Jen shook her head.

“Do I have your permission to break it open? I promise that the department will reimburse you for any damage that needs repair.”

“Do it.”

The sheriff and his deputy went to the trunk of their car and took out a large heavy tool that looked like a black log with two handles on top of it. Jen opened the house, and the rest of them walked in behind her. The air inside was stale, and with the shades drawn, the partially furnished front room was dark. Kyle felt uncomfortable, and glancing over at Nick and Anita, he could tell that they did, too.

Jen led them directly into the hallway, flipping on an orangey overhead light that somehow made it seem creepier than the darkness had. She pointed at a closed door. “There.”

The sheriff nodded. “Step aside,” he told them. He tried the knob to make sure it would not turn, then motioned for his deputy to break down the door. Kyle noticed that the sheriff kept his right hand close to his open holster, a move that did not exactly inspire confidence.

Holding the overhead handles, the deputy swung the log-shaped implement against the door directly below the brass knob. There was a loud splintering noise, and the door flew open. The sheriff and the deputy moved in carefully. Kyle followed behind them.

The room was smaller than expected and dark, like a vampire’s lair. The lone thick drape was pulled tightly shut, and when Jen, next to him, flipped the light switch, nothing came on. There was something big and bulky in the center of the floor, the only object in the room, but it was difficult to tell what it was until the sheriff took out and turned on his flashlight. The beam played over a wooden crate about four-foot square.

A knock sounded from inside the crate, followed by a strange noise that could have been a laugh, could have been a grunt.

Kyle shivered, a chill passing through him.

The deputy had made his way over to the drape, pulling it open. There was suddenly more light in the room.

“What’s in there?” Nick asked.

Kyle shook his head.

The sheriff’s flashlight was still trained on the crate. He walked around the square wooden object, no doubt looking for a way to open it. “Hello!” he said. “Is anyone in there?”

Another knock.

“Do you have any tools in the house?” he asked Jen. “A hammer, screwdriver, something?”

“I don’t think so. Unless the renters left something. I could check.”

“I have a lug wrench in the trunk,” Kyle offered. “One end’s like a crowbar.”

“Perfect. Can you get it?”

Kyle rushed out and returned moments later, handing the item over.