“The who?” Kate said and looked at him funny. “The Horseman?”
Quinn shook his head.
“Sorry, never mind,” he said and wiped his face with his hands. “It’s early. I meant Lord Halloween.”
Kate continued to stare at him for a moment.
“I don’t know,” she said. “All I know is I got a call this morning from Redacker. He told me I needed to be out at the house as soon as possible.”
“But why is he helping you now, if he lied to you before?”
“He promised he would,” Kate replied. “He is a man of his word.”
“People who keep their word don’t lie in the first place,” Quinn said.
“Well, I don’t think he is lying now. Something in my gut,” she said.
“If the woman is missing, what are we going to find at her house?” he asked.
But by that time they were nearing the neighborhood. Quinn pulled onto the street and then pulled the car over alongside the curb.
“We aren’t there yet,” she said.
“I know, but we can’t exactly drive up if the cops are all around it, can we?” he asked.
A second later, Quinn saw Janus pull up behind him.
The three of them cut between two houses and ducked into the woods, approaching the house slowly. Kate seemed to be chomping at the bit to go faster, but both Quinn and Janus persuaded her not to rush ahead.
As they approached, they could see numerous cop cars out front. Janus pulled out his camera and started shooting, stopping every few feet to take a photo. Quinn counted six cars near the front.
“Hell of a missing persons case,” he said.
“Is that what this is?” Janus asked.
“A lady disappeared from here Thursday night,” Kate said. “Her friend said a cop showed up and asked to use her phone. And the friend hasn’t heard from her since.”
“But this is a lot of people to have crawling around here, isn’t it?” Janus asked.
They quickly counted. Quinn saw at least 12 cops around the house and also saw some movement over in the woods. The police had put up ropes in front of the house marking it as a police scene.
“They found something in there,” Kate said. “It’s the only way to explain all this.”
“A body?” Quinn asked.
“Maybe,” she said. “But I would think they’d be more subtle.”
“How did you know about this?” Janus asked while Quinn was on the phone.
“It’s a long story,” Kate said.
“You seem to know an awful lot about this place for someone who is new to it,” Janus said between drags.
“Haven’t we covered this already?” Kate asked.
Janus held up his left hand.
“Relax,” he said. “I’m no fucking rat. I just enjoy shaking people up a little.”
“I had noticed that,” she said.
“My mum said it’s my mission in life,” he said.
“What is?”
“To annoy people to death,” he replied and grinned. Janus pointed over in the woods directly behind the house.
“There are a bunch of guys out there,” he said. “What the bloody hell is going on?”
“They are looking for something,” Kate replied.
“But if they are looking for a person, how come they aren’t calling out?” Quinn asked.
“Because they know that person isn’t alive,” Kate said.
“What would make them so sure?” Janus asked.
“If they are looking for a person in pieces,” Kate said.
“Oh, I like her,” Janus said. “She’s just brimming with positive thinking.”
They moved closer to the house. Janus took shots of cops in the woods and more of them roping off the house. So far, no one had noticed them.
“Let’s see if we can get a look inside,” Kate said.
“We’ll get caught,” Janus said.
Kate shrugged.
“So?” she said. “I’m not exactly intimidated by them.”
They approached the house slowly, but the cops’ attention still seemed focused elsewhere. They came at it from the side, hoping to get a look in the den window.
They had nearly reached the window when cops started shouting. All at once, five officers stood around the three of them.
“Hiya blokes,” Janus said. “Do you have any donuts? I’m really famished and this seemed like the best place to grab a bite.”
The cops started throwing questions at them. Who were they? How did they get here? What was with the camera?
Then a voice cut through the rest.
“Janus, I should have known,” he said and the group parted to let an officer come through.
“Stu, how are you?” Quinn asked.
Stu looked at him warily.
“Let me see your camera, Janus,” he said, turning away from Quinn.
“I really don’t think that is a good idea,” Quinn said.
“Why not?” Stu asked. “I wouldn’t want to have to call you guys in for questioning. But if I were to have the camera for a minute…”
Janus busted out laughing.
“Oh, that’s a great threat,” he said. “I’m fucking quaking, aren’t I?”
The cops around them seemed to be growing angrier.
“Give me the camera, Janus,” Stu said.
“You’ll have to pry it out of my cold dead hand,” he responded.
“What do you say, Kate?” Quinn asked. He pulled out a notebook and pen from his jacket and started writing. “Let’s see… ‘When reporters approached the house, the officers became extremely anxious and threatened to take away a photographer’s camera.’”
“Now hold on,” Stu said.
“Honestly, Stu, do we look stupid?” Quinn asked.
“Well, we might actually look stupid,” Janus said. “We just aren’t.”
“There is no way you can force that camera out of his hands,” Quinn said. “Are you going to accidentally break it or something? I would think you would know by now how to treat the press. But if not, let me give you a tip: Stop being an asshole.”
“That’s it,” Stu said. “You three are all coming with me.”
“Right, throwing us in jail will improve the sheriff’s reputation in town?” Kate asked.
“Let me put it this way,” Stu said. “You guys are at a crime scene. You are interfering with police business. You’ve been taking unauthorized photos.”
“Unauthorized?” Janus asked. “Since when is a newspaper photographer taking photos of a crime scene unauthorized? Give me a fucking break.”
“Look, you little English shit,” Stu said. “I’ve had it with you. All of you. You’re coming down to the station.”
Kate pulled out her own notebook and started writing everything down.
“First of all, I’m not fucking English,” Janus said. “I’m Welsh. There is a huge difference. For example, you are probably English by blood. It’s the only way to explain your looks. And blind stupidity.”
Stu crossed over to him.
“Gentlemen,” Quinn said. “This is getting a bit ridiculous, don’t you think?”
“Another time, Janus,” Stu said. “You and I should have a man-to-man talk.”
