A walk in the dark, Part 1
Have you ever walked into a strange house that is dark and walked around in it? No lights to turn on because the house is being remodeled and the electricity turned off. There is all kind of stuff laying on the floor.
The door is standing open and the neighbor says it was locked earlier in the day ...
The call came in to see a neighbor and he gave us the location and house number. I was informed that the work crew had locked the house up and went home for the weekend. The other police car pulled in and I explained what we had.
The neighbor who kept an eye on the house for the contractor had noticed lights in the house and found a door open. I informed headquarters that we were going inside and to call the contractor and get him in route. I checked the door to see if it had been busted open. No marks of any kind were on the door. The lock was in a position that indicated that it was locked. I pulled on the door and it came open.
I shined my light though the open door, nothing but darkness. I stepped inside being cautious, not knowing what was inside waiting on me. The old gentleman had said he closed the door back. If someone had come in with the intention of stealing contractors equipment, they would have made a haul. There were all kinds of tools and equipment laying around.
It was dark inside of the house. A small streak of light shone though a big window on the second floor, giving the stairway an eerie look. I motioned for the other officer to stand at the foot of the stairs, where he could see the front door. I began to search the first floor room by room, closet by closet. I was satisfied that no one was hiding on the first floor and went out to the stairs.
I checked with the other officer to see if he had heard or seen anything. He said he hadn’t. Then he said, “It’s cold in here.” I asked, “What did you say?” He laughed and said, “Didn’t say anything.” I know what he had said but let it slide. On a hot, muggy summer night he had said, “It’s cold in here.”
As I began to move up the steps, a cold chill went up my back and the hair on the back of my neck stood up. The second floor had a big foyer at the top of the stairs. A set of glass window made a round circle that overlooked the front of the house. I motioned for the other officer to stand at the top of the steps so that no one could get down the stairs past him.
The first door that I tried was locked. I moved to the second one. It was locked and so was the third. I figured someone had locked the door and was hiding inside one of the rooms. I went to talk to the other officer, then went back to the first door I had tried. This time, when I turned the doorknob the door came open.
I stepped into the room and shined the light around. Nothing but two sawhorses were in the room. I moved over to the room in the middle. The door came open, I stepped in, shining my light around. Nothing. The room was empty. I went over to the last room and pulled on the doorknob. The door opened.
This was about to blow my mind. I know that I had turned the doorknobs on all the doors. I shined my light in the room. The room was empty, but it looked like a closet door had moved. I motioned for the other officer. I showed him the closet door and started over to it.
I will always remember what happened next. The door came open just as I reached for it. A cold blast of air hit me. It felt like an air conditioner coming on with you standing in front of it. I stepped back with a cold chill and the hair standing up on the back of my neck.
I looked at the other officer. He was as pale as the light he held in his hand. “You okay?” I asked. He didn’t say anything, for at that time came a sound like someone walking up the stairs.
I hurried to the top of the stairs and saw a man with a light. “Officers,” he said, “I am the contractor. Have you found anything?” I assured him that everything looked okay. We followed him while he made an inspection to see if anything was missing. I watched as he locked the door, and went over to see if it would open. Satisfied, we got in our cars and left.
To be continued ...