When the Chips Are Down

When the Chips Are Down by Anne Rasico Read Free Book Online Page A

Book: When the Chips Are Down by Anne Rasico Read Free Book Online
Authors: Anne Rasico
sliding on his gloves. He marched up the steps to the back door and pulled the doorknob. As expected, it was locked, so he pulled a screw driver from his pocket and began feverishly attempting to pick the lock. After repeatedly twisting the head of the screw driver into the keyhole and accomplishing nothing, he gave up. “Stand back,” he exclaimed, making a fist.
    “No, don’t punch out the glass. It’ll make too much noise,” Trent barked.
     
    “Dammit! Where the hell did Brook go?” Zane said, frustrated.
    “Look , there’s a small basement window. We could probably kick that out fairly easily,” Trent cried, pointing.
    “Won’t that make a lot of noise , too?” Zane said.
    “Guys, the front door is unlocked!” Brooklyn whispered, running towards them.  Feeling foolish, Zane and Trent started towards the front of the house.
     
    “Sweet mother of god,” Zane exclaimed when they entered the living room. The three looked around in astonishment.
    “Somebody has tr ashed this place,” Brooklyn gasped. The house had been ransacked. Papers and personal items were scattered across the floor. The other rooms in the house were no different. Every drawer was open and even the mattress was overturned. “They were obviously looking for something, probably the same thing we’re looking for,” Brooklyn commented.
    “And they probably found it,” Zane said, aggravated.
     
    “Maybe it was just some desperate scavengers who knew the house was empty,” Trent proposed.
    “Then why didn’t they take this?” Brooklyn said, holding up a Rolex. Trent looked at her stunned.
    “Tell me now that this guy wasn’t doing controversial research,” Zane said, “I knew Brook and I were right all along, and it looks like we’re too late.”
     
    “Maybe not,” Brooklyn said after a moment.
    “ Why do you say that?” Zane asked.
    “Maybe they didn’t find what they were lookin g for. Eldridge was a smart man.  If he had something he was hiding here, he may have hidden it so well, they couldn’t find it. Let’s fan out and start looking for a secret door or compartment, anything that would make a good hiding place,” Brooklyn instructed.
     
    “This isn’t an old 18 th century house. It’s unlikely that there are any secret tunnels,” Trent argued.
    “Just start looking . We’ve come all this way,” Brooklyn bossed. Zane and Trent began moving the living room furniture, looking for a hidden compartment under the maple floor. “It looks like an ordinary floor to me,” Trent concluded.
    “Wasn’t your uncle Gary a drug dealer?” Zane asked.
    “He used to be.  Why do you ask?” Trent wanted to know.
    “Where did he keep his stash?” Zane said.
    “He hid drugs inside his couch.  That was where the po lice found them anyway.  Why are you so curious about him?  He was a loser,” Trent said.
     
    “Think about it, man!” Zane exclaimed as he gestured towards Eldridge’s green and white sofa.
    “Oh ! I get it,” Trent said.  He disappeared into the kitchen and emerged with a large steak knife.  He slashed open the cushions as Zane and Brooklyn pulled cotton from them.
    “There’s nothing in here but stuffing,” Brooklyn said after they had pulled everything out. She went to check the basement. “Gross!” she shrieked when she discovered it contained only mold and several large rats. 
     
    “Why are you looking through the dresser drawers?  Somebody obviously beat you to it,” Trent said to Zane when they were in the master bedroom.
    “They could’ve missed something,” Zane replied, dumping the contents of a drawer onto the mattress.
    “I doubt it; these people were thorough,” Trent remarked as he stepped inside the walk-in closet.  Every article of clothing was lying on the floor with the pockets turned inside out. They searched the air ducts, chimney, and dusty attic, but their search rendered them nothing but hopeless and dirty.
     
    “We must be too late. These people

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