“You assume correctly,” Josh said. “And you found nothing of interest in the other homes?”
“Not a thing out of place if that’s what you mean. I got a realtor to show me around inside one because it’s been on the market for at least six years.”
Skye turned to stare at Leo. “That’s a long time for it to be for sale. Is there something wrong with it?”
“Other than the asking price of just under three million? Not a thing that I could see. But the realtor pointed out all the De Palo houses share one unique feature, one thing in common.” Leo hid a grin, waited a beat.
“Unique? How so?”
“Where I come from we call them basements, but around here they refer to what the De Palos added on to each house as bunkers, huge extensions beneath the first floors. All the houses they own have ’em.”
“You mean like survivalists?” Josh asked.
“That’s the impression I got. Yeah. I did mention the De Palos believed that the end of the world was just around the corner, didn’t I?” Leo clarified.
“Interesting,” Skye noted as she and Josh started loading up the stuff they’d brought with them, like their laptops and the one suitcase they’d packed, into the trunk of the full-sized Chevy Impala Leo had rented two days before.
Josh crawled behind the wheel while Skye rode shotgun, leaving Leo to settle for the backseat.
Once they got on the road, even with the GPS, Josh had a difficult time locating the rural address. “What is it with this place?” Josh grumbled as he took another detour down one more country road.
“Tax records come up with a three-thousand-square-foot ranch house essentially out in the boonies,” Leo explained as he continued to refer to notes he’d taken and saved to his tablet. “According to public records, the property is like a maze to locate. According to gossip the De Palos did that on purpose so no one could easily find them.”
“Sounds like they were afraid of something.”
“I think the mother was pretty much afraid of just about everything,” Leo added.
“Figures,” Skye said.
“That’s only one reason the family was considered oddities for years.”
“I’ve got news for you, Leo. Their son is one for the books,” Skye stated matter-of-factly.
Josh drove for miles and miles, past picturesque hiking and nature trails among the rolling hills and mountains in the distance to reach what appeared to be an agricultural hotspot.
Skye pointed out several thriving farms along the way where strawberries or pumpkins grew. They drove past a field of purple lavender, and noted the apple and apricot orchards laden down with fruit. When Skye spotted a deer gnawing on a field of clover and grass, she made Josh pull the car over to the side of the road until the animal darted off.
“I had no idea this area would be so full of wildlife.”
“Well, it might’ve had a chance to flourish with Frank grown now and not a threat to the local wild kingdom.”
“That’s a sick thought,” Skye uttered. “But probably true. We must’ve landed in California’s fertile growing fields.”
“San Caruso and the surrounding areas for about a hundred miles to the north and east are nothing but small farms owned by individuals or a conglomerate of the big agricultural outfits. There’s not really an in-between. The De Palo family owns a sizeable chunk in several fruit-canning facilities,” Leo explained. “Hence all the groves around here.”
“Once you leave the coast, the hot Mediterranean climate and the flat valley coming together make for a perfect environment to grow just about everything from nuts to fruits and vegetables,” Josh said.
“But at this point, with everything we’ve discovered about little Frankie, this part of the county doesn’t jibe with the sophisticated millionaire who lives in a high-rise condo and pretends he’s better than everyone else. He had to hate it here where he grew up,” Skye said. “Even with all that money in the bank.”
“I’m sure that’s true. Frank’s probably ashamed of where he came from, wishes it were someplace else less country, and refuses to admit this is home,” Josh said in agreement.
With Skye reading the map and relaying directions, they finally turned down a dusty dirt road that was indeed out in the middle of nowhere. They’d left the valley and the fields behind to reach the only house on the overgrown lane. A one-story, sprawling ranch-style house sat at the end of a cul-de-sac badly in need of some new pavement. The house had obviously once been a showplace, but now required a lot of TLC to bring it back to the way it had looked in its prime.
Rechecking the address against what Leo had found in public records, Skye realized this neglected piece of property had to be the land that belonged to Elena and Frank De Palo Sr. and where young Frank had spent his holidays and summers.
Josh pulled up to the entrance of the sprawling estate. A pair of double iron gates and a rock wall blocked anyone from entering the grounds.
Josh wasn’t a happy camper when he had to crawl out of the car in order to deal with the heavy chain wrapped several times around the ironwork. At the end of the links were three rusty but sturdy padlocks dangling from the loop. He picked one up and pointed out, “The elements certainly have taken a toll on these. It tells me this place has been locked up a while, I’d say for years.”
“Someone wants to make sure they keep out visitors or the curious,” Skye declared. “Want me to distract Leo while you make good use of your super wolf-like strength in order to get us past these locks?” she said with a bob of her head toward Leo who still sat in the backseat.
Josh dazzled her with a smile. He too glanced back at Leo, saw the guy was fixated with whatever his tablet held onscreen. With that, Josh ripped the iron chain from the rusty locks.
Skye shook her head. “That nerdy geek I saved in the alleyway that night has turned into a man of steel. Avoid kryptonite ’cause it’s a power zapper for sure.”
“I don’t think I’m ready to find out what zaps my power for real.”
