Last Seen Alive

Chapter Five

"Should I be worried you didn't put up a fight when I said I was tagging along?" Kelsey asked Michael from the passenger seat of his car.

They were a few minutes away from Louis' house, close enough that Michael could see police car lights flashing blue and red just up ahead. He turned off his navigation system and said, "I didn't want to waste time arguing with you when you'd eventually find your way there anyway."

Kelsey leaned back in her seat, considering his answer. "You're planning on dumping me in a ditch, aren't you?"

"I do have an ulterior motive for bringing you with me. But don't worry, it's not dumping you in a ditch."

"And the words 'ulterior motive' are supposed to make me feel better?"

"I'm just keeping an eye on you so we can avoid the mistake you made last time you went to a crime scene."

She groaned. "You are never going to let that siren thing go, are you?"

"I'm just acting as your guide to being a better person in the world of law enforcement."

"Like a compass?" Kelsey asked wryly.

"A moral compass, yeah."

"My very own North Star. Whoopee," she said sarcastically.

"North Star has a nice ring to it," Michael said, smiling genuinely. The smile barely lasted a second when he finally drove up to Louis' house.

To say the place was a circus was an understatement. The squad car that was meant to pick up Louis was parked on the curb, lights on and siren off. Next to it was the coroner's van that sent a shudder through Kelsey when she spotted it. Several people were standing in the street, some quietly observing, others wreaking havoc while a uniformed officer tried to keep them as far away from the house as possible.

Much to Michael's annoyance, an H.B. Media news van was parked down the street. A camera crew was set up near the house where a reporter was making a statement, occasionally gesturing at the house behind her. And of course the reporter was none other than Kimberly Yates-another bane to his existence.

"Great," he muttered, parking the car as near as he could without trampling any by-standers. He and Kelsey headed for the house, ducking under the police tape that had been set up around the perimeter. Both of them ignored Kimberly when she tried to catch their attention.

The house was fairly simple. Not too small, with a verandah on one side where a round table was set up with three large garden chairs around it and a vase of flowers in the middle. The flowers were wilted to the point of being completely dry and a few petals had fallen onto the table. Thick vines covered the walls of the house, giving off an eery vibe in the darkness of the night.

Kelsey swallowed down her dread and pushed herself to keep her feet moving before Michael could see how freaked out she really was. She was already two steps ahead of him while he was taking a look around the area. The slightly open door let out a loud creak when she pushed it further open. Before she could step through it, Michael held her back with a firm hand on her shoulder. She turned back, giving him a questioning look.

"There's a dead body in there. Are you sure you can handle that?" he asked.

She nodded grimly. "I've seen my fair share since I switched over to criminal profiling. I'll be fine."

He searched her face for any sign of discomfort and only found grim determination. "If at any point it feels like too much, walk out. Don't try to be brave."

"I'm good. I promise," she said with a smile that seemed a little forced. He didn't call her out on it.

She turned to walk into the house again but Michael stopped her once more, this time pulling her back so she was behind him.