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ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-ONE

GNAT’S LANDING

Ellie and Derrick left Barbara in stunned shock.

A half hour later Ellie parked at Huller’s house, an older log cabin set in the woods with thick oaks and pines surrounding it. The land was swampy and overgrown. In the summer, she imagined gnats swarming in droves.

She surveyed the area for a vehicle and spotted a rusty-looking pick-up beneath a makeshift carpet. Was Huller inside the house?

“I don’t see a barn or an outbuilding,” Ellie said as she pulled her gun. “I’ll check inside. He could have stashed the girls here and already be on the run.”

“I’ll look around outside,” Derrick said. “If he killed them, he could have buried or dumped their bodies somewhere on the premises.”

Ellie nodded and they divided up. Except for the shaded patches in the yard, most of the snow had melted. The ground was mushy, damp leaves and pine straw clinging to her boots as she walked to the front door.

She approached with caution, pausing to listen as she jiggled the locked door. Although she had no warrant, the minutes were ticking away, so she picked the lock with a hairpin. She held her breath as she entered, scanning the dark interior. Worn furniture and scratched wooden floors. Drapes torn. Take-out pizza boxes and bags littered the vinyl counter tops and empty beer bottles filled the trash.

She checked the pantry. Bare. No girls inside.

Easing down the hall, she found a small bedroom that looked as if it had been ransacked. As if Huller had swept through, erratically grabbing clothes to take with him.

She checked the tiny bathroom next. Just like the bedroom, it looked as if he’d rushed through and gathered toiletries. She opened the medicine cabinet and found several medication bottles. Also Tylenol, gauze, antiseptic.

Curious about the medication, she picked up the first one and examined it.

Risperdal.

Ellie’s pulse jumped. That was an antipsychotic drug.

The prescriptions were dated two months ago. Thirty pills.

The bottle was still full.

Meaning Huller hadn’t been taking his meds.

She made a mental note of the doctor’s name to follow up. They needed to know his exact diagnosis.

Next door she found another small bedroom. No bed or clothes in the closet.

A small desk in the corner was littered with papers and photographs. A bulletin board above held photos of the women and little girls.

A cross had been drawn across the twins’ faces with a red marker.

The pieces began to fall into place in Ellie’s mind. Huller was their killer.