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as outdoor temperatures fell and the warm sun disappeared. At least then she would’ve been able to feel her fingers. “What do you expect we’ll find in here?”
“The truck, hopefully.” Harris kept her head on a swivel, but the area looked dead. “And that filing cabinet.”
“The empty filing cabinet?”
“The clearly important filing cabinet that must have some significance.”
“What if the folders were important, but they’re gone now? Then this is just another dead end.”
Harris put a reassuring hand on Cassie’s shoulder. “Investigating is a lot of dead ends. You have to play process of elimination before you find the right lead.”
Cassie rubbed her hands together and blew into them. “Wish we’d find the right one sooner rather than later.”
Harris stayed silent as they approached the building from the side. No one milled about, and no noises came from inside. With any luck, they wouldn’t run into anyone. But Harris wouldn’t have anyone to interrogate, either. Cassie was trying not to give up hope, but their days were running out. She missed her house and her cat and her dog and everything about Savannah. Including David.
“Could we be so lucky?” Harris approached a door on the side of the building and tugged on the handle. “Guess not. You stay here. I’m going to have a quick look around.”
Cassie scoffed. “Why can’t I come with you?”
“Because this is the main thoroughfare,” Harris said, pointing to the road behind them. “I want to know if anyone shows up. I’ll be back in a minute. You’ll be fine.”
Cassie rolled her eyes but didn’t argue. Before she knew it, Harris had slipped around the corner. But it was too cold to just stand out here, jumping up and down, trying to get her blood flowing to all her extremities. She looked for another option. And that’s when she spotted it.
A window to the left of the door, about six feet up. It was an odd place for it, and Cassie wondered if it had been used for ventilation more than anything else. The glass was broken and jagged. Harris had likely dismissed it because it would’ve been difficult to get into without hurting themselves. But Cassie spotted a pipe on the ground long enough to reach it. She used the pipe to knock out the rest of the glass and sweep it onto the ground. When she was satisfied, she tossed the pipe to the side and leapt up to grab the ledge of the window.
The glass pressed into the palms of her hand, but it didn’t break the skin. Her upper body strength was minimal, but the last few months of exercise and adventure had proven useful. She pulled herself up, feet scrambling against the side of the building, until she could peek inside. It took a few seconds for her eyes to adjust to the darkness, but she didn’t see anyone.
By then, her arms were shaking from exhaustion, and she was forced to let go and drop back to the ground. She carefully wiped the glass from her palms and tried again, this time pulling herself up faster than before. She managed to hook one elbow along the inside wall, and that was enough to bring most of her torso through the opening. After that, it was only a matter of swinging her legs through and dropping to the floor inside.
Cassie froze as her landing echoed around the warehouse. The darkness consumed her. For a second, her mind conjured all sorts of people stepping from the shadows, ready to attack her.
As her eyesight adjusted, she realized she was alone.
The warehouse was huge, and looked much larger without all its former equipment inside. The dust tickled her nose, but she fought the urge to sneeze. If someone was here, there was no doubt they could hear her.
Debris littered the floor. Old planks of wood, waterlogged and half rotten. Nuts and bolts, nails and screws. Beer bottles and Coke cans. There were even little piles of dirt here and there, like someone had tried to clean the place up and realized it was a losing battle.
Cassie stepped closer to the nearest pile of dirt. On top was a pamphlet, just like the ones they’d seen in the jewelry store. She wondered if Harris would come across the truck parked out back.
There was a sudden hissing noise, and Cassie crouched lower to the ground. It was coming from outside, and it sounded like—
“Cassie?”
It was just Harris, looking for her. Cassie stood and stepped to the door, sliding back the deadbolt. But when she pulled the door open, she found herself looking down the barrel of a gun.
Harris swore and lowered it. “Jesus, Cassie. What the hell?”
“I found a way inside.”
“I could’ve shot you.”
“I’m glad you didn’t.”
Harris shook her head and entered, closing the door behind them. She lowered her voice. “How?”
Cassie pointed up at the window. “Figured I’d give it a try.”
“Next time, wait for me?”
