And Then She Was Gone(67)
“Boy, you sure are crabby when you need a nappy.”
“I’m tired and hungry. You dragged me all over the park.”
Jack reached into his pocket. “Here.”
“What is it?” Chandler’s eyes lit up. “Is it a candy bar?”
“It’s a protein bar. Though after all you ate earlier, I can’t understand how you’re hungry again. But it’s got some fiber in it at least.” Jack handed Chandler the bar and then turned back to the door. “I bet it’s locked anyway.”
He put his hand on the doorknob, and the door creaked open ominously.
“Great,” Chandler muttered. “This is getting better and better.”
“It’s a small building. I’ll just peek inside.”
Jack shined the light through the door. Just inside was a room that was empty apart for a pile of crud in the corner. Old wooden floorboards ran the length of the room to a dark open doorway directly across from the entrance, but whatever lay beyond it was past the reach of the flashlight’s beam.
Jack slipped inside, and Chandler, still muttering, followed. The room had a musty odor, and the faint smell of oil hung in the air.
A crinkling noise made Jack jump.
Chandler held up the protein bar with a huge chunk gone. “This is pretty good,” he whispered.
Jack shook his head and walked softly forward. “Hello?”
“Shh,” Chandler snapped.
“We want him to come out.”
“I don’t. Anyway, he’s not here. Let’s go.”
Jack moved toward the open doorway. “I’ll just check the rest of the building and then we’ll go.”
“Bad idea,” Chandler grumbled, but he followed Jack anyway.
The next room had two tables, plus some shelves built into the walls, but otherwise it was as empty as the first room. The third room they found was just as uninteresting.
There was one door left to check. A closed metal door that looked like it led to a closet. Jack’s flashlight beam reflected off the handle.
“It’s probably an electrical room,” Jack said. “I’m sure it’s locked.” He grabbed the handle and pulled. The door swung open with a loud creak. Jack smiled sheepishly. “Okay. Not locked.”
He shined the light through the doorway. Metal stairs led down.
The musty odor of mildew stung his nostrils, but the cool, damp air that swirled up from the darkness below made Jack’s body stiffen. It felt as though he had opened a tomb.
Chandler looked over Jack’s shoulder. “Great. You keep guaranteeing that we’re not going to get into any trouble. Boy am I reassured now.”
Sweat rolled down Jack’s back. He peered into the darkness.
“No way,” Chandler whispered fiercely. “Jack, seriously. This is crossing so many sanity lines I can’t tell you. What if the guy we’re looking for is the killer?”
“You wait here. If something goes south, go get help.”
“That plan sucks.”
“I’m just going to—”
“Hello?” yelled Chandler, leaning forward. “Hello? We need to ask you a question.”
Jack’s hands flew out and the light danced all over the place. “Shh!”
“What?” Chandler shrugged. “You called out for him a minute ago. I can’t? I don’t want to surprise him and freak him out.”
“You’re freaking me out. Come on.”
They descended the stairs, which led to a cement basement that was surprisingly clean and dry. Jack’s light illuminated a large metal box that stood against one wall, its lid secured by a huge padlock. “That’s electrical.” His flashlight beam swept the rest of the room. It stopped on a sleeping mat in the back.
Chandler moved closer to Jack.
The sleeping mat was nothing more than two blankets on the floor and another on top. If it weren’t for the fact that it was on the ground, it would have looked like a freshly turned-down bed with the top blanket folded back. Near the head of the bed was a stack of aluminum cans, meticulously arranged. The light reflected off the metal and sparkled.
Jack moved closer.
A crinkling behind him made him spin around.
Chandler put the last bit of the protein bar in his mouth and stuffed the wrapper in his pocket. “Sorry.”
Jack shined the light on the stack of cans. “It’s a little stockpile,” he whispered. “They’re not open.”
The flashlight focused on the single can on top of the pile. It was a soda can that had been slit down the middle. A candle had been placed inside.
“Look,” Jack whispered. “That’s the same thing we found in that encampment near where Stacy was killed.”