She took a picture of it with her phone.
Pine copied the address from the check onto a piece of paper and left the way she had come.
She climbed back into the SUV and handed Blum the paper with the address.
“Plug this into the GPS.”
“What is it?”
“Hopefully, it’s where we’ll find Desiree Atkins, aka Dolores Venuti.”
“What was the shop like?”
“Creepy, just like I’m sure she is.”
“If she’s home, what are you going to do?”
“Stop myself from strangling her, and then start asking my questions.”
“And if she won’t answer?”
“Then maybe I won’t stop myself from strangling her.”
“You can’t mean that.”
Pine put the SUV in gear. “Don’t bet the farm on that, Carol.”
CHAPTER
29
OKAY, I DON’T LIKE THE LOOKS OF THIS,” said Blum as they pulled down a long gravel road with thick woods on either side. A patch of fog was rolling in, and the only light was from the SUV’s headlights.
“This is right out of the opening scene of every slasher movie I’ve ever watched.”
“Don’t let your emotions run away with you, Carol,” said Pine.
Blum glanced at her boss. “Aren’t you a little nervous?”
“I think Desiree should be more worried about me than I should be about her.”
“You believe she’ll be there?”
“We’re going to find out pretty soon.”
They rounded a bend. In the distance they could see the lights coming from a small split-level rancher built of brick and siding. It had a forlorn look, as though it were lonely without any other homes around. There was a metal carport next to the house with no car under it. The light they saw was coming from the front room.
“Great,” said Blum. “The little house in the dark woods. I wonder if Hansel and Gretel are inside about to be eaten.”
Pine pulled the SUV to a stop and killed the lights.
“Wait here.”
“I don’t want you going up there by yourself.”
“I’m armed and I’m a federal agent who is more than a little homicidal right now. Put simply, Desiree is a munchkin and I’m an Amazon. But slide over into the driver’s seat. Keep the doors locked and your phone in hand.”
Pine climbed out and made her way toward the house, keeping off the road and sidling along the tree line with careful strides. She then veered toward the front of the home and peered into one of the lighted windows. She saw furniture, pictures on the wall, a burgundy-and-blue rug on the floor, and not a person in sight. She edged around the corner and entered the backyard. She spied a small toolshed with gray siding and a shingled roof. She made her way over there and shone her light in one of the windows. It looked empty except for some tools, a wheelbarrow, and a stepladder. She tried the door, but it was locked.
She slipped over to the rear of the house and walked up a flight of wooden steps that led to a deck, built onto the back, which held some old patio furniture. The door there was locked as well. She used her light to see inside the rear door and check for an alarm panel.
Shit.
There was one, and she could see that it was armed. Why have one here and not one at her business?
She stepped back and looked around.