Page 44 of Unknown

Every additional death was one too many.

"Where is Boris Upton?" She checked the map as she drove. The GPS was directing them to a tiny town which was thirty miles south of the base. It consisted of only a few houses, huddled together between two hills. With only four crossroads in town, it shouldn't be difficult to find his home. According to the records, it was number five, on the second cross street.

"We have to get some evidence," Cora said. She was trying to think through every eventuality. Most likely, this man would duck and dive and might also deny the crimes completely. They needed proof to link him to them.

"He must have used something to put over their heads," she said to Gabe. That would be important to him, and he'd need it. Some kind of sack or pillowcase, to make them believe it was a normal hazing. So that would be something to look out for.

Something like that might have trace evidence attached to it, something they would badly need. She knew that it wouldn't be easy and that they would need to fight every step of the way to pin the crimes on him.

This was one of the few times she wished she was still in the FBI.

But she wasn't. And she wasn't going to think of her regrets in that direction, the creeping feeling inside her that she'd let people down, that she'd failed those close to her. There was no point in dwelling on that, even though Cora found it damned hard to let go of the past - when it was woven into memories of events, and tragedies, that she wished she could have handled better. Shame filled her when she thought about the bad decisions she had made.

She shook her head, knowing that there was no point in beating herself up, that the past was gone and done, and that dwelling on it would only open up that yawning darkness inside her that would cause her to spiral down again, seeking consolation in things that would ultimately destroy her.

That would not help anyone.

She had to look forward. Surprisingly, she found it easier to do that than she had before. It was if the talons of darkness were weakening their grasp. It was an empowering feeling. And now, at last, they were approaching the small town.

Nestled in the cleft of the hills, the town itself looked forlorn and forgotten. Although the houses in town looked occupied, she saw a clearly deserted farmhouse just outside the town, with dirty, broken windows and fallen fencing.

"Not the nicest place in the world," Gabe commented.

"That's okay, because it suits the person we're here to find," she commented wryly, surprising herself by how calm and upbeat she sounded.

Maybe, thanks to Gabe's presence and her own mental efforts, it was becoming easier to banish that darkness that would have smothered her a few months ago, when she let those thoughts in.

As they rolled into the town, Cora scanned the houses. This was a place where people were eking out a living, not a thriving community. She slowed the car down as they approached the crossroads where Upton's house was located.

It didn't take long for her to spot it. The house was a shabby little bungalow with peeling paint and an overgrown lawn.

Cora pulled up in front of the house and turned off the engine.

They both stepped out of the car. The front door of Upton's house was closed, and there was no sign of any movement inside.

Cora breathed in the cold, fresh air, looking around at the forested hills, searching for any sign of life in this house, or else the neighboring ones.

On this gray afternoon, it was quiet and still.

It didn't feel occupied. She didn't feel anyone's eyes on her.

She shivered as she made her way quickly to the front door.The doorbell wasn't working, so she tried knocking. They waited for a few moments, but there was no answer. Cora tried again, but still, there was no response.

Gabe walked around the house, his feet scrunching in a swathe of dry leaves. Cora headed the other way and peered through the side window.

What she saw made her heart plummet.

This small house wasn't just unoccupied for now. It looked completely empty. She saw an old cardboard box in the corner, and scuff marks on the dusty floor that might have been caused by furniture being moved.

Upton wasn't here and he hadn't been here for days.

Cora was going to take a guess that when he'd begun these killings, he'd moved elsewhere.

This was a disastrous turn of events.

Unless they tracked him down, before dark, Cora was utterly sure that he would kill again.

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

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