“Ronan and Fitz are ready to roll.”
“I’ll stay with the kids at my house,” Ten said. He turned to his daughter. “Are you going with Dad and Uncle Fitz?”
Everly shook her head. “My work here is done. It’s up to Cope, Dad and Fitz to bring Uncle Jude home.” She ran to Cope and wrapped her arms around him. “Tell Uncle Jude how much I love him.”
“I will,” Cope agreed, feeling a bit emotional. It had been a long couple of days and he had work yet to do. Shrugging into his coat, Cope went to the front door and ushered Ten and Everly outside. They hurried across the street, where his niece jumped into Ronan’s arms, telling him all about the spell she’d helped to work. Cope watched as Ronan kissed Everly’s head, set her down, turning his attention to finding Jude.
A few minutes later, Cope, Fitz and Ronan got into the vehicle. “What’s the address?” Ronan asked.
“It’s 2258 Milton Street, Salem. We’re looking for a white house with black shutters.” Cope could see Ronan typing the address into his phone.
“I don’t know where Milton Street is, do you?” Ronan asked Fitz.
“I’ve never heard of that road before,” Fitz said, sounding despondant.
Cope hadn’t either.
“Here it is.” Ronan showed his phone screen to Fitzgibbon. “Looks like it’s out past Foster Pond. The area is densely forested.
Fitzgibbon programmed the address into his navigation system and they were off. “Find what you can about the house and who owns it.”
“On it,” Ronan muttered, his fingers already flying over his phone.
Time felt like it was crawling by at a snail’s pace. Cope sat nervously in the backseat waiting for Ronan to get more details about the house.
“Okay, says here that the house used to be owned by a Ferncroft and Marcia Simonson. The husband died in 1986 and the wife in 2004. She died without a will and the property went into probate court, where it stayed because no next of kin could be located. It’s been abandoned ever since.”
“Sounds like the perfect place to hold someone hostage,” Fitz said.
“Makes me wonder if this is the first time Jerry has done something like this,” Ronan mused.
Fitz shook his head. “My instincts tell me no.”
Cope’s gut agreed with Fitzgibbon.
“Do we call Cisco Jackson?” Fitz asked.
Ronan sighed. “I trust Cope’s magic completely, but having said that, I think we should find Jude, then call in the rest of the Salem Police. I’m just thinking that if the address is wrong…”
“If the address is wrong then you’ve wasted time and resources. I get it, Ronan.” Cope understood completely. “Are you armed?”
Fitzgibbon nodded from the front seat. “I’ve got my service piece and a second gun strapped to my right calf and a knife strapped to the other.”
“Same for me,” Ronan said. “When we get there, read the house the best you can. See if there’s anyone home. Then we can make a plan to enter the structure and start kicking ass.”
Cope had no problem with a little ass kicking. He might even get involved himself.
“Keep in mind that we’re going into this house with no warrant,” Fitzgibbon said. “Any evidence we gather can’t be used in court.”
“I’m sure we’ll find some probable cause along the way.” Ronan grinned.
Cope settled back into his seat when Fitzgibbon turned on to Cabot Street. The roads were mostly plowed. What was left behind reminded him of mashed potatoes. He stared out the window and watched Salem fly past his window. No one said a word. Cope knew Ronan and Fitz were busy thinking about how they were going to rescue Jude when the time came. Cope was thinking about what it would feel like to hold his husband in his arms again.
“Okay, turn left here.” Ronan pointed and Fitzgibbon flipped on his blinker
With the storm having passed overnight, the sun was brightly shining. The road they turned down was dark and gloomy. Tree branches arched over the road, blotting out most of the sunlight. He couldn’t imagine how dark this road was at night.
The road twisted and turned. Houses were sporadically spaced, all of them looked like they were in various stages of decomposition. Cope saw the occasional car in a driveway, but it seemed that most of this desolate road was abandoned.
