"That's interesting…"
Mike couldn't think of anything else to say to sum up the property they were quickly approaching. Two miles from the intersection and disregarding several "No Trespassing" signs along the way; they were slowly encroaching on a reasonably large old farm house with an adjacent barn.
The wooden siding on both dwellings had turned gray and dull over the years and the barn was missing several boards. A double gate protecting the property was swung wide open and a large driveway in front of the porch provided ample parking.
Hidden from sight until Steve stopped the Galaxy in front of the house was a newer looking pole barn, littered with mechanical parts and metal tubs around the outside. Parked behind it was another Angel Towing truck, sitting askew from what looked to be a broken suspension.
"A repair shop in the middle of nowhere?"
Steve glanced back and forth between his partner and the eerie surroundings ahead, the nervousness radiating through every pore of his body mirroring Mike's.
"I can't say I've seen stranger things…", the Lieutenant mumbled with one hand on the door handle, still taking in the scene. Next to him, Steve shrugged and grinned mischievously.
"Come in for the oil change, stay for the liver transplant…"
Glancing over at his partner in feign annoyance and shaking his head, Mike exited the car, immediately noting the pungent odor of diesel fumes and oil coming from the pole barn.
Except for the slight breeze, everything around them was quiet. So quiet that he could hear Steve dig for a piece of chewing gum in his coat pocket.
With the bright sunlight against the old farm house, he could see thick dust covering the windows inside and out. An old rocking chair with peeling red paint sitting on the porch looked like it hadn't been used in ages. And yet, several tire tracks in the driveway suggested plenty of traffic lately, both heavy and light vehicles.
"Where do you want to start?", Steve asked, eagerly chewing away on his gum, as he dug out his aviator sunglasses from the visor of the car and put them on.
Smiling at his partner, whose stunning metropolitan looks put him awfully out of place for their current situation, he pointed at the farm house.
"Well, we typically start by knocking on the door."
Grimacing back at Mike, the young Inspector shook his head and followed him up the three steps to the small porch out front. The seasoned Lieutenant hesitated for a moment, when he heard the wooden boards beneath him squeak with every step, definitely serving as a warning bell signaling visitors, welcome or otherwise.
"Mike, what are you gonna say if they ask what we're doing here? We don't have a warrant."
"I'll just tell them that we're lost. My driver is a city boy who doesn't know how to navigate the backroads."
Sharing a brief smile with his partner, Mike knocked on the solid oak door.
When no inside noise could be heard, he knocked once again, ensuring that they followed proper procedure.
Next to him, Steve glanced over his shoulder, trying to make out any foot traffic.
And yet, everything stayed quiet.
Mike took a second to walk farther down the porch to look into one of the windows. Using his palm to clear some of the dirt and dust, the little bit he saw of the inside showed an empty entrance area and a broken set of stairs to the second story.
"Doesn't look like anybody is living in there.", Steve noted from a few feet away, having mimicked Mike's action on the other window.
"Could be a nice decoy…I've seen houses that looked like complete dumps that had top of the line drug laboratories out back…", the Lieutenant suggested and straightened back out to walk over to his partner.
Still staring intently through the window, Steve nodded, using both of his hands as visors to keep out the sunlight.
"I wonder if you are right…"
"Why? Are you seeing something from that angle?"
Growing increasingly intrigued, Mike leaned over his slightly smaller partner and glanced through the thick double pane window at the entrance area ahead.
"Yeah…see part of that kitchen cabinet back there?"
Mike traced his eyes across the old wooden floors and a wall with a door to the basement. Next to it, he could see parts of the kitchen that sat empty except for something lying on the counter. From his distance, he figured it to be a wallet.
"What do you think-"
His question was interrupted when something shot out from the stairwell, heading straight for their window.