Chapter 113

ONE HUNDRED THIRTEEN

OPOSSUM TRAIL FARM

Derrick's gut burned with the need to see Modelle pay. To seek justice for the innocent children in this case.

Just as Ellie had found justice for his little sister who'd disappeared so long ago. He and his parents had suffered, wondering day and night where she was and if she was somewhere being held prison or tortured, praying someone would find her.

In the end, they had. Only she'd been dead for years.

Mazie and Ivy's parents were experiencing that same torture now.

Hot suffocating air collected in his chest, making it hard to breathe. He wanted those families to have a better outcome. For those little girls to live.

At the moment, search workers and the ERT were coming the woods. He'd remained at the farm while they worked in hopes they'd find more evidence against Modelle—or they might find the girls.

Forensics was inside the house, taking samples of prints and DNA and anything that might indicate where Mazie and Ivy were being held.

So far, they had nothing to report.

Only that a dead body, a woman's, had been inside the wall of the very house where Modelle lived. He suspected it was Modelle's wife.

Had Modelle returned and kept the house so he could be close to his dead child's mother? Or to protect his secrets from the police?

The depravity of that haunted him. A man like that, one who'd killed his own child and then Taylor and Heidi and abducted Mazie and Ivy was one sick son of a bitch.

One he wanted to put away.

Dammit, they had to find the missing children first.

Ellie wouldn't give up, he knew that. He just hoped to hell the girls were still alive when they found them.