“Thank you for your concern. I do appreciate it.”
Juarez grabbed a fingerprinting kit from his vehicle and headed back toward the garage. The older deputy followed. Trusting her deputies to process the scene, Bree climbed into her SUV.
Matt slid into the passenger seat. “Like Juarez said, someone has it out for you. Please be careful.”
“I will.” Bree waved a hand at the building. “There’s a lot of hate out there these days.”
“And lately, a good portion of it is directed at you.”
She swallowed and took two deep breaths. She couldn’t let fear paralyze her. She needed to catch this bastard, and for that she’d need a cool head.
With a glance back at the graffiti on the house, she vowed that she would stop him before he made good on his threats.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
In the passenger seat of the SUV, Matt tried to cool the rage burning through him. He was a supporter of law and order, but the threats to Bree made him want to exact some vigilante justice.
Bree stopped at a light and glanced at her phone screen. “Collins is at Todd’s place. His personal vehicle is parked at his house. He’s not answering the door.”
Dread lumped like cold oatmeal in Matt’s gut.
Bree gunned the engine.
Fifteen minutes later, they parked in front of the small bungalow. Matt scanned the large lot. Woods provided privacy—but also isolation.
They stepped out of the vehicle.
Deputy Collins stood next to her patrol car. “I walked around the house. All the doors are locked. I looked in the windows but couldn’t see anyone.” She gestured toward Todd’s SUV. “The hood is cold.”
So the SUV hadn’t been driven recently. Matt and Bree went to the front door. Bree knocked and pressed the bell. The ring echoed inside the house.
The front door was solid steel. They went around back and climbed the steps of a wooden deck. The rear door had nine panes of glass set into the top half. Matt cupped his hand over his eyes and peered inside. Dark and empty. The house felt vacant, and he knew before setting foot inside that Todd wasn’t here.
The locks were dead bolts—not easy to pick. Bree pulled out a collapsible baton and used the handle to break a pane of glass. She reached through the hole and unlocked the door, then led the way inside straight into the kitchen.
“I’ll check the bedrooms.” Matt headed for a short hallway. No Todd in the main bedroom or attached bath. No keys or wallet on the dresser. The second bedroom was also empty. Matt checked the closets. No Todd. There were times when he hated being right.
Collins ducked into a half bath.
They met back in the living room. By the front door, a bowl sat on a small table. Matt peered inside. “Did either of you see his keys or wallet?”
Bree shook her head.
“No,” said Collins. “Yet his vehicle is here.”
“I don’t like this.” Matt scanned the surfaces of the furniture.
“Me either,” Bree agreed.
Through a window, Matt spotted a shed in the backyard. “Did you look in there?” he asked Collins.
“No,” she said.
Matt went out the back door. He crossed the yard and opened the wooden door. Nothing but lawn tools and equipment. Bree was walking around the house. Matt followed her.
She stopped in the side yard, staring at the ground.
“What?” he asked.
She held up a hand in a stop gesture. “Don’t move.”
Matt froze. Something silver flashed in a small pile of dead leaves. “His keys.”
Bree squatted and leaned closer to the ground. She pointed to a few spots on the grass. Dark red blotches the size of quarters. “And blood.”
Matt’s sense of discomfort shifted into a blaring alarm.
Straightening, she surveyed the ground. “We need to search the area.”
From ten feet behind them, Collins said, “I’ll call for additional units.”
“Watch where you step,” Bree called. “Blood is hard to see out here.”
Matt pulled out his phone. “Cady is probably at my place. I’ll have her bring Brody over. He’ll find Todd faster than fifty deputies.”
“Collins, bring evidence markers back with you!” Bree shouted to her deputy.
With her gaze on the ground, Collins rushed toward her vehicle.
Matt dialed his sister’s number.
She answered on the second ring. “Yes?”
“Todd’s gone missing. Would you bring Brody to his house?” Matt gave her the address.
“Oh, n-no!” Cady stammered. “Of course. I’ll be there ASAP. Do you know what happened?”