smirked, tossing his head confidently.
“Uh–huh.” I laughed nervously, peering over my shoulder as Barry laid the device on the back step. We opened the door and entered with caution. As I took that first step into the house, I wondered why I talked him into this. It was probably a bad idea. What if we get caught? I wasn’t sure what I expected to find, and it seemed like a huge risk to take for just pacifying my nerves. Not voicing any concerns out loud, I remained quiet. There wasn’t any point in turning back now since we’re already indoors.
The first room we stepped into was the kitchen. After a quick scan, my first thoughts led me to be impressed. He was a bachelor after all, and that room was immaculate. Nothing on the countertops was out of order. But upon deeper inspection, there appeared to be a reason behind the spotlessness—there weren’t any items to be out of place. The only thing on the countertops was a set of stainless canisters which reminded me of the ones you’d find in a doctor’s office. Instead of cotton balls, sugar would be the replacement. Just a teaspoon of sugar…
Astonished, I went over and opened a cabinet door, trying to dispel childhood melodies out of my head. As I pulled the door open, I was taken aback by the systematic order. Everything was in its place, organized, and labeled accordingly. Every can, by vegetable, color, and size, lined up. First the greens…tall can of asparagus, French cut green beans, peas then moved to the yellows…creamed corn, yellow corn, and the small shoe peg corn…It was creepy.
Barry came up beside me, glanced inside, and said, “This guy’s wacked.”
A small laugh escaped as I agreed. “Yeah, but let’s go try to find something other than small greens.”
The house was small, something for which I was thankful. Given our time constraint, it shouldn’t take long to search everything. Basically there was a hallway dividing the house into two sections. From the west side, I’d previously noticed four windows, which I assumed were bedrooms and apparently his kitchen. The east side—the one facing my house—held the living room and probably the bathroom.
Earlier we had decided to start in the main room, make our way through the bedrooms, and then search the basement. As we turned to leave, Barry bowed as he extended his right arm saying, “Ladies first.”
I smiled suggestively at him, loving his goofiness.
When I stepped through the doorway leading into the hallway, my smile dropped instantly as I came to an abrupt halt. My breath caught when a darkened aura descended upon me, encapsulating my body. I swallowed hard as the strangulating sensation tried taking over. Straight across from me was a single door, which had me mesmerized. Most people would just see an ordinary, solid–pine door. But there wasn’t anything normal about that one, it was dark, sinister. As if holding me captive, I narrowed my eyes while continuing to glare. It wasn’t hard to figure out where the door led. The negative vibe emitting from it left little doubt that it opened to the basement. I couldn’t pull my eyes away as it continued to tantalize me.
An image of Johnny being dragged through the doorway flashed through my mind, and I wondered if he was conscious before being placed in that pit. The thought of him suffering through an experience like that made bile creep into my throat. That nauseated feeling kept me glued to my spot.
At some point, we had to go down there, but not now. Earlier, we both agreed to investigate that room last, and considering how I felt, that was a smart choice. Once I entered the same room where Johnny was placed, I knew my vision would be strong. Before that happened, we needed to find solid evidence against Mr. Barton. Proof would be needed for the police to have a chance at arresting him. My vision wouldn’t hold up in court, and I wanted that guy convicted.
Barry, who seemed to understand
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