“And Cole, drive safely. These kids need their dad. I’ll be there in about one more minute.”
“Okay.” She could hear the fear in his voice.
She felt terrible. Just last night she’d told him that citizens were safe in their homes. Tightness gripped her throat.
When she pulled into the Walkers’ yard, she saw the two girls come to the living room window, Angela with a phone to her ear. She’d seen no one fleeing the place as she’d approached. She opened Robo’s cage as she exited the cruiser. “Robo, come.”
He jumped into the front seat and followed her.
Angela stepped out on the porch with Sophie beside her like a shadow, fear clearly evident on their faces. Belle trailed behind. “She’s here now, Dad,” Angela was saying as Mattie hurried to join them. “Yeah, yeah, okay. I’ll give her the phone.”
“If this is the man who killed Grace, you’re all in danger,” Cole said as soon as she picked up the phone. “I want you to load up the kids and leave.”
“We’re together now, Cole. Let me check something with Angela. Are you sure no one came into the house?” she said to the teen.
“I don’t think so. We closed all the windows.”
“The kids and I are going into the house, Cole. Robo, heel.” She made sure Robo knew he was on duty so there would be no playfulness with Belle. She gestured for the kids to follow her, talking to Cole while they went. “We’re all inside the house with doors locked. I’m going to do a walk-through with Robo to make sure the house is clear and secure. Here, I’m giving the phone to Angela so I can make sure.” She handed over the phone before he could protest. “Angela, you guys stay by the front door with Belle.”
With Mattie opening closet doors, it took only a little over a minute for Robo to sweep the lower level of the home. She felt certain there was no need to check the upper level, but it only took another minute or two for them to do it anyway. She returned to the girls and held out her hand for the phone.
“I’m giving you back to Mattie now,” Angela told her dad.
“All clear,” Mattie told him.
“You’re sure it’s safe to be there?”
“Yes. I’ll stay with the girls until you get here, and then Robo and I will take a look outside.”
“I’m about fifteen minutes away now.”
“Uh-huh. You might want to slow it down a little.”
“Advice from a cop.”
“Yeah, buddy.” Mattie ended the call and gave the girls a small smile, the tightness easing from her shoulders somewhat. Though their frightful time alone had passed, the aftermath was still apparent in their faces. “Let’s go into the living room while we wait for your dad.”
She and Robo followed the girls, and they all settled into seats, the girls together on the sofa. Mattie took a moment to check in at the station, asking Rainbow to give the others news that things were all clear, no backup needed. Then she focused on Angela. “Tell me what happened.”
“We were watching TV in here, and then Belle got up and started growling. I followed her to the back door and she sort of rushed at it, you know, as much as she could with her limp. That’s when she started barking, and she kind of lunged at the door and hit it with her front paws.”
“Did you hear or see anything?”
“Yeah, the door knob was rattling, like someone was trying to get it open, you know. It was locked, so they couldn’t, but they were still trying.”
Mattie noticed that Sophie sat with big eyes and her arms wrapped around herself. She’d not seen her be so still in past visits. “Are you okay, Sophie?”
The girl nodded, putting a thumb in her mouth, and leaned into her sister. Angela put an arm around her and went on. “I looked out the window, you know, sort of staying behind the curtain.”
“What did you see?”
“A man. I’m sure it was a man, but he had on a black ski mask so I don’t know what he looked like.” Angela’s eyes widened as she spoke.
“That was scary,” Mattie said.
“Yeah.” Angela sniffed. “He turned and ran as soon as Belle hit the door.”
“Good! Hooray for Belle, right Sophie?” Mattie wanted to see if she could animate the child a little bit.
Sophie smiled slightly around the thumb. “Right.”
“How could you tell it was a man?” Mattie asked.
Angela thought. “Well, he was thick, you know, not built like a woman or skinny like a boy. And he was big, not as big as Dad, but not little either.”
“So not skinny. Average build or heavy?”
“Average. But he ran like he wasn’t too old—I mean, he didn’t run like an old person.”
“That’s a good observation. Can you describe his clothing?”
“Well, I’m not sure. Jeans, a dark-colored sweatshirt, maybe navy blue.”
“Did anything stand out? Anything unusual you could pick up on?”
Angela frowned, clearly trying to do her best. “Oh. He wore black gloves, shiny, like leather.”
The sound of a truck driving up to the yard interrupted further discussion. “Daddy,” Sophie whispered, and both girls hurried to meet him at the front door. Mattie and Robo followed, standing back as she watched Cole embrace his daughters and hold them for a long moment.
He looked over the top of Angela’s head at Mattie. “Thank you,” he said, his voice hushed.
She merely nodded. “I’m going outside to look around.”
He made a movement as if to follow, but she stopped him. “Let me see what Robo can pick up before we all go out there and mix up the scent trail.”
Taking Robo with her, she went to the back door and eased outside. Cement patio, lawn but no fencing, a few flower beds and shrubs. Without her needing to direct him, Robo sniffed at the door, his hackles rose, and he followed an invisible trail out into the yard.
He must know which scent doesn’t belong.
Mattie went with him, breaking into a jog as he trotted toward the lane, nose to the ground. At the top of the lane, he stopped, circled a few times to sniff the area, and then he sat and looked up at her. Clearly he’d lost the scent trail.
Here’s where the guy parked.
No neighbors to question, hard to say if anyone drove past and noticed a parked car. They probably thought nothing of it even if they did see one.
Mattie and Robo returned to the house. The Walkers met them out on the front porch, and she told Cole what little she’d discovered. “I wish I had more,” she said.
“Maybe this is unrelated,” he said, and Mattie understood that he meant unrelated to Grace’s killing. “Maybe it was just an interrupted burglary.”
“Maybe.” But doubt made her probe her mind for that niggling thought she’d had back at the station during briefing.
“You girls can ride ambulatory with me this afternoon.”
“Can Belle come, too?” Sophie asked.
“Sure. Go inside and pack a backpack with some books and snacks. Make sure you take a few water bottles.” As the girls went inside, Cole called, “Angela, grab your cell phone.”
It was enough to help her make the connection. “The cell phone.”
“What?”
Her heartbeat quickened. “Grace’s cell phone is missing. Her killer probably took it to see who she’d been calling lately. Maybe it was him. Maybe he was looking for something or evidence that Angela might know something.”
“But she doesn’t.”
“He doesn’t know that.”
Cole looked stricken.
“There could be other kids in danger,” she said. “Hold on a minute. Let me make a call.” She swiped to her contact list and pressed a button. Cole went into the house, leaving Mattie alone on the porch.