“I can’t authorize that, Isaacs.”
“I don’t answer to you. Contact SWAT. Hopefully by the time they get here, I’ll have a better idea of what we’re dealing with.”
The sergeant clearly didn’t like what he heard. A uniformed officer stepped up. Ben recognized her—Sara, the officer from the tow yard incident.
“Sarge, I’ll go with him. I know the house, the layout. Lainie and I have been friends since we were kids.”
“Aren’t you afraid that you’ll make the situation worse?”
“It’s a chance I’m willing to take. We all need to know what’s happening,” Ben said. “I think it’s worth the risk.” He turned to Sara. “Do you know who should be in the house?”
“I know that her parents are at the hospital, so it’s got to be Archie and the boys—Evie’s boys—in the house. They’ve been here since Stan was arrested.”
“All right, Sara.” The sergeant nodded. “I think that we have exigent circumstances here. We’ll switch to channel four and you keep us apprised.”
“Yes, sir.” She turned to Ben. “The house is a three bedroom, two bath. The living room is in the middle, the master bedroom on this side, two smaller bedrooms on the other side.”
“Where do you think we can get the better eye?” He motioned with his hand, and they began to walk toward the house. She fell into step with him.
“Let’s go into the backyard on this side. Knowing Lainie as I do, I would guess she’s already in the backyard, if not in the house.”
“Is it easy to get in the house?”
She nodded. “It’s an older home; the windows are low. When we were kids, we would sneak in and out of the house, you know, to do kid things. Lainie’s parents haven’t changed much over the years.”
“I get it.” They reached the neighbors’ house. The houses shared a side fence. The neighbors had a gate to their backyard, but there was not a gate to the Jensens’ yard on this side of the house, and Ben did not want to cross in front of the house to get to the gate. All the blinds to the Jensen home were closed.
Sara lowered her voice. “We can enter the gate here and climb over the fence, if you’re game.”
“Let’s do it.”
CHAPTER 44
Lainie knew help was on the way, and that they would want an update. She had left Charlie hanging. But she dare not risk a phone call until she knew exactly what was happening. She tiptoed to the bedroom door. There was a lot of noise on the other side of the door, and for a time, she simply listened. She could hear things being moved, glass breaking. Then a male voice demanded, “Where is it?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Archie said. “I’ve got nothing to hide. If I knew I’d tell you.”
She heard what sounded like a slap.
“H-h-hitting me won’t g-g-get you answers.” Archie only stuttered when stressed.
More ransacking going on, glass breaking. There was more than one person in the house with Archie. Lainie had to count on at least two and not be surprised. Where were the boys?
“I’m out of patience,” the first voice said. “It’s here somewhere and you’d better tell me, or it will go bad for you and those kids.”
He threatened her nephews.
Lainie found herself out of patience.
She opened the bedroom door and hurried down the hallway, gun up. When she stepped into the living room she saw Archie on hisknees, blood streaming from his nose. A man stood in front of him, a man Lainie recognized from the photo she’d just been shown: Tom Thornton.
Gun still up, Lainie said, “Get away from him.”
Ben opened the gate and he and Sara slipped into the neighbors’ yard. The wood fence was not a huge barrier, and they both scaled it and were in the Jensens’ yard in short order.
“The window for the master bedroom is around the corner.” Sara kept her voice low and pointed.
“Let’s move up there.” Ben drew his weapon and they both eased along the side of the house to the corner. Ben peered around the corner. He could see the window and a neatly manicured backyard. No people but sounds of glass breaking and things thumping from somewhere inside the house. The blinds were tightly closed.
