He turned and looked across the foyer, at the yellow caution tape the police had crisscrossed from the banister to the wall at the base of the stairs to prevent anyone from setting foot on the steps. Mitch glanced up into the darkness of the second floor. He could see that the door to Rachel and Danny’s room was shut, and for an instant it seemed a shadow moved across the hallway. A sense of foreboding hung in the air. It was then that he had a palpable sensation that he could taste the evil that permeated the house. He was overcome by a desire to rinse out his mouth. Perhaps this was why Dandridge looked so spooked.

“Well, you can go anywhere you like on the first floor,” the sheriff said as he took his hat off in the presence of the ladies. He was a gentleman in an old-fashioned sort of way, and clearly was very concerned about Maryann. He had a reedy voice with a slight Southern twang.

“Please accept my condolences,” he continued. “I can’t imagine what y’all are goin’ through. And those reporters outside … I recommend that you take whatever photos you need and sort through them at your convenience, and if there’s clothing downstairs here, you can take that as well.” He knew no one wanted to stay there longer than necessary.

“Sir, thanks so much for letting us do this,” Maryann replied in a barely audible voice. Carolyn led her into the living room where she knew Rachel kept her photo books, a box of slides, and several framed photos as well. They would find what they needed in no time at all. She hoped that Rachel had left a few of her nicer dresses in the closet downstairs near the entrance due to the prohibition against going into the bedrooms—not that she had the slightest desire even to glance up the stairs. She didn’t want to linger. There was a repulsive sweet odor she had never smelled before and certainly never noticed in Rachel’s house in the past, and it was causing her to feel nauseous.

Mitch still could not understand why they were permitted into the house at all, and presumed it was due to the small-town, suburban environment; however, it also spoke to the fact that the police had already judged Danny and found him guilty. They clearly were convinced he acted alone; otherwise they at least would have prohibited anyone from walking on the floor in the area that led from the garage into the kitchen and the path up the stairs. He shook his head in wonder, and hoped the police knew what they were doing.