Last Girls Alive (Detective Katie Scott #4) - Jennifer Chase Page 0,7

more involved, but was happy that the scene would not be disturbed any further. She decided to continue down and circumnavigate the hill in order to have a closer look around the surrounding area.

“Thanks, John,” she said as she passed him, moving down the hillside until she reached flat ground.

Standing at the edge of the vast landscape, Katie wanted to get a sense of the area at eye level, which appeared to go on forever. She had known about the existence of Elm Hill Mansion for as long as she could remember, but had never been to the property—there had been no reason.

In fact, there had been stories of sightings of female ghosts dressed in old-fashioned clothes seen roaming the property when she was in school. No one she knew had the courage to visit. As she got older, the stories seemed to dissipate. It was nonsense, of course, but as she looked around at the isolation caused by endless woods and the sorry state of the house, she saw how it could conjure up those images.

If she recalled correctly, it had been a private home for a long time, and then the owners left and dedicated it as a home for displaced teen girls in foster care. From the style of the building, she estimated that the mansion was early 1900s, but she would find out for certain when she returned to the office. She looked up the hillside, past the body and crime scene, to the dilapidated estate standing watch over the valley below—it was as if it held the secrets to everyone that had ever lived there.

Katie made a slow 360-degree turn, studying the terrain and access areas. It wasn’t an easy approach to the property from the wooded trails. The nearest track led west toward a road, which was a solid half mile. The road leading to the driveway would be optimum but the gate below had been locked for some time, so the only other way would be to walk up the steep hill carrying a body. Not likely.

Instinct told her that the house was significant and held many answers to her questions.

Katie walked toward the southern end of the property where a slightly grooved path crossed the open hillside to the level area, which was behind the house. She quickly moved up the path. Weeds had overgrown it but it was still clear to see it had been traversed many times.

She now looked at the back of the house, noticing where the woodwork appeared newer, darker than the front, still had most of its paint and jutted out instead of sitting flush to the back of the house. It was common to add on a bathroom, laundry area, or even extra storage to a house of this age, but she was certain she was looking at the entrance to a basement of some sort. Getting closer, it appeared it had been used as a secured storm door during bad weather, but had become severely neglected over the years.

Katie hesitated a moment as an uncanny sense overcame her. Maybe it was something to do with her anxiety, maybe it was the reaction of being present at the old decaying house, but she wondered if Candace Harlan had used the basement for her escape. She imagined her breaking out in the middle of the night through the basement door and disappearing.

After taking a few photos with her cell phone, Katie pulled open the basement storm door and looked down into the darkness as a musty odor drafted upward, making her take a step back. Wanting to find something that appeared out of place, she decided to take a quick look around.

Katie moved carefully, her sodden running shoes slapping on each wooden stair as she turned on the flashlight application and pointed her cell phone around the room.

Nothing unusual. Cobwebs, dust, and rotting wood. There wasn’t anything on the walls or the narrow shelves lining one corner, which were made for mason jars filled with vegetables and fruits. For due diligence, she took a few photographs before turning back.

Back on the hillside, the team had removed the body and were loading her onto a gurney in a body bag before wheeling her toward an unmarked van.

Katie jogged around the property this time and re-entered the restricted area. As she bent down to slide underneath the yellow tape, she glanced at the crowd. She quickly tallied the onlookers and found that there were eleven people. Most bystanders were