Rachel also found that she was quickly starting to like Stanhope quite a bit. He did not find the need to fill the awkward silence between them with useless chatter, telling them every little secret about every little street or corner they passed. She could feel the seriousness coming off of him, a cop that was focused solely on solving a case and keeping his city protected. He simply drove to the address hed taken from Daniel Robinsons record, eyes set straight ahead and speeding along with a sense of urgency the case deserved.

He drove them into a part of town that Rachel didnt quite consider the bad part of town but it was just a couple of steps away. The houses were all piled in on one another, most of which were boarded up and abandoned. Empty beer bottles remained on the sidewalks from the night before and most of the lawns were either dead or entirely overgrown.

Daniel Robinson lived in a house with a yard that was somewhere in betweenthe grass gone mostly brown but showing signs that he at least took the time to mow it every now and then. Stanhope parked alongside the sidewalk. and they all got out. Being the middle of the day on a weekday, the street was mostly quiet, though Rachel could hear distant chatter a street or two further off.

They walked up the two old concrete stairs embedded into the yard, and then along the cracked sidewalk to the front porch. The porch was mildewed and somehow smelled like rainwater even though the yard and streets showed no signs of rain for at least the last two days. Both Rachel and Jack stood back to allow Stanhope to knock on the door. When he did, the door rattled slightly in its frame. Right away, Rachel assumed no one would answerthat Mr. Robinson might have a job that he was currently at, or that he was out and about on errands.

But the sound of shuffling footsteps could be heard through the door, coming their way. Seconds later, they could hear the sound of a lock being disengaged. The door slowly opened but only a bit. A man peered out at them, his face old and tired. Rachel assumed this might be Daniel Robinsons father.

Yeah? the man said. When he noticed a cop at his door, he did not change his tone, nor did he open his door any wider. What do you need?

Were looking for Daniel Robinson, Stanhope said. Is he around?

Thats me, the man at the door said.

With all due respect, Stanhope said, our records indicated that Robinson is fifty-five years old.

The man at the door chuckled and the noise sounded more like a cough than anything else. That some sort of insult?

Im sorry, sir, Stanhope said. Youre Daniel Robinson?

Thats me, he said again.