Skye made a face. “I didn’t mean…that’s a sobering thought,” she added and not one she wanted to dwell on at the moment. As they got back into the car to drive up to the house they both got a better view of the place.
Built in 1955, the De Palo estate had been designed with that atomic ranch look so popular during the era. Skye could see the architect had most likely fused California flair with a bold Italian influence to come up with the best use of wood and stone. The long, low roofline, the steep angular eaves, all the glass, the boxy shape, and the two fat fireplaces at each end gave way to classic midcentury style.
As soon as Josh came to a stop, her gaze landed on the double front doors. For the first time since they’d arrived in Monterey County, a funny feeling crawled up her spine. It wasn’t the reaction she wanted. Nineteen-fifties architecture aside, there was a “presence” here she could feel, almost taste. And she didn’t like it. “There’s something not right about this, Josh. I know the tax records show Frank De Palo still owns the property but it doesn’t appear anyone’s lived here for years. Why would his parents leave their home?”
“It’s hard to fall off the radar these days. I can’t find any credit card or bank activity for either one of them. Since both aren’t yet old enough to receive Social Security, there’s no way to track them by the checks they might be receiving at some other address.”
“Do multi-millionaires bother to apply for Social Security?” Leo wondered aloud from the backseat.
“Some do. Look, before we go any further, there’s something I need to know. Are both of you okay with us breaking and entering to get inside?”
“You know how I feel,” Skye answered. “We went over all this on the plane. I didn’t make this trip all the way from Seattle to sit in the car and wait while you and Leo take the tour yourselves. We need to know if your hunch is correct. If this is our guy, we need answers now, not wait until another five or six more women have to die before we do somethi
ng about it.” To prove her point, she opened the car door.
For his answer, Leo did the same. He crawled out of the backseat. “I’m in. I didn’t wade through the dynamics of this little town for two days to sit on the sidelines now.”
“Okay, but depending on what we find inside, it’s a whole new ballgame from here if what we suspect is true. If it turns out there’s evidence in there that Frank started his killing here with dear old Mom and Dad, we’re all in it deep.”
“Look, let’s just take one room at a time and see what happens. There are three of us. We can spread out and cover more ground or we can stick together,” Skye suggested.
“I say we stick together,” Leo offered, a little unease starting to creep in.
“Okay, but we still have to get inside first. And we’ll need a few things,” Skye reasoned as she went around to the back of the Chevy, waited for Josh to pop open the trunk. When he did, she reached in, unzipped the bag they’d brought containing their clothes. She dug around until she pulled out a flashlight. Skye looked at Josh. “You may see perfectly well in the dark these days what with having your ‘Lasik surgery’ and all,” she said convincingly for Leo’s benefit. “But the rest of us require a beam of light now and again.”
“You brought a flashlight?” Before she could answer, Josh reached over, yanked her up off the dirt and into a kiss. “I love a woman who thinks ahead and comes prepared.”
“Yeah, well, I’m used to perusing dark streets and I forgot the night vision goggles.”
He grinned. “Come on, I’m gonna try to find another way in.”
“Why don’t you just say you’re looking around for which window would be the best one to break?” Skye countered.
Josh took her arm and pulled her around to the back of the house. He motioned for Leo to follow. “Maybe we’ll get lucky and find one that’s already unlocked or a pane of glass that’s cracked.”
The trio entered a large overgrown backyard with shrubs and vines that didn’t look they like had been trimmed or cut back for years. Bugs and spiders hid in the knee-high weeds and underbrush as they pushed their way through to get to more hedges and dense undergrowth.
They finally came to an open area where a lagoon-design swimming pool took up at least half the lawn. The concrete hole hadn’t seen water in at least a decade. But algae residue left behind told them what they already knew. The entire property had fallen to neglect and hard times a long time ago.
And nobody had seemed to care.
Getting inside the house though, proved easier than they expected, when Josh located a bedroom window with the screen already removed and a faulty lock that didn’t catch because the metal had been worn down.
“Isn’t that odd? Maybe someone’s already used this window once before to enter when they weren’t supposed to be here,” Skye suggested.
“That makes no sense. Why would Frank need to break into his own house?”
“Who said it was Frank? Someone could’ve suspected something years ago and come in through this way to check it out.”
“That’s a scary thought,” Leo tossed out. “How many bodies are we looking for anyway?”
“Let’s hope none. But we at least need to check this place off the list first, and see if we can find out what happened to Elena and Frank Senior. Right now, that’s what we think. The couple is here—somewhere.” Josh pushed up the glass, and went through the frame first. A dank, musty smell hit him almost immediately. “Stay here while I go unlock the back door.”
“Not me,” Skye said. “Where you go, I go,” she reiterated as she leveraged herself up and Josh pulled her the rest of the way through the window.
Leo reluctantly followed by crawling through the opening.
After dusting off her jeans, Skye looked around the room at the lime green and gold décor that looked like it hadn’t been upgraded since the 1970s. “Wow, talk about retro.”
Josh went over and opened the closet door. “Women’s clothing, men’s suits, still on hangers.”
