Chapter 122

ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-TWO

Derrick searched the exterior of the house for a crawl space and found one in the rear. The opening was overgrown with weeds and briars. The grass looked undisturbed, indicating no one had been inside lately, but he yanked on gloves then ripped away weeds until he spotted the opening. Nailed shut.

Dammit.

An acrid odor seeped through the foliage. Derrick hurried to Ellie's Jeep, grabbed a small hatchet from the trunk, returned to the crawl space and hacked away the briars and weeds. The opening had been walled over with plywood so he pried it open. Next, he pulled his flashlight, got down on his knees and peered inside. The space was dark but he shined a light into the interior.

Relieved not to see the girls, he slid back to exit the space. Footsteps crunched behind him. He was on the verge of backing out and breathing in some fresh air, but then something hard and cold slammed against his back. Pain shot through his lower extremities and legs and he groaned. Another sharp pain as he was struck again. He flattened his hands on the dirt and shoved but that movement sent a mind-numbing pain screaming through him and the world spun.

Unable to move, he dropped down face first and tasted dirt then everything turned black.