Chapter 42

FORTY-TWO

PAWPAW VALLEY

Knowing time was of the essence and that Barbara might be in danger. Ellie plugged her address into the GPS.

Derrick pulled a hand down his chin. "This is odd. The only record I could find of Barbara Thacker having given birth was to a stillborn nine years ago. Baby was delivered at Coal Mountain Hospital."

Ellie rubbed her forehead, still baffled by the DNA match to the twins. "Does Barbara have a sister, maybe a twin?" That could explain the DNA match.

"I'll look."

A light sleet began to fall, forcing her to drive slowly as she maneuvered the slick roads. She followed the GPS to Pawpaw Valley, a place named for the abundance of pawpaw trees that sprouted and grew in the fertile bottomland. The local creamery used the sweet fruit in their ice cream, creating a unique flavor that reminded Ellie of the childhood song about picking up pawpaws and putting them in the basket.

The trees were bare of fruit now winter had set in, making the area look dismal beneath the gray skies. Barbara's house was a small brick bungalow set in a little neighborhood that, judging from the playgrounds and basketball goals in the yards, catered to families.

"Okay, this is what I found on Barbara," Derrick said. "She was born in Ringgold, Georgia. Mother was single, father not in the picture. When Barbara was fifteen, the mother married and Barbara gained a step-brother who was four at the time. Her mother and husband were killed in an automobile accident two weeks later. Barbara went to live in a group home while the step-brother was placed with an uncle."

"So no biological sibling that could explain the match between Barbara and the twins?"

"Doesn't look that way," Derrick replied.

Their conversation ceased as Ellie veered into the drive to Barbara's house. She scanned the property but saw no cars or signs anyone was home. However, the garage door was open revealing a few boxes and tools, and snow had blown into the space.

The hair on the back of Ellie's neck prickled. Why would Barbara leave the door open in this weather?

Ellie parked, checked her weapon, then tucked her flashlight inside her jacket and climbed out. Ice crunched beneath their boots and sleet pelted them as they approached the front door.

"I'll search the outside of the property," Derrick offered, then he cut to the right.

She stopped abruptly on the porch stoop. The front door creaked as the wind whipped at it. She paused to listen but heard no signs anyone was inside. Still, tension sizzled in the air and Ellie sensed something was wrong.

Keeping one hand over her weapon in case she needed to draw quickly, she called out, "Barbara. Barbara, are you here?"

The sound of the wind wheezing greeted her as she entered. She glanced in all directions and noted wet footprints on the floor heading inside. They looked large, like a man's boot prints.

Anxiety knotted her shoulders as she walked toward the kitchen. The interior door to the garage was also open, the room freezing as if it had been open for some time. One of the kitchen chairs had been overturned, dishes swept onto the floor as if someone had raked them off the counter. A scarf lay on the floor, the coat hook ripped from the wall.

A disturbing scenario flashed behind Ellie's eyes.

An intruder. Barbara making a run for it. Barbara leaving through the garage and driving away in panic.