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They drove away from the business district On their way, they passed Scarlet Lake The crispfroh the cattails like san both went quiet as they drove past, but the visual was a reirl had been violated and murdered, and her killer still ran loose If they didn’t find Tessa’s murderer, an innocent man could spend the rest of his life in prison
And a killer would be free to strike again
Neither he nor Morgan spoke until they reached the Barone place Then Lance drew the Jeep to a stop on the shoulder of the road, his gaze fixed on the farm
“Do you see what I see?” he asked
It couldn’t be
What the hell?
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Lance blinked hard, but it didn’t change the sight The farm looked deserted
Morgan lowered herShe tilted her head to the opening “It’s too quiet”
He turned past the mailbox into the driveway There were no vehicles parked near the house The chicken enclosure and pigpen were erazed in the pasture The stock trailer and school bus that had been parked alongside the barn were gone
They got out of the car Lance led the way to the front door Who knehat kind of surprises Dwayne Barone, with all of his WSA paranoia, would leave behind? Standing to the side of the doorway, he tucked Morgan behind hireeted them
Lance walked to theand peered inside “The furniture is still here, but they took everything else”
Wire hung from holes in the here the TV and other electronic devices had been installed Lance went back down the steps Backing away from the house, he scanned the roofline “The satellite dish is ”
He headed for the barn, already knohat he was going to see
“This is creepy” Morgan followed him
Watching their step, they checked the outbuildings Lance took care to inspect every door before approaching and opening it But nothing happened Nothing at all
The entire farm was eerie and silent and empty
They returned to the car, turning to stare at the vacant buildings
“Any thoughts?” Lance asked
“No one takes their pigs on vacation,” Morgan said “Dwayne likes to live off the radar Maybe he wasn’t comfortable with our questions”
“We didn’t accuse Dwayne or his son of anything”
Morgan’s eyes drifted back to the house “Maybe one of the really bad, and he was afraid we’d find out”
“Like commit murder Do you like Robby or Dwayne for the crime?”
“Robby seean said
“That boy is holding onto a lot of anger, though,” Lance pointed out “Rage can er than he looks”
“Yes,” Morgan agreed
“And Tessa wouldn’t kno to defend herself She was just a kid” It killed Lance to think of the violence, the pain, the terror that had filled the young girl’s final moments
Morgan walked toward the back door “But Dwayne would have no difficulty overpowering a young girl”
Lance followed her “With one hand”
Pausing, Morgan shook her head “We’re getting ahead of ourselves We haven’t established that Tessa has ever been to the farm”
“She knew the Barones’ oldest daughter from church She didn’t have to come to the house for her to have met Dwayne”
“His own family is terrified of him Could they know he’s a killer?”
“Wait a second” Lance jogged back to the Jeep and retrieved two pairs of vinyl gloves and a slove coan at the Barones’ back door