding his guns, he moved deeper into the space.
Reese was greeted with scurrying sounds, and for a second, he wondered if the detective kept an animal. Or maybe rats.
One more step, more scurrying.
Something tickled his face so he reached up, found that it was a string. He tugged on it and a yellow glow filled the space.
No, those weren’t animals.
They were women.
Holy.
Fuck.Chapter Twenty“Collins!” Brantley shouted. “Show yourself, man. It’s over.”
There was a snickering sound coming from the living room, so Brantley moved that direction, gun at the ready.
“Jake? Is that you?” he asked, keeping his tone cool, that of a parent talking to a child. “We need to talk.”
