There were no paparazzi or tabloid reporters camped out in front of the Baldacci home. No news vans parked at the curb. The buzzards had already picked at the carcass, and satisfied that Ronnie Baldacci wasn't coming home, they'd moved on to the Next Big Story.
For now, at least.
The neighborhood was remarkably quiet, asleep for the night, and as Andy steered his Mustang around the corner, Hutch wasn't surprised to see Gus's blue Volvo parked in the driveway of a two-story bungalow across the street and to the left. Judging by the angle of the photograph, this had to be where the photographer lived.
Ronnie shuddered when she saw the car.
"Oh my God," she said. "He's here. He's waiting for us."
"I don't think so." Hutch slipped an arm around her, remembering what Gus had told him. That he would be long gone, off on another adventure.
Assuming the old psycho had told him the truth, that is.
"He just wanted to make sure we found the right house," Hutch said. "I'm guessing it's a rental?"
Ronnie nodded. "It has been for years. There's been a half dozen different families living there. Do you think Christopher's in there?"
"I hope so, but let's not-"
Before Hutch could finish, and before Andy could even pull the Mustang to a complete stop, Ronnie broke away, threw her door open, and was out of the car.
"Christopher!" she shouted. "Chris!"
Then she tore across the lawn and Hutch followed, his head once again throbbing as he ran after her.
What if he was wrong?
What if Gus was inside?
As she was about to reach the front steps, Hutch caught up to her and grabbed her arm, stopping her, whispering urgently, "Wait. Wait!"
"I need to get in there," she said, trying to break free. "Christopher's in there. I know he is."
Hutch didn't doubt her instincts, but if the boy was in there, was he alive? If Gus had done something to him, if Gus had hurt him or worse, Hutch didn't want her seeing him like that.
He tried to catch his breath. "Just wait here. I'll check it out."
"You can't expect me to-"
He grabbed her by the shoulders. "Look at me, Ronnie. I'm serious. Let me go in first. If I find anything, I'll call you in."
She opened her mouth to protest, then closed it and nodded. She was trembling again, almost uncontrollably. Now Andy was coming toward them, and Hutch gestured to him, sending him a message with his gaze.
Andy immediately moved to Ronnie, putting a comforting arm around her. "Easy now, everything'll be fine."
He and Hutch exchanged looks, then Hutch noticed a pile of gardening tools laying in a nearby patch of dirt. Moving to them, he found a rabbiting spade and hefted it, then returned to the steps, nodded to his friends, and started up them.
He checked the door, found it unlocked, turned the knob.
A moment later he was inside the house.