Mr. Good Bad Guy

21 - Curiosity Killed the Cat

We pulled up in front of the house, the address matching the one on the GPS. The house looked abandoned, but well kept. The lawn was mowed, the hedges trimmed, and the mailbox had a few pieces of mail in it.

"Wow...I was not expecting something like this." Nayeli stared up at the house in awe. "Beautiful. Magnificent."

"Did you not see it online?" I asked.

"What? No. Brodie and Karson did. They just told me it was on the market until recently."

I knew it.

She knocked on the door and waited for a few moments. She knocked again, then peered through the window.

"Okay...there's definitely no one here," she said. "And the mail is old."

The house was nice, but it wasn't a place I'd live in. There was something about it that made me uncomfortable, like I was standing in the wrong place at the wrong time. I knocked on the door, just to make sure there was no one inside, but there was no answer. I tried the knob, but it was locked.

"I'm not feeling good about this," I whispered. "Could McCarthy be up to something?"

"Can he just be a normal, rich person who owns multiple properties?" Nayeli shot me an annoyed look.

"Not if no one is renting them."

"It's too easy, if he's the killer. That means we should have asked for your profile a long time ago."

"Duh, but I'm pretty sure Mr. Erik McCarthy isn't our age. I would remember seeing him before."

"No"

"Nayeli, he doesn't fit the profile anyway. Do you know if he's ever served? How old is he? How's his relationship with his father? His uncle? His brothers? Do any of his relatives know where he lives?"

"I don't know any of that, but it's nothing Brodie and Karson can't figure out."

"Even if he becomes a real suspect, I doubt he's our killer. He has so much to lose."

"He could be working with our killer?"

"...Let's just find a way in."

I glanced around the neighborhood again, looking for any signs of movement or suspicious activity. Nothing. The street was completely quiet. It was like the entire neighborhood was holding its breath, waiting to see what we would do next.

"You know...I think I saw a tree branch or something I could use to climb up there," Nayeli whispered, pointing to a tall tree near the backyard. "I could maybe find a way in through one of the bedroom windows."

"Are you crazy?" I shook my head. "You could hurt yourself. If that happens, then everyone will know we wandered off, poking our noses into someone else's business."

"I can take care of myself," she insisted, giving me a reassuring smile. "And besides, someone's gotta do it. It's not like we have a choice."

I sighed, knowing she was right. If we didn't find a way in, we'd never be able to investigate properly. And with the killer getting more careful, we couldn't afford to miss anything.

"Okay, but be careful," I warned her. "And don't do anything stupid, like fall and break your neck or anything."

Nayeli nodded, and then she started to climb the tree. She moved quickly and gracefully, like a cat, her muscles flexing with every movement. Within moments, she had reached one of the bedroom windows and was peering inside. I watched her silently, my heart pounding in my chest.

She looked around for a moment, then motioned for me to come over. When I was close enough, she whispered, "The window's open. I can get in."

Wow. How convenient.