Sliding along the side of the dilapidated wooden structure he made it to the living room window. For a moment he dared not look but steeling himself he peeked inside, hoping to find a family at ease in front of the telly. He wasn’t disappointed. Brian East was there, sprawled in his armchair, fighting for foot space on the chaise longue with his wife and the eldest two kids, bare feet battling bare feet, the telly bathing them in a stupefying blue glow. Chandler breathed out hard in relief. The Easts were okay. Finding them alive and in one piece tied another ribbon on his theory that Gabriel was sending them on a wild goose chase. Chandler decided not to disturb them.

Suddenly Diane East looked across to her husband who sat up quickly, knocking his can of beer to the carpet. They’d heard something. Chandler knew what. He made it around the back just as Brian was taking a wild swing at a mysterious figure in black, looming on the porch.

‘Brian, Brian, it’s me!’ shouted Chandler.

Brian drew his fist back and squinted into the darkness. ‘Me who?’ he growled, his voice slurred.

‘Sergeant Jenkins,’ said Chandler, staying out of range of any fist the former amateur boxer might unleash. Now up close he could see Sun and MacKenzie had trained their firearms on Brian.

‘Fuck you doin’ up here?’ asked Brian.

Though he was on edge, Chandler felt a little relieved. From Brian East this was a polite, almost reserved response. He waved his hand to get Mitch’s officers to lower their weapons. Neither responded.

‘Put those away,’ insisted Chandler, waiting until both reluctantly re-holstered their weapons.

By now Brian’s wife, Diane, was poking her head out the door, holding back her entire brood of four.

‘Who is it?’ she said.

‘Back inside,’ ordered Brian. His family didn’t move.

Brian turned back to face Chandler, a bushy eyebrow raised, wordlessly questioning why Chandler was here.

‘We’re just checking on something,’ said Chandler, answering Brian’s raised eyebrow.

‘Checkin’ on what?’

‘Someone we thought was up here.’

‘And?’ said Brian peering into the darkness around them.

‘Nothing. You can go back inside and enjoy your evening.’

There was a frown on Brian’s face that indicated he wasn’t satisfied. His eyes narrowed as if he suspected the police of being up to something.

‘Don’t go around poking in my things,’ he said.

‘What would we find?’ Sun had finally spoken, his voice lyrical and unexpected.

‘Nothing,’ said Brian, bluntly.

‘We’re not going to poke around,’ said Chandler. There was little to poke at, now it had been determined that Gabriel wasn’t in the house.

‘Brian, come inside,’ ordered Diane.

But Brian was curious himself now. ‘Who are these two?’ he asked, nodding his head towards Sun and MacKenzie.

‘They’re helping us,’ said Chandler, leaving it at that.