“Hey yourself,” Ellie said softly, then bent over to plant a kiss on his cheek.
A smile tilted his lips. “You look beautiful,” he whispered.
Ellie laughed. “What kind of drugs did they give you?”
A low laugh escaped him, then a soft moan. “Seriously you do.”
Tears burned the backs of Ellie’s eyelids. Actually he’d never told her that. Touched, she kissed his lips and stroked hishair away from his forehead. “You look pretty damn handsome yourself.”
“I look like hell,” he growled. “I hate these damn hospital gowns.”
Ellie hated hospitals herself. “I’m just glad you’re okay. I mean you will be. The doctor said the bullet missed any major arteries, but you’ll be sore for a while.’
“I’ve had worse,” he said.
Ellie had seen his scars and knew that was true.
“Whittaker… Wheaton’s in custody?” Cord asked.
“Yeah, Derrick took him in. I’m going over in a bit to interrogate him. We still need to find the little girls.”
Cord looked up at her with sad eyes. “If anyone can find them, it’s you, El.”
Emotions choked Ellie. She appreciated his confidence in her. But doubts and worry assailed her.
What if she failed?
ONE HUNDRED ELEVEN
Crooked Creek Police Station
Ellie entered the interrogation room, side by side with Derrick, and seated herself across the table from Whittaker. In spite of the fact he was handcuffed to the table, she half expected him to pounce.
Instead, he simply stared at her with cold blank eyes. The eyes of a sociopath who had no remorse for his brutal violence.
She pulled crime photos from a folder and spread them on the table. “We have you dead to rights, Wally Wheaton. Your DNA is a match for the blood in Mabel Putnam’s house, so we have you on murder charges for her. And attempted murder and sexual assault against Dana Jo Glasser. She remembered what happened to her when she was abducted and is willing to testify against you.” Ellie took a beat, then continued. “We’re also running paternity tests to see if you fathered Iris Benton, Lou Lou Glasser and the children of Nina Gillis and Jordan Orwell.” She crossed her arms. “Your father took the fall for your mother’s death and confessed to murder to give you a chance at life, but look what you did with it.”
Wheaton glanced at the photographs of his victims with a smile. “I had fun,” he said. “That’s what Daddy let me do.”
Ellie bit back a reaction. Derrick’s boots clicked on the floor as he strode over to the table. He planted his hands on top of it and stared down at Wheaton. “We all know you’re going to prison for life.”
Wheaton shrugged nonchalantly.
“Were there other girls and children?” Derrick asked.
The bastard shrugged again. “That’s for you to find out.”
“But we’re asking you,” Ellie asked.
“Do your job, lady.”
“It’s Detective,” Ellie said with emphasis. “Now tell us where Iris and Lou Lou are.”
Wheaton sneered at them. “I told you they’re in a better place.”
Ellie grimaced at the term. Some people referred to heaven as a “better” place.
“Did you kill them?” Derrick asked bluntly.
