Free Deadly Dance by Dee Davis Page A

we’ve got. And if we’re right about the connection between the disappearance and the video, then it’s also our best shot at finding Sara.”

CHAPTER 6
     
    A ll right, everyone in place?” Avery asked, the comlink in Hannah’s ear bursting to life. They’d surrounded the farmhouse set deep in the woods on the northwest shore of Sapphire Lake. It was hard to tell from the outside, but the view was right, and the weathered exterior mirrored the wood planked walls in the video.
    Avery, Harrison, and Hannah were coming in from the front, with Drake and Simon taking the back. They’d done this sort of thing a thousand times, and yet somehow, today it felt different. Hannah wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was Harrison’s talk of a serial killer. Or maybe it was just the idea that it was a Sunderland student. Or maybe it was because she was remembering her own past.
    There were certainly parallels.
    “We’re all set,” Simon said, his voice breaking up slightly at the end. “And I’m not seeing any sign of movement from back here.”
    Hannah swallowed, automatically looking over atHarrison. If they were in the right place, no movement could be construed as a bad thing.
    “It only means there’s no one coming, and no obvious threat from inside,” Harrison said, his voice reassuring, but his face reflected her concern.
    Hannah nodded and pulled her gun from beneath her Kevlar vest. If it weren’t for the seriousness of the situation, the moment would be almost comical. Just a couple of hours ago she’d been kissing Harrison in her kitchen. If his computer hadn’t intervened, she’d probably have given in to the pleasure. And that would have changed everything. And not in a good way.
    “All right, people,” Avery said, and Hannah felt her face go hot as she pulled her attention back to the situation at hand. “We’re silent from here on out. We have no idea what we’re going to find in there so move quickly and stay alert.”
    Harrison nodded. And Hannah tightened her hold on her gun, moving into place as they started toward the house, using the trees for cover. She could just see the lake in the distance, the angle eerily like the photograph Harrison had pulled from the video. Heart pounding, she inched forward, leading with her gun, Harrison flanking her, Avery on point.
    The house was dilapidated, with peeling paint and broken window glass. It was hard to believe anyone could be inside, and Hannah felt hope slipping away. They moved quietly to the edge of the porch. The forest had already reclaimed parts of it, a sapling actually springing up through broken boards.
    Avery motioned Hannah to one side and Harrison to the other as they climbed the steps, guns drawn. Backs tothe wall, Avery reached out to try the doorknob. Surprisingly, it swung inward. He motioned them forward again, and they stepped into the living room. Harrison went first, turning in a slow circle, pointing his weapon.
    “It’s clear,” he said, motioning them forward. Avery took the hallway leading off to the right, while Hannah moved into the one on the left, Harrison staying behind them to watch their backs.
    Leading with her gun, Hannah moved slowly. The hallway was dark, the walls rough and bare. The rug beneath her feet was stained and torn, and in places missing completely, exposing a subflooring composed of the same wooden panels as the walls. There were three doors leading off of the hall. One to the right, another to the left, and at the end, swathed in shadows, the final opening.
    Heart pounding, she opened the first door—an empty bathroom. From the looks of the place, it hadn’t been used any time recently. She edged back into the hallway, heading for the second door, this one open. From somewhere behind and to the right, she heard Avery call “clear” as she swung into the doorway, holding her position as her gaze traveled across the room.
    It was empty except for a table and a couple of chairs. The window was broken, and