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SEVENTY

Derrick met Ellie at the bottom of the steps. “There’s no indicators in Joel Woodstock’s office that he had a child, much less two.”

“Same in the rest of the house, except for these homemade cards to Claire,” Ellie said. “It’s as if the killer wanted to wipe the house clean of them. One of the bedrooms was also freshly painted.”

Derrick’s brows rose. “I don’t see any family photos either. But somewhere there must be school records and records of parent-teacher conferences so they can’t just pretend the girls didn’t exist.”

Ellie’s mind raced. “Unless Taylor and Heidi were homeschooled.”

“You’re right.”

“I’ll have Deputy Landrum see what he can find there and perhaps a pediatrician. And if there were any reports of abuse.”

“I’ll dig deeper into Joel Woodston.”

“Did you find a computer?” Ellie asked.

Derrick shook his head. “No, which suggests the killer may have taken it.”

Ellie gestured toward the hall then remembered the shadow she thought she’d seen in that tiny window. “Let’s check the attic.”

Flashlights lighting the way, they climbed a narrow winding set of stairs until they reached the small, dark space. Ellie pushed open the door and immediately coughed at the dust floating in the air.

“Claire?” she called as she inched into the room.

The whir of the furnace echoed in the silence. She shined the light across the room with its angled ceiling and saw several antiques stored in the space, including an old dresser. She crossed and looked inside it, but the drawers were empty.

Derrick checked the closet. “Nothing in here but an old broom and a stack of magazines.”

Ellie sighed. “I noticed a door to a basement downstairs.”

“Let’s go,” Derrick said.

He led the way back down the steps then through the hall to the door. Derrick unlocked it and she followed him down the stairs. As pristine and light and airy as the upstairs was, the basement was dark and an eerie silence permeated the air. Their footsteps echoed in the cavernous space, boomeranging off the concrete walls.

“Anyone here?” Ellie shouted. “Claire?”

Derrick moved to the right to search the corner, but Ellie plunged ahead. The sound of the water heater rattled. The space seemed empty though, so she searched for a door leading to another room but found none.

“No one’s here,” Derrick said as he returned to her side.

“So where are Claire and Joel?”

“Maybe the couple own another house or property where they might hide.”

Ellie’s chest clenched, her mind veering down a dark path. Remembering the smiling woman in the photo with the little girl, she couldn’t image Claire hurting her own children.

Although in her line of work, she knew it was possible.

But what about Joel? If he’d murdered the girls he might have taken Claire and gone on the run.

Or… what if the girls’ killer murdered Joel and Claire?

Ellie texted Cord with the address:

I need you to search for bodies on the Woodston property.