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The engine hadn’t even completely shut down before Graham exited the vehicle, slamming the driver’s side door shut before he closed the distance between them. The man’s gaze was trained on the burner phone in Theo’s hand.
There was no need for explanations.
“There are two possible houses within walking distance that Brook would have searched, and one of them is on the street behind these rows of homes. It will be quicker for me to drive over there instead of cutting through the yard. I think one of us needs to check the place out just in case. The other house is there,” Theo directed with a nod of his head in the direction of the home across the street.
No porch light had been left on, but he figured that was due to the owners not wanting to spend money when it wasn’t necessary. Theo had discovered today that there were two types of sellers—those who still wanted to protect what was theirs and the others who had already washed their hands of the past.
“We’ll meet back here,” Theo directed as another gust of wind brought with it close to white-out conditions. They both narrowed their eyes for protection until the snow was once again falling steadily around them. “Call me if you find anything.”
Graham didn’t bother to reply as he walked through a small snowbank, not wasting a minute. Theo tucked the keys to the Land Rover into his pocket before doing the same with the burner phone. He then made his way to his Jeep, scanning the area for any signs of disturbance. It didn’t take him long before he pulled up in front of a home that had solar light fixtures on either side of a thin walkway. They were barely giving off any illumination.
Theo once again exited his vehicle and made his way up the pathway. The freshly fallen snow crunched underneath his boots. As he walked up the porch steps, the front door suddenly opened to reveal an older gentleman around the age of sixty-five.
“Oh,” the man exclaimed as he remained in the doorway. The tweed vintage cap and winter coat signified he was leaving the residence. “You startled me. Is there something that I can do for you?”
The older gentleman peered over Theo’s shoulder. Considering the weather, it wasn’t too far of a stretch to think someone had an accident or their vehicle had gotten stuck in the snow.
“Actually, I was wondering if you’ve seen someone lately.” Theo had already pulled out his phone and accessed Lorena Dobbs’ photograph. He then reached into his back pocket for his credentials. “My name is Theo Neville, and I work for S&E Investigations. My firm is consulting with the FBI on a case that involves this woman. Do you recognize her?”
The older man squinted as he peered at the picture, but he eventually shook his head. He pulled the door shut behind him as he stepped onto the porch.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t recognize her. Is she missing? In trouble?”
“A person of interest,” Theo amended as he pulled back the phone. After putting away his identification, he held out his arm. “I appreciate your time, Mr…”
“Kershaw. David Kershaw.”
“Thank you, Mr. Kershaw. I do have one more photograph for you to look at,” Theo said as he found a picture of Brook. It was one taken this past Christmas with everyone together, but he purposefully zoomed in until only her face was visible. He then held up his phone once more. “Have you seen her today?”
Kershaw once again narrowed his eyes. It was obvious that he wore reading glasses, but they were probably tucked away underneath his winter jacket.
“She doesn’t look familiar, but I’ve been painting baseboards all day. I haven’t really been outside, other than to throw some ice pellets on the sidewalk. Not that they helped any. This storm is a doozy.”
Theo would have preferred to have had a look inside the house, but he had gotten his answer regarding Brook. She hadn’t been to this particular residence today, which meant that the other house was almost certainly the point of interest.
“Again, I appreciate you taking the time to speak with me, Mr. Kershaw.”
Theo didn’t waste any time making his way to the Wrangler. He wouldn’t make a decision on notifying the Bureau or Detective Beeson about Brook’s disappearance until he spoke with Graham. No one except those on the team knew the reason behind her absence, although Beeson had requested to speak with her a couple of times over the past few days. Revealing that Brook had gone missing while canvassing the neighborhood shouldn’t pose a problem, thus allowing more law enforcement to take part in the search.
Theo didn’t bother to park a few houses down this time around. He pulled right in front of the house with the sale sign displayed in the yard, though it was no longer prominent. The snow was already at a level where the bottom half of the sign wasn’t visible.
Graham was descending the porch steps by the time Theo came to a standstill on the sidewalk. Unlike the other home, there were areas of ice that Graham managed to avoid as he walked toward Theo.
“There’s no one inside,” Graham stated grimly as he surveyed the neighborhood. “Call Supervisory Special Agent Harden. I don’t want some field agent who has no idea what we’re dealing with handling the search. While you’re making those arrangements, I need to make a few phone calls myself.”
Theo wasn’t so sure it was a good idea to bring in outside help if they were going to involve the FBI. He kept his opinion to himself as he reached for his phone. While he would eventually place a call to Harden, Theo first needed to touch base with Bit.
The incoming stormfront was going to be a problem, but there might not be a need to conduct a massive search in such severe weather if Bit could access home security systems in the area. If Lorena had forced Brook into another vehicle, there was a chance one of the doorbell cameras had caught the make and model of the car.
“Bit?” Theo hated to be the one to break the news, but Graham had already laid the groundwork. “We have a problem. Brook has gone missing. We’ve located the Land Rover, but she isn’t here.”
Theo rattled off the address.
“We need to go on the assumption that Lorena somehow took advantage of the situation. Needless to say, I need something to go on,” Theo said as he turned his back to protect his face from severe weather. “Do what you need to do, and we’ll worry about the semantics of the situation later.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Brooklyn Sloane
