Page 137 of Forever Dead

“They went back toward Meekie’s. One of them called from there.”

Connor pressed the accelerator. “Send Arnold and whoever else is closest. Have somebody meet the kids and keep them there.”

“I’ve already got Chuck heading toward the maze.”

“Good. Tell Arnold to come straight to the house.”

“Connor, he’s about fifteen minutes out.”

“I’m closer.”

He returned the handset to its clip and reached for the switch.

Blue light filled the roadside.

The SUV surged forward.

Trees rushed through alternating darkness and flashes of blue as Connor took the curves harder than he normally would. A minivan pulled onto the shoulder ahead. He passed it, accelerated again and felt the familiar pressure gather across his shoulders.

A scream did not mean murder.

People screamed near Halloween attractions. Teenagers frightened each other. Couples argued. Foxes made noises that could turn an empty field into something much worse if a person did not know what they were hearing.

Nora was not answering either phone.

That changed it.

The road rose after Meekie’s, climbing between corn on one side and rough pasture on the other. Orange lights from the maze flickered below through gaps in the trees.

Then the Ellison farmhouse appeared above him.

No lights showed in the windows.

Connor turned into the drive.

Gravel sprayed beneath the tires as the SUV climbed toward the house. The blue flashers swept over an old barn, a rusted tractor and two bare trees near the porch. Nora’s sedan sat beside the farmhouse.

He killed the siren before reaching the top.

The sudden quiet made the property feel larger.

Connor stopped twenty yards from the porch and left the flashers running. Blue light moved over the white siding, disappeared, then returned. No one came to the door.

He drew his service weapon before getting out.

Cold wind crossed the hill. Somewhere below, faint music carried from Meekie’s. Laughter rose with it, distorted by distance.

“Nora?”

Connor kept the SUV between himself and the house for another few seconds.

No response. Connor didn’t like it.

His vest was still in his locker at the station. He'd taken it off before going to Malone's and stayed out on calls afterward, meaning to collect it before the evening was over.

He should have gone back for it, but now with Nora's car in the drive and her front door standing open, he wasn't going to leave her while he made the trip.

He lifted the radio clipped to his shoulder. “Cheryl, I’m at Ellison. Nora’s car is here. Front door’s open.”