All clear.
With no witnesses in sight, she rushed from the garage to the brick home’s back door. This was the tricky part, the make-or-break-it moment forcing her to slow down and focus.
Falling back on her training, Raegan carefully checked the door’s frame for any evidence of wires or other devices that could trigger an alarm…or worse. Not seeing anything obvious, she tipped her head up to check the small overhang above.
No cameras. No obvious wires or other incendiary components.
Not on the garage or back here. Odd, considering her suspicions of the man she’d seen walking into the place a couple of weeks ago.
Asshole probably thinks he’s too good to get caught.
Her former unit’s handheld ETD, or explosive trace detector, sure would come in handy right about now. But since she no longer had a team—or an ETD—to help keep her ass alive, Raegan committed herself to the plan.
If she died trying to catch a ruthless killer, so be it.
She reached up and tried turning the knob. Not surprised to find it locked, she reached back and pulled out the small lockpick kit she’d purchased off the internet.
Part of her M.P. training had been learning how to gain entry by various breaching means. As a team, Raegan and her unit had practiced everything from kicking in doors to blowing them straight off their hinges.
Lucky for her, that training also included learning how to pick a lock.
The tip of her tongue met the cold metal end of the flashlight as she secured it between her teeth. With both hands free, Raegan unzipped the small kit and pulled out the needed tools.
Seconds into her attempt, she felt the telltale give of the lock’s components. Raegan tested the knob, and…it started to turn.
Moving quickly, she slid the tools back into their protective pockets before zipping the kit shut and returning it to her back left pocket. She pulled the flashlight out of her mouth, giving her lips a quick lick and an inward roll.
Raegan used precious seconds to draw in a long, deep, cleansing breath. Releasing it slowly, she prepared to commit her very first felony.
Yes, Your Honor. I knowingly and willingly broke into another person’s home. But it was for the greater good, so that doesn’t really count…right?
Hopefully, her little B and E stint wouldn’t lead to a meeting with a judge. Not unless it was to testify against the bastard sheknewhad a connection to this place.
Of course, that scenario hinged on the son of a bitch living long enough to see his day in court. And Raegan had no intention of letting that happen.
He has to die. It’s the only way.
Grateful for the cluster of trees separating this house from the one next door, she gave her surroundings a final assessing glance before retrieving the pistol from the holster at her waist and turning the knob once more.
Raegan closed her eyes, and after a quick, silent prayer, she carefully pushed open the door. She froze, her eyelids lifting as her ears worked overtime to listen for even the slightest sound.
An alarm. A dog. Someone walking around inside.
There was nothing. No alarm sounded. There was no barking of any kind. And most importantly, as Raegan began to tiptoe her way inside, she didn’t see a single person in sight.
So far.
She shut the door behind her, leaving it unlocked to ensure a quick and easy exit. With her flashlight in one hand and her gun in the other, she began clearing the home’s modest kitchen.
The first thing that struck her was how clean the room appeared. There wasn’t a single dish in the sink. A toaster that appeared to be new and a coffee pot/K-cup combo machine were the only two appliances gracing the white granite countertops.
A simple, elegant vase adorned the island's center, the pretty flower arrangement sprouting from its opening a realistic silk creation. Raegan wasn’t sure what she expected to find when she’d first walked in, but flowers and a pristine kitchen weren’t it.
She walked to the stainless steel refrigerator a few feet further in, on her left. With a quick glance through the shadowed space leading from the kitchen into what appeared to be the home’s living room, Raegan listened once again for the slightest sound of movement or voices.
When the silence remained, she reached up and opened one of the refrigerator doors. Several bottles of water lined the shiny glass shelves, but that was it.
No food. No sodas or snacks of any kind. Nothing but water.