Chapter 123

ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-THREE

The disturbing sight of the girls' pictures at Huller's made Ellie's stomach roil.

Time might be running out for Mazie and Ivy.

Why would Huller want to hurt his stepsister's children? And if they'd never talked about personal matters or family, how could he possibly have known about the embryos?

She called for an ERT, texted Cord to fill him in, then asked him to meet them at Huller's. Terrified Derrick might have found the girls' bodies, she walked outside. Heavy dark clouds hung in the sky, painting it a smoky gray. Fog thickened the view even more, making the forest look like a ghost setting for a horror movie.

With every step, her fear mounted. The woods behind the house were so thick it was hard to see through the trees. There were also caves in the woods that had once been mined for gold. Was there a path through the woods to the falls?

The wind blew her ponytail around her face as she called Derrick's name and scanned the property. When he didn't answer, she circled to the right side of the house, shouting his name again.

The fog made it impossible to see two feet in front of her. Twigs and leaves fluttered to the ground, sticking to her shoes and jacket.

A noise to the left jerked her attention to the rear of the house so she slowly crept around the corner. An old well stood near the woods and a tree had fallen over it. She inched another foot in search of a tornado shelter or garage and stepped over fallen limbs and brush that appeared to have been hacked with an ax.

"Derrick?" Proceeding cautiously, she saw the hatchet from her car tossed into the thick of the brush. She swallowed hard and inched nearer. Her heart lurched as she saw a pair of legs sticking out from a crawl space.

Fear thundered through her, and she inched closer. She recognized Derrick's shoes, his pants… Dear God. He wasn't moving.

She stooped to check but gravel crunched behind her. A breath brushed her neck.

Knowing she had to act quickly, she jerked up and spun around, facing the eyes of a wild and crazed man.

Huller. A cold-blooded killer. You could see the evil in his menacing black eyes.

She reached for her weapon, but he threw himself at her. He'd killed so many people already. He might have killed Derrick.

If Mazie and Ivy were still alive, she had to survive and find them.

A loud roar of attack burst from him as he put her in a chokehold. Ellie threw her hands up to pry his fingers from her neck. He tightened his hold, digging his fingers into her windpipe. She gasped for air, lifted her leg and tried to kick him in the kneecap, but he snapped her head back.

Seconds later, the world faded and blurred into darkness.