Chapter 10: Nighttime loneliness

Emily pulled the car on the roadside and waited for a few moments for her heart rate to slow down. She had not been so nervous about anything since she had looked Benjamin Cyrus in the eyes and known he was going to kill her with his bare hands. He did not, of course, but somewhere in-between the third and fourth blow into her ribs, she had been sure that she would never come out this evil house alive. Now, seated in the obscurity of her anonymous rental car, she felt again as though her heart was going to jump out of her ribcage.

Emily looked at the sun setting behind the unending fields of the Kansas countryside. There was no denying that this farm was remote to any civilization, and would be a perfect place to hide, she decided, peering in the rear window to check if any car was passing by. As far as she could see, no headlights broke the growing darkness. Suppressing a sigh, she leaned back into her seat and disposed of her seatbelt, ready to spend some time in this position. For more security, she set the gun on the dashboard, within reach. Her gaze wandered distractedly to the file lying on the passenger seat. Two addresses had already been crossed. If she walked on one more of Schrader's relatives, he would most likely know that she was looking for him, and Emily didn't want to spoil the effect of surprise.

Her eyes wandered across the land and down the road that was disappearing between the fields. This part of the country was beautiful, and so peaceful. She could use the distraction, to just forget for a few seconds about what horrible event had led her to this isolated place. From where she was seated, behind the tree line, she could not decipher the name on the mailbox. Her file read Eddy Schrader, Joseph's younger brother. If this was not the place, then Emily would probably have to give up, after trying the parental house and Joseph's ex-wife's. The brunette suppressed a sigh of frustration. She was not tired. Sleep had left her a long time ago, although she was now over thirty-three hours of being awake. But other needs had to be filled, she said to herself as her stomach began to groan in discontent. Emily tried vainly to remember when she had last eaten anything. Since coffee and water didn't count, the last bit she had fed on probably was one of Reid's cereal bars on the jet back from Florida, that she had unwillingly shared with Morgan. Despite the circumstances, she had to smile silently as the sight of Morgan's round and envious eyes came back to her mind. In quest of another snack, Emily began searching her pockets, in the hope some angel would have left a gift for her empty stomach, but all she could find was a notepad and her cell phone.

Looking at the object as though it was some alien device, she switched it on. The 47 missed calls brought her back to reason. At once, the tears that had been repressed too long were back at full force, threatening to get out. She wouldn't have minded to cry her heart out in this empty car, if she hadn't been supposed to keep watch over the nearby farm and its inhabitants. So the brunette just swallowed her sadness and pressed her eyes close to force the tears back down.

Suddenly, light was turned on in one of the rooms downstairs, and Emily was back to being the tough agent, in just a second. The familiar silhouette of a man could be seen behind the curtains. Grabbing her gun, Emily decided that it was time to have a closer look on the premises.