Becker searches Appalachia for a bizarre pair of serial killers. Dee tears through the closet, looking for something to beat Ash with. The hangers are no good, so she asks for his belt. He hands it over willingly, and hangs his head as she beats him unconscious. Her rages have gotten worse ever since they started kidnapping the boys. Ash does not mind the pain, but the boys cry when Dee beats them. It hurts Ash to hear them cry, for he loves the boys dearly—so dearly that he is always willing to kill them to stop the tears. When another boy vanishes from an Appalachia shopping mall, the FBI calls on retired agent John Becker, who knows better than anyone how serial killers think. But Dee and Ash are not like any killer he has chased before, and catching them will mean going into a darker place than he ever has before.