As the fog moved on, he saw the house clearer than ever before.
The driveway was still wet from the rain and distant thunder signaled another approaching storm.
He took a deep breath and walked across the meticulously maintained lawn, taking in the small hedges surrounding the front entrance and a large tree in the yard out back.
Inside, everything was eerily quiet, too quiet for his taste.
Suppressing the bad gut feeling that something wasn't right, a sixth sense developed after several decades of police work, he circled the house, bypassing the side door and garage until he reached the backyard.
The grass here was a bit longer, the dampness soaking his leather dress shoes almost immediately.
The small garden situated in the corner between the house and garage was barren now, the few plants that lived there dead and shriveled long ago.
A breeze travelled through the backyard, shaking the leaves up above enough to send a rain shower his way, causing the drops to run off the edge of his fedora.
Inside the house, the light over the kitchen sink was turned on, but no activity could be seen. Taking one slow step at a time, he approached the residence, immediately noticing the shut curtains that obscured much of his view.
His heart was beating so fast now, it made his palms clammy.
Deeply ingrained instincts told him to stay away, to leave this one be, to keep that door closed.
But he couldn't.
Too strong was his urge to find out what would await him inside that house.
With most of the curtains drawn, all that was left to explore was the last window on the left, the one he presumed belonged to the bedroom.
Drawing in a shaky breath and feeling the heaviness of the damp afternoon inside his throat, he walked closer, taking one small step at a time, until he was right in front of it.
The dark blue curtains were almost completely shut, leaving only a thin crack for him to look through. And yet, he couldn't resist it.
With his lower lip twitching slightly, he walked up to the window that was just above chest level, putting both hands on the white framework and rose to his tip toes as he cranked his neck to get a good glimpse through the curtains.
The inside of the house was dark, not allowing him to see much beside the vague outline of a bed and dresser right next to the door.
Rain pounding against the window had built a film of grime over the years that obscured his sight even more.
Reaching up with one hand, Mike tried to wipe some of it away, when he caught a glimpse of something heading his way from the inside.
With a violent thrust, a blood covered hand slammed against the inside of the window, so hard that he could feel the impact on the other side.
Then, as if to lose its strength, it slid down, lower and lower until it disappeared beneath the frame, leaving nothing but long streaks of blood behind.
Taken aback by the scene, he nearly lost his balance and took a step back for a moment, just to approach the window once again, too enthralled by the surreal scene to flee.
Despite his heart hammering frantically in his chest, he once again rose to his tip toes and peeked inside, narrowing his eyes to make out anything beneath the crimson fingerprints.
Inside, he was greeted by a room that was covered in blood floor to the ceiling; along with three bodies sprawled out on the bed belonging to Paul, Marie and little Kevin Saunders, their lifeless eyes staring back at him accusingly.
Too late.
He'd been too late to save them.
The gruesome scene made Mike jerk awake, his hands wielding wildly in the darkness of the night, finally coming to rest near the bedframe.
Outside, he could hear the dull noises of midnight traffic rolling by his house before everything fell quiet again.
Everything except for his labored breathing.
Covered in a thick layer of sweat, he glanced over to the white banker's box sitting by his bed, barely visible if it wasn't for the nearby streetlight shining through his windows.
Keeping the information on the Saunder's case on him as though it would help keep him focused on the case, Mike sighed in defeat before lying back down in bed, slowly but surely understanding why this horrific case had put his old friend into such a desperate state of mind.