The Darkest Kiss (Riley Jenson Guardian 6)

I hung up again, then got back into the car and headed home. Rhoan wasn't there, and neither were the school photos from Liander. I grabbed the phone and gave Liander a call.

"Hey," he said, "you missed a great lunch."

"Yeah, sorry about that. Can I ask you a question about the photo?"

"Yep. Fire away."

"Was there a Ron Cowden in it?"

He paused, and paper rustled in the background. "Nope. There's a Jake Cowden, though."

"Could he have been a brother?"

"Maybe. I didn't really have much to do with him."

"Did he have much to do with that bad crowd you mentioned?">"I'm off to interview the mom of one of our Aron Youngs, boss."

He glanced at me. "Be careful. Until we know what we're dealing with, we don't know how to kill it."

"I doubt the mom is any danger. She's nearly ninety, for heaven's sake."

"Old biddies are mean and dangerous," Kade piped up. "Just let me introduce you to Sable's mom sometime. That woman could freeze the balls off Satan himself."

"I do so love the level of conversation I get with you two around," Jack said dryly.

I grinned and got out of there before said conversation deteriorated any further.

It took nearly an hour to get to Yuroke, and another ten minutes to find the right side street and house number.

Mrs. Young lived in a little weatherboard cottage that was barely visible amidst all the gum trees. I drove down the long drive, avoiding as many potholes as I could, my gaze sweeping the old house and the run-down barn that stood to the left of it. The barn actually looked in worse condition than the house, the tin roof rusted and lifting in several places, and the rear corner of the building was broken open to the elements.

The only signs of life were the several chickens that scratched out the front of the barn, and the mangy-looking dog chained to a kennel.

I stopped the car and climbed out. The wind meandered through the trees, making the leaves whisper, and the soft clucking of the chickens added a brighter note to this chorus. There was little noise coming from either the house or the shed. Even the dog was silent, watching me with disinterested eyes.

It looked for the world like this place - and the dog - had been abandoned. Yet there were clothes on the line, and a car parked just inside the lean-to garage on the right side of the house.

I swept my gaze around the buildings once more, then reached back inside my car and collected my gun. I might be dealing with an old woman, but she was an old woman with a crazy son, and just because I couldn't smell him didn't mean he wasn't here. Yuroke wasn't that far out of town, he could easily be using it as a safe house.

I slammed the door closed then walked toward the house. If the old bird happened to be inside and watching, she was doing so extremely quietly. But I didn't think she was. I couldn't smell anyone. Only rubbish and age.

The wooden steps creaked and dipped as I stood on them, and the windows to my left rattled. The whole house was in a state of decay, the window frames rotting and the weatherboards barely holding any paint. Even the door didn't look capable of withstanding much bad weather - it was warped and hanging on a slight angle, so that it didn't look properly shut.

I pressed the doorbell, but didn't hear an accompanying ringing inside the house, so I knocked instead. Even though I didn't use much force, the whole thing rattled.

There was no response. I knocked again, then stepped back and peered through the front window. It looked into a living room and, again, decay was evident. There were newspapers scattered all over the floor, their edges yellowed and curling, and a thick dust lined the top of the patterned sofas and the dark wood of the sideboards. Several cups and plates dotted the coffee table, one with cake that looked rather green. Either Mrs. Young wasn't a very good housekeeper, or the room hadn't seen human occupation for at least a couple of weeks.

"Mrs. Young?" I called out. "Riley Jenson from the Directorate. I need to talk to you."

My voice echoed through the emptiness. No answer came. Not even from the dog.

I grabbed the door handle and twisted it open. The door opened several inches then stuck fast, forcing me to lift it up and over a warped floorboard. Inside, the house smelled as bad as it looked. The air was stale and perfumed with the hint of rubbish and rot.

The floorboards creaked as I stepped inside. "Mrs. Young?"

Still no answer. Nor could I smell any life. I walked down the hallway, checking rooms as I passed each doorway. There were two bedrooms and a bathroom at the front of the house, both a good deal tidier than the living room - although the dust that was so thick in the front room had invaded these rooms as well.

The hall led to a kitchen, and it was obviously here that the old woman spent most of her time. The kitchen was small but tidy, with clean plates and cups sitting in the drainer. The little dining area consisted of a table and a couple of chairs pushed up against the wall, allowing room for a large, well-used sofa chair. A TV stood in the corner of the room.