I have a noise that sound very much like a cricket. It's located near the center and below the top of the dash. Any idea what this might be?

 

Doing an Internet search for "ford escape cricket noise" will reveal this is a common problem, and your description is exactly how it is invariably described. You need to replace one of the 3 or 4 hvac blend door actuators in the dashboard. Two of these are really easy to get at, and this is a commonly available and relatively cheap part.