Skye pulled open a couple of dresser drawers. “Same with the underwear and socks. Wherever they went, they traveled mighty light.”
“They never packed. A seven-piece set of matching Samsonite is still stored here in a layer of dust covering the leather,” Josh said before picking up a man’s Rolex still on the nightstand. “This watch must be twenty years old, ran out of battery life a long time ago.”
“That’s a brand-new mattress on this bed,” Skye pointed out. “It looks as though it’s right out of the showroom. Come on. We need to check out the rest of this crypt because I’m beginning to think your hunch is right on the money.”
With that, Skye left the bedroom and progressed down a long hallway, checking out each room as she went.
But while the three of them took the tour around the rambling single-story home, a foul odor kept nagging in the air as strong as solid waste. As soon as they reached the back part of the house, the smell grew worse.
The stench was so overpowering, Skye looked around to see Leo’s face turn green right before he looked like he wanted to puke.
“Look guys, I hate to bail on you but I can’t take this smell. I’ve always had a weak stomach. I’ve gotta have some fresh air,” Leo mumbled.
“Head outside then,” Josh told the kid. “You might as well use the front door. We’ll take it from here.” Josh turned to make sure Skye was okay with that. “Right?”
She nodded as she watched Leo take off for the front of the house and all but scurry outside. “I might want to gag but I’m not leaving you in here alone. You getting anything?” she wanted to know.
“Oh yeah. That disgusting odor is the same as in my vision, the one I had that night after the sweat lodge. I’ve never gotten past the way Kiya made sure I could recognize the scent.”
“There’s something evil here,” Skye determined after taking in another shallow inhale of the fetid air. “Let’s get this show on the road. Kiya, where are you? Take us to what it is you want us to see.”
About that time the wolf began to take shape and then shifted into a physical animal. Kiya sniffed the air and trotted toward the area just off the kitchen, stopped when she reached a door. The wolf pawed at the wood first, and then sat, waiting.
“Please tell me that doesn’t lead down to the basement,” Skye uttered with a certain amount of dread gathering in her throat making it difficult to speak.
“You mean the bunker,” Josh corrected as he turned the handle. The door creaked back to bump the wall. The odor of decomposition hit him in such measures that it devastated the sinuses. Josh eyed the look on Skye’s face, the sick green color that matched Leo’s. “You want to stay up here? It’s fine by me.”
“At the risk of being labeled a wuss, I believe I do. But like I said before, I’m not letting you do this alone. Kiya, you take point. We’ll follow.” Skye hefted the flashlight and said, “Let’s go.”
Josh sucked in a breath as Kiya took off down the stairs. “Any presence down there has more than likely had the life drained out of it a long time ago.”
“That’s certainly making me feel better, Josh. Not.”
“Sorry. Let’s just get this over with.”
Josh followed Kiya, then Skye trailed behind both of them, shining the light as she went. But about halfway down, something made her stop. It wasn’t that the stairs were scary or that the smell made her gag. That ship had already sailed. But the further down she went into the darkness, the image from her vision flashed into her brain. She knew then, with one hundred percent certainty what lay within the walls, somewhere in that basement. And she wasn’t sure she wanted to be a part of it.
Ahead of her, Josh got the same sense and held up his hand. He waved her away. “I get you. Now go back, Skye. This is totally unnecessary for you to do this. This is what Kiya wants me to see. For a reason.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive. Now head back upstairs.”
“Okay. But Jo
sh?”
“What?”
“Be careful.”
“You know I will. I’ve got Kiya.”
Grudgingly she dashed back up the steps. As soon as she reached the top, she yelled back down, “Just because I’m not down there with you doesn’t mean you shouldn’t feel free to give me the play-by-play.”
But Josh had already disappeared into the cavern of the basement and whatever loomed in its dark belly.
Josh followed Kiya into an open area that could only be described as opulent survivalist style. Oak flooring was the first clue. The computer station complete with desk was the second. An eating area consisted of a table with six chairs accessorized in leather seats— something one didn’t expect to see in a shelter built for the end of the world.
A generously-sized kitchen had been outfitted with all the home appliances needed during an apocalypse. Storage bins held every variety of canned goods along with a supply of military MREs enough to last a year and maybe beyond through any major natural disaster.
After checking out two bathrooms with working toilets, one on each end of the length of the house, Josh veered off the main room to where three separate sleeping areas had been partitioned off by thin walls for privacy. Each contained a comfy queen-sized bed.
Circling back to the living area, Josh noticed a TV set covered with cobwebs. It had once been designated for double duty—one to get news of the impending doom to come—and two to act as a security monitor.
Outfitting the entire bunker had to cost a cool million, Josh decided as he turned to Kiya. “Where do we look? Show me where you want me to start.”
The wolf trotted over to another supply room off the kitchen. In the back beside a crapload of medical supplies, Josh spotted a wire rack. An assortment of animal heads lined the shelves. Some were stored in jars. “No doubt Frank’s personal trophy room as a child. Okay, now we’re getting warmer.”
Skye Cree Boxed Set Books 1 - 3 Page 51