Follow Me Home (Detectives Kane and Alton)

“I’m coming with you.” Jenna’s whisper came close by. “We’ll stick out in our light-colored shirts. Can you grab a couple of your black T-shirts?”

“Roger that.” Kane felt around the floor for her shoes and passed them to her then slipped his feet into his boots.

Duke scrambled to his feet and tipped his head from one side to the other as if listening. Kane patted the dog on the head. “Stay.”

As Jenna moved silently through the house extinguishing the lights, Kane padded into the bedroom, dragged a couple of black T-shirts from the dresser, and, finding her waiting in the doorway, he tossed one to her. “Put this on. I’ll check the cameras.”

He moved stealthily down the hallway then slipped into his office, and after closing the blinds, flicked on the flat-screen array. Moments later, Jenna sneaked to his side. He leaned on the table and peered into the screens. “Why didn’t your house alarm trigger the floodlights?” He glanced at her. “The sensors I installed mean someone is moving close to the cottage. Too damn close.”

“I have no idea.” She glanced at him and pushed a hand through her tousled hair. “I set the alarm before I left home.”

Intrigued, Kane stared at each monitor for any movement outside. “Where are they?”

“I can’t see anything at all. Maybe it’s a rabbit or something.”

He shook his head. “Nah, the sensors are set for chest height, and we’d see a bear if it walked in—they don’t exactly sneak around.”

“Do you really believe anyone who knows us would be stupid enough to walk in here?” Jenna glanced up at him with a scowl. “I mean, really?”

He straightened. “After the range of psychopaths we’ve had drifting into town of late, anything is possible. I’m going to take a look out the windows.”

“I’ll be right behind you.”

Adrenaline pumping, he killed the flat screens to block any light and slipped out into the hall, then moved from window to window, turkey-peeking outside to check the immediate area. The moonless night was as dark as a cave. “I can’t see a damn thing and my night-vision goggles are in my SUV. Maybe we should wait and see how this plays out.”

“No way.” Jenna lifted her chin. “If someone’s breaking into my house, I’m going to arrest them.”

Concerned for her safety, Kane turned and looked at her shadowed face. “We don’t know the threat, and after the phone call earlier, we could be walking into a trap.”

“Or they could be walking into ours.” She tipped back her head and glared at him. “It could be a simple break and enter or a pervert—who the hell knows, but dammit, Dave, together we’re a bigger threat.”

A car horn wailed outside and Kane heard Jenna’s sharp intake of breath. He touched her arm and her muscles bunched under his palm. He turned to glance at her. “Okay. What do you want to do?”

“Whoever is out there has to be pretty stupid to set off my car alarm. Unless they want to know our position. With my car parked outside the house, they wouldn’t know I’m here with you.” Jenna grabbed her keys from the table then moved to the window and pointed the fob through the glass at her vehicle, stopping the noise in a blink of lights. “Now they are aware we know they’re here. I say we meet them head on. They haven’t got our skills, and I sure as hell want to know who is sneaking around my house at night.”

He couldn’t argue with her logic. “Roger that.”

In his periphery, he caught sight of a dark outline against the white wall of Jenna’s ranch house. The figure hesitated then moved in their direction. “Unknown bogey is by your living room window and heading this way. If we leave by the back door, we could take the advantage and come round behind them.”

“Take the lead. I’ll watch your back.” Jenna’s hand rested firmly on his belt.

He strode swiftly to the back door with Jenna right on his heels, Glock raised. He punched in the code to deactivate the alarm, eased open the door, then turned to her and lowered his voice to a whisper. “Count to three then follow me; keep your back to the wall.”

A cold certainty crept over him, and battle-ready he eased out of the door gun in hand. Behind him, Jenna moved without making a sound and they crept down the steps. Silently they dashed along the side of the cottage then crouched at the corner. He sniffed the air but no stink of bear hung on the breeze. After bobbing his head around the corner and seeing no trace of the intruder, he waved her forward. After making a visual search of the immediate area, he led them to the front of the house. The back wall of the garage obscured the view of his front door and he duck-walked along the perimeter, listening.

A sound like a splash came from nearby, too darn close, and followed by a clatter as something hit the ground. He turned and waved Jenna back the way they had come. An unholy stench rose up, burning his nostrils, and behind him, he heard Jenna gag. Inside the house, Duke let out a wail. The smell was very familiar to Kane and he pulled the neck of his T-shirt over his nose.

The overpowering stink surrounding them was death.

A slight crunch of footsteps broke through the silence as a dark figure ran up the driveway. Kane dove around the garage and searched the darkness but the intruder had slipped out of view.

The next moment Jenna was at his side.

“Dammit, they’re getting away.” She lifted her weapon and shot twice into the air then raised her voice. “Stop or the next one will be in your back.”

In the distance, a car engine burst into life, and with a shriek of tires, a dark shape barreled out from behind a shed across the road, skidded onto the blacktop, and sped away without using lights. Kane dropped his gun and turned to Jenna. “Who the hell was that and what is that stink?”

“I don’t know b