It took every bit of two grueling days and nights for the bloodhound in Sheriff Daniels to light on Cody's trail. He always prided himself on his tracking abilities. The unanswered question remained was the boy still alive? In Bee-Bo's clutches, Sheriff Daniels possessed no way of knowing.

One fact was crystal clear. Bee-Bo was soon to be dead either way that scenario played out! The least Sheriff Daniels could do was put The Clown out of his misery.

Sheriff Daniels knew he must stay focused on the task at hand. It was the only hope he maintained of finding Cody alive. The Sheriff was fully aware of what The Clown was capable of doing. For too long he'd witnessed the savagery of the madman.

No other monster Sheriff Daniels ever encountered butchered more innocent victims than Mark Bannister did. Sheriff Daniels could not allow Cody to be the cherry topping Bee-Bo's sundae.

Struck by the brutal fact Cody was snatched not ten feet away from him and Beth, right out from underneath their noses it seemed, Sheriff Daniels felt his insides were hollowed out by the boy's disappearance. A sharp stabbing pain pierced the Sheriff's heart. There was no comforting relief to be found. Cody was all the Sheriff could think about.

His mind kept repeating, "This whole situation with Bee-Bo needs long overdue closure."

All in all The Clown's crime spree was by far the worst of Sheriff Daniels career. There were already more than enough unfortunate stories circulating about Bee-Bo's vaunted accomplishments to last a life time. Ominous black clouds swirled around the West Texas sky. Sheriff Daniels constant thought was the demise of The Clown. That was the only way this nightmare would end.

With Cody in The Clown's possession, Sheriff Daniels whole life became one single notion. He was obsessed with eradicating Bee-Bo. Seldom did the Sheriff see a picture as clearly as he did the canvas containing the painting he was invaded by now. And, Beth's whereabouts remained another mystery? She simply vanished into thin air. Too soon after Cody did.

Sheriff Daniels refused to consider the possibilities of the two incidents being connected together. There must be much more to the story than first entered his mind.

"No way would Beth be involved in Bee-Bo's snatching Cody!" he thought.

The idea was too preposterous for the Sheriff to consider.

"There must be another viable explanation for this occurrence" he believed.

At the moment Sheriff Daniels did not know what it could be.

Heading out of Astatula, without a passing thought, Sheriff Daniels realized he too was now a victim of Bee-Bo's crimes. Hurrying along the dirt, two-lane, Eight Rivers Road the Sheriff turned on to County Route 2. The road, if you could call it that, lead through the rolling pastures of the many farms constituting the town's outskirts. The twisting road led him South. His bulldog focus intensified.

The secluded farm he sought was now in sight. Sheriff Daniels knew it had not been occupied as a dwelling for the better part of the last four years. Unkempt and overgrown, the farm once belonged to the Greers. But, since Carl Greer's election to the Texas State House of Representatives, no one bothered to caretake the property. A rundown shed stood all alone in the middle of what was once a prosperous cattle ranch. No doubt Sheriff Daniels found his destination.

Exiting his vehicle on a skinny dirt path, Sheriff Daniels made his way through a corridor of thick Bermuda between deep tire ruts. He checked the bullet load in his service revolver. Several times the weapon saved his life. He held no qualms about using the gun again. Was he walking into one of Bee-Bo's famous traps? He did not know.

As Sheriff Daniels came into view of the shed an uneasy feeling overtook him. He held his weapon loosely at his side. He could feel its handle in his hand. He walked forward on the worn dirt trail leading through the tall grass. He preferred to take The Clown alive without any gun play involved if he could. However, when it came down to it, that really did not matter.

Sheriff Daniels knew Cody was there.