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Somehow, she managed to scramble to the other side. Will made sure she was clear, then bolted the fence like a ten-year-old Chinese gymnast.
"Show-off," she mumbled, making her way up the steep hill toward the empty house. The basement was a wall of windows onto the backyard with French doors at either end. As she got closer, she could see that one of the doors was open. The wind picked up, and a piece of white curtain flapped outside in the breeze.
"This can't be this easy," Will said, obviously thinking what Faith was thinking: Was their suspect hiding inside? Was this where he was keeping his victims?
Will walked toward the house with a determined gait.
She asked, "Should I call for backup?"
Will didn't seem concerned. He pushed open the door with his elbow and poked his head inside.
"Ever hear of probable cause?"
"Do you hear that noise?" he asked, even though they both knew that he hadn't heard a thing. Legally, they couldn't go into a private home without a search warrant or threat of imminent danger.
Faith turned around, looking back at Olivia Tanner's house. The woman obviously did not believe in window coverings. From Faith's vantage point, she could see clear through to the kitchen and what must have been Olivia's bedroom. "We should call for a warrant."
Will was already inside. Faith cursed him under her breath as she took her gun out of her purse. She went into the basement, stepping carefully onto the white Berber carpet. The basement was finished, probably a media room at one time. There was a pool table and a wet bar. Wires stuck out of the wall where a home theater system had been. Will was nowhere to be seen. "Idiot," she mumbled, taking another step inside, pressing back the door until it was flat against the wall. She listened, her ears straining so hard that she felt a phantom pain from the effort.
"Will?" she whispered. There was no answer, and Faith ventured farther, her heart pounding in her chest. She leaned over the wet bar, looking behind the counter and seeing an empty box and a soda can on its side. There was a closet behind her, the door partially open. Faith used the muzzle of her gun to open it wide.
"It's empty," Will said, rounding a corner and scaring the shit out of her.
"What the hell are you doing?" Faith snapped. "He could've been in here."
Will didn't seem fazed. "We need to find out who has access to this house. Realtors. Contractors. Anyone interested in buying the house." He took a pair of latex gloves out of his pocket and checked the lock on the French door. "There's tooling marks here. Someone picked the lock." He walked over to the windows, which were covered in cheap plastic blinds. One of the blades was bent back. Will twisted open the plastic wand, letting natural light flood in. He squatted down and studied the floor.
Faith put her gun back into her purse. Her heart was still beating like a snare drum. "Will, you scared the crap out of me. Don't walk into a house like that without me with you."
"You can't have it both ways."
"What does that mean?" she demanded, though she figured it out before the question left her mouth. He was trying to be more aggressive to please her.
"Look." He motioned her over. "Footprints."
Faith could see a reddish outline of a pair of shoes on the flat surface of the carpet. One of the great things about living in Georgia was the red clay that stuck to every surface, whether it was wet or dry. She glanced out the window, past the broken blade on the blinds. Olivia's house was on full display.
Will said, "You were right. He's been watching them. He follows them, learns their routines, knows who they are." He walked behind the wet bar, opening and closing cabinet doors. "Someone used this Coke can as an ashtray."
"Movers, probably."
He opened the refrigerator. She heard glass rattling. "Doc Peterson's Root Beer." He had probably recognized the logo.
"We should get out of here before we contaminate the scene any more than we already have."
Thankfully, Will seemed to agree. He followed Faith outside, pulling the door back to where they'd found it.
She said, "This feels different."
"How so?"
"I don't know," she admitted. "We didn't find anything at Jackie's mother's house or Pauline's work. Leo searched her house. There was nothing there. Our guy doesn't leave clues, so why do we have a pair of shoe prints? Why was the door left open?"
"He lost his first two victims. Anna and Jackie escaped. Maybe Olivia Tanner was in the pipeline. Maybe he had to move her ahead to replace them."
"Who would know this house was vacant?"
"Anybody who was paying attention."
Faith looked back at Olivia's house and saw Michael Tanner standing on the back porch. The thought of wrangling her ass over that fence again was not a welcome one.
Will said, "I'll go. You walk around."
She shook her head, walking back down the yard with a determined gait. The fence would be easier from this side, since the supports were facing out. There was a long two-by-four down the middle that acted as a step, and Faith was able to lift herself over with less assistance than before. Will did another swoop, vaulting over with one hand.
Michael Tanner stood at the back door of his sister's house, hands clasped together as he watched them approach. "Is something wrong?"
"Nothing we can share with you right now," Faith told him. "I'm going to need you to—"
Her foot slipped out from under her as she stepped on the bottom stair. A comical noise close to a woof came out of her mouth, but there was nothing funny about the way Faith felt. Her vision went crazy for a few seconds, her head spinning. Without thinking, her hand went to her stomach and all she could think about was what was growing inside.
"You okay?" Will asked. He was kneeling beside her, his hand cupping the back of her head.
Michael Tanner was on her other side. "Just breathe very slowly until you catch your breath." His hands went down her spine, and she was about to slap him away before she remembered he was a doctor. "Slow breaths. In and out."
Faith tried to do as he said. She had been panting for no apparent reason.
Will asked, "Are you okay?"
She nodded, thinking maybe she was. "Just knocked the breath out of me," she managed. "Help me up."
Will's hand went under her arms, and she realized how strong he was as he easily lifted her to standing. "You've got to stop falling down like this."
"I'm such an idiot." She still had her hand on her stomach. Faith made herself move it away. She stood there, silent, listening for something inside her body, trying to feel a twinge or a spasm that might indicate something was wrong. She felt nothing, heard nothing. But was she okay?
"What's this?" Will asked, pulling something out of her hair. He held up a piece of confetti between his thumb and forefinger.
Faith ran her fingers through her hair, looked behind her. She saw tiny pieces of confetti in the grass.
"Dammit," Will cursed. "I saw one of these on Felix's book bag. It's not confetti. These are from a Taser."
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
SARA HAD NO IDEA WHY SHE WAS AT GRADY ON HER DAY OFF. She'd only gotten through half her laundry, the kitchen was barely functional, and the bathroom was in such a sorry state that she felt a rush of shame every time she thought about it.
