Page 119 of Forever Gone

Selena parked short of the gravel. The wind caught the car door when she opened it. Leaves scraped along the road and collected against the porch steps.

The first cruiser arrived as Selena pulled on her protective vest. Deputy Kelvin joined them, while Chuck Danner came around the far side of the property from the second approach.

“Chuck, take the rear,” Selena said. “Deputy Kelvin, hold the east side and watch the road. If anyone comes out, don’t approach alone.”

Both deputies acknowledged her.

Selena and Kelly crossed the drive.

No sound came from inside the house. The lamp at the rear threw a narrow amber shape across one side window. A branch rubbed against the roof, paused, then returned with the next gust.

Kelly stopped near the front window. The curtains had been left open by several inches.

“Living room,” she whispered. “No movement.”

Selena angled toward the glass. A sofa faced a small television. Framed landscape prints hung in a straight row. A half-finished glass of water stood on an end table beside a folded newspaper.

Nothing suggested panic or a hurried struggle.

Selena climbed the porch steps and knocked.

“Carol Fen, FBI.”

Kelly announced herself beside her.

They waited.

The clock inside the house marked several seconds, each one distinct through the door.

Selena knocked again. “Carol, we have a warrant to enter and search the property.”

No reply followed.

Chuck’s voice came through Selena’s earpiece. “Rear door’s locked. I found a magnetic key box under the railing.”

“Bring it forward.”

He appeared around the west side a moment later and placed the small black box in Selena’s gloved hand. A brass key waited inside.

Selena tested it in the front lock. The deadbolt turned.

She drew her weapon and opened the door.

“FBI. Carol, call out.”

Silence reached them from the hallway.

Selena entered first. Kelly remained close behind, her weapon directed toward the living-room opening. The clock stood on a shelf near the kitchen, its second hand moving with a soft mechanical tick.

They cleared the living room, then the kitchen.

A gray cardigan hung across the back of a chair. Two clean plates dried beside the sink. A grocery list had been fixed to the refrigerator with a magnet shaped like a strawberry.

Bread. Milk. Soup. Batteries.

The ordinary details made Selena more alert, not less. Carol had left the house ready for another morning.

A narrow passage led to two bedrooms and a bathroom. The first bedroom served as storage. Boxes lined one wall, marked CHRISTMAS, KITCHEN, and ANDREW.