*Audra's POV*
The car pulled into a narrow driveway bordered by a sagging fence. The house that stood at the end of it was unremarkable, one of those squat, single-level homes you barely notice when passing by. The kind of place that should have promised comfort with its low porch and tired curtains, but under the weight of the night it only looked like a hollow shell.
Officer Harris cut the engine, the silence of it loud in my ears. "Stay here a moment," he said, before stepping out. Gravel crunched under his boots as he circled the car. He opened my door, steady and polite, then grabbed my suitcase and guided me toward the entrance.
The lock gave a muted click beneath his key. He stepped in first, sweeping the small front room with careful precision. His hand rested near his sidearm as he moved, eyes sharp, every corner examined like the shadows themselves might rise. I followed his gesture, hesitating at the threshold until his voice reached me from the hallway.
