The Boy At The House (11)

The gang and Richard trudge towards the house. The house is really worn and torn. No renovation here for a long time, that's for sure. On many places flakes of white paint hang down from the house wall so that the grey wood is seen. The front of the house faces the sea, towards the point of the cape, and is on the opposite side from where they landed with the boat. The whole bunch carefully sneak towards the corner of the house. Daniel walks first and looks around the corner.
"Come", he says and disappears behind the corner, and soon the whole gang has sneaked to the front of the house. Stairs of stone protrude from the front door. The door is closed.
"He was here when I left", Richard says.
"I suggest we spread out and look into the windows", says Daniel.
"How can we reach?", says Paula, who is the shortest.
They look around. At a corner ther are some old boxes of wood. That will do. Daniel, Gina, Paula take one side, and Richard, Luke and Dilan the other. Carefully they take the boxes and then sneak around the house on each side.
Soon everybody is back at the front.
"Seems empty, right?" says Daniel.
The others look at him.
"What's in that house?" says Gina and points towards the red outhouse down at the sea.
"Tool shed and toilet", says Richard. "I mean outhouse".
Gina walks towards the outhouse and the others stay and watch her. They see her approaching, stopping and listening. Then she walks to the side of the house and stands on her toes and carefully looks into what must be small windows. The others watch her disappearing behind the house, towards the sea. After a little while she's back.
Now they all stand gathered at the front of the big house again. Dilan looks towards the main door.
"I'm going in", Richard says.
"Wait", says Daniel. "Couldn't he be inside? We haven't seen all the rooms from the windows, have we?"
Richard looks at him. Then everybody looks at each other.
"We have to go in", says Richard finally.
"Okay, let's do it carefully", says Daniel. "Paula, Luke and Dilan, you might want to wait outside here meanwhile."
"Why? I'll go with you", Dilan says.
"Me too", adds Luke.
"Me too", Paula says.
"Okay, but Richard, me and Gina go first", says Daniel.
Richard walks up the stairs, towards the door, and presses down the handle. It is not locked. The door squeaks when he slowly opens it.