Free Hunted by Sophie McKenzie

brought me back to the present. She was lying on the ground, looking up at me, an irritated expression on her face. ‘I just said your name three times which, if I wasn’t breathing, wouldn’t actually be possible.’
    I bent over her again, trying to remember the mouth-to-mouth procedure Alex had just taught us. Pinch the nose, tilt the chin back to make sure the airway is clear, then make a seal with your lips over the person’s mouth.
    I made a half-hearted attempt to get into the right position for breathing life into Ketty’s lungs. As I sat back again, trying to remember how long we were supposed to count before giving the next breath, Alex came over.
    ‘How’re you getting on, ladies?’ she asked.
    ‘Great,’ Ketty said sarcastically. ‘Though I hope I’m never in this position in real life. Helping other people isn’t exactly Dylan’s strong point.’
    ‘Oh, bite me,’ I said.
    After lunch we discussed the mission to retrieve the knife Ketty was convinced Roger Henson had used in the care-home killing. Eventually, Geri was satisfied we all understood our respective roles, which left the four of us with just under an hour to continue looking for the code.
    We found nothing. As we set off for Roger Henson’s house, I was beginning to wonder if Harry had got it all wrong.
    Maybe I didn’t have the code after all.
    The others laughed and chatted with Jez and Alex as we drove. Like always, I sat with Ed between the front and back seats, Nico and Ketty behind us.
    As I twisted my mom’s wedding ring round on my finger, my thoughts kept turning to Harry. It was weird, but the more I tried to put him out of my head, the more he seemed to force his way back in.
    We reached Henson’s home in plenty of time, but waited until it was nearly midnight and all the lights were off before making our move. At first I’d been tired. I hadn’t got much sleep last night, but as we pulled on our latex gloves to ensure we left no fingerprints, the adrenaline took over. Now I was eager to get going, though Jez and Alex, as usual, were still chatting away. You could hear their anxiety – and that they were covering it up with jokes and encouraging pep talks.
    ‘Don’t forget to switch off your phones . . .’ Jez said.
    ‘. . . And never take unnecessary risks,’ Ed and Ketty chorused.
    The others seemed to enjoy this banter. Personally, it made me want to puke.
    At last we left the car. Henson’s house was semidetached and made of brick – it looked like a million other UK houses. We kept to the shadows as we approached the side door, the tension rising.
    A dog barked in the distance. All the earlier frivolity had totally dropped away now. I glanced at Ed. He was chewing on his lip. His anxiety set off my own nerves. I took a deep breath.
    At least we’d broken into places so often we didn’t need to speak. Nico looked over at Ketty, his raised eyebrows signalling that he wanted to know if the coast was going to be clear for the next few minutes. She nodded, not – to my eyes – entirely confidently, then Nico lifted his arm. He held his hand out towards the lock on the door and twisted his wrist.
    The lock clicked open at once.
    A bead of sweat trickled down my neck. I engaged my force field. We weren’t sure if there was an alarm in the home so, as usual, I crept in first. Was there any kind of movement monitor in here? I looked around for the familiar red dot, usually positioned in the corner of the room. Nothing.
    I took a quick look round. The inside of the house was as ordinary as the outside. A load of stripped pine furniture with plain grey curtains at the windows.
    Ed was already inside my head, waiting for my signal. I could feel him lying low in my mind, trying not to distract me. I never liked it when he was there – it was hard to trust that he wouldn’t sneak a peek at the rest of my thoughts and feelings.
    I was working hard to keep my mind off Harry, but it was difficult – trying not to be