Milénium

On Christmas, Frank and Jordan go one vacation in Vermont. Unexpectedly, they get involved with a supposedly dead Mafia hit man who appears to be living in the woods with a number of mysterious women. ___ AS CHRISTMAS APPROACHES FRANK AND JORDAN TRAVEL TO VERMONT, WHERE THEY ENCOUNTER A MOBSTER WHO HAS SEEMINGLY RISEN FROM THE DEAD. In 1989, three armed mobsters Donnie, Paolo and Boney march a fourth man through a pine forest located near Coker Creek, Vermont. Their prisoner is Eddie "Scarpino" Gianini, a former colleague who none-too-wisely had an affair with a powerful mob boss's wife. Shortly thereafter, the mobsters open fire, killing Eddie. Later that night, a female form finds Eddie's body and drags it into the forest. In the present day, Frank takes Jordan Christmas shopping. Jordan takes special interest in a nail polish display. She tells her father the polish is identical to the to the kind she purchased for Catherine the previous year, which is still in its original wrapping back home. Frank decides to spend Christmas in Vermont. As he and Jordan enter the town of Coker Creek, they spy a small monument in front of town hall. The monument is a carving of a hairy creature known as "Littlefoot." A short time later, Sheriff Earl Parker arrests a man wandering almost-naked through town, his body clad only in Eddie's bloodied, bullet hole-ridden jacket. The man, Al Ryan, claims he cannot remember how he came upon the jacket. Realizing he will need help with the case, Parker turns to Frank. At the sheriff's station, Al tells Frank and Parker that he had been attacked and killed by a wolf during a hunting trip. When he regained consciousness, he found himself inside a cave, a feminine figure leaning over his body. Frank, Parker and Al travel to the pine forest. There they discover the remnants of torn, bloodied clothing. At first, Parker believes that Al attacked and killed a victim. But a wallet found inside a pair of shredded blue jeans identifies them as belonging to Al. Frank concludes that Al probably was attacked by an animal though he is unsure why he shows no signs of having been mauled. As Frank and the others follow the tracks through the woods, they come upon a figure of a man. A chase ensues. The figure suddenly leaps from the brush. Frank tackles the figure which turns out to be Eddie Gianini. Emma Hollis travels to Vermont to help Frank with the case. She explains that Eddie had worked as a hit man for the Santo crime family. Donnie, Paolo and Boney eventually confessed to killing Eddie, and have been imprisoned ever since. When police received word that Eddie is still very much alive, the threesome was released from jail. Unfortunately, Eddie's reappearance also jeopardizes the government's case against Santo and his top operatives, who were imprisoned when the three mobsters testified against them (as part of a plea bargain arrangement). Frank and Emma meet with Prosecutor Polgreen, who helped bring down Santo's operation. Polgreen interrogates Eddie, and questions him about the murder of some dead mobsters. To Polgreen's surprise, Eddie confesses to the killings. He admits to having carried out some twenty-seven murders in all. Polgreen is deeply suspicious, especially when Eddie refuses to identify where he has been hiding for the previous nine years. Frank concludes that Eddie used the "Littlefoot" legend to draw attention away from something else hiding in the pine forest. He, Emma and a search team return to the wooded area, where they discover a small cave. Inside are two waifish women. The women, Rose and Lhasa, are brought to the Coker Creek clinic for treatment and observation. After performing a physical exam, a doctor determines they are both in perfect physical and psychological condition. The women are, however, unable, or perhaps unwilling, to speak. A short time later, Frank watches in amazement as Lhasa heals the battered face of a woman who had been the victim of domestic violence. Frank begins searching through some photographs that Emma brought with her. Lhasa and Rose see the photos and recognize Eddie's face amongst them. They also recognize stills of Donny, Paolo and Boney...