Chapter Twenty-One
The thin woollen jacket she wore offered little protection against the cold, her teeth chattering. Her exposed fingers didn’t tingle as they clutched the icy metallic torch – frozen. She might have come ill-prepared to face the sub-zero temperatures but thanks to her previous adventures, Aileen had now resolved to always carry a torch. She kept a spare and extra batteries in the glovebox of her car too.
Callan crouched next to her, his breath mingling with hers as they blended into the trees.
The sprawling Victorian mansion loomed before them, its broken windows gaping ravenous jaws. The chimney sat still, as it had for decades. The only sign of life was the thick ivy wrapped around the red bricks – like staunch enemies at each other’s throats.
The ostentatious front
