Chapter 60
Stone, Jack, and Watkins hadjust reached the porch when a gunshot went off.
They dropped to a crouch and huddled against the brick siding.
Raised voices came from inside.
Stone couldn’t make out what was being said, but the tension was evident.
Somewhere deeper in the house, glass shattered and more shots went off. This was followed by loud voices again, and finally another round of gunfire before the house fell silent.
Stone, Jack, and Watkins waited for more noise, but none came.
Above them at the top of the door was a round decorative window. Stone, tall enough to peek through, got up on his tippy-toes.
“What do you see?” Jack asked in a hushed voice.
“An entryway and what I think is the living room,” Stone whispered. “I don’t see any people, though.”
He lowered back onto his heels and tried the door. It was locked.
He glanced around, then pointed at a full window to the right of the porch. “Maybe we can see something through that.”
The window looked into the living room and through it into a dining area, complete with table, chairs, and four motionless bodies.
“Huh,” Stone said.
“I couldn’t have said it better myself,” Jack said.
Stone’s phone began to vibrate. He pulled it out, said “Huh” again, and answered. “Hello, Dino.”
“I thought you’d like to know, we’ve received a report of shots fired from a house owned by one Ricky Gennaro.”
“I can confirm that report,” Stone said. “And can add that there are at least four victims inside.”
“Where exactly are you?”
“Looking through Gennaro’s living room window.”
“I see. And are these victims dead?”
“Unclear. They are, however, unmoving. And to be fair, I think some if not all of the victims are also perpetrators. I can see at least two guns from here. Do we have your permission to enter and check if anyone is still alive?”
“Is it safe to do that?”
“Also unclear.”
“Then no.”
“I imagine we’ll be seeing you here soon?”
“I’m heading to my car now.”
They hung up.
“I take it the police are on their way,” Jack said.
“It seems a concerned citizen reported the gunshots. Shall we continue around the house?”
