"I will tell you one thing, and one thing alone," Bernard said, eyes buggy, but firm. "All roads lead to home, Agent Lyons. All roads lead to home."

Ken shoved away from the table. "This is a waste of time."

Nicky stood, too, but she held Bernard's eye contact and considered his words. All roads lead to home.

They left the interrogation room as Bernard shouted the phrase over and over again, cackling loudly, All roads lead to home!

Once back in the hallway, Ken slammed the door behind them and faced Nicky, but Nicky was still back in that room, replaying Browns words the same way hed yelled them.

That was useless, Ken said. That guy was just trying to toy with us.

Nicky couldnt deny that he was playing a game back there. At the same time, maybe Brown was implying something with his words. If it was a game, maybe that was the hint on how to win. Maybe home could mean Meghan Salingers home?

It wasn't that helpful, but Nicky decided that maybe the best route was to talk to the victim's family.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Nicky pulled the car up to a diner off the highway, near a small town about an hour away from Hollywood (the Florida one, of course). The diner was squat and white with a red stripe on the side and a sign above the door that read "Hogan's". The parking lot was fairly full. Being so close to Hollywood, Nicky could tell this place got a lot of business. It wasn't a big or impressive building, but it did have that classic 1950s diner appeal.

Meghan Salinger's parents owned this diner; it had been in the family for two generations. Meghan had planned to break out of the family mold and go after a singing career.

Nicky and Ken got out of the car and went inside the diner. The door dinged as they entered. The diner was sit-down style, with stools at the counter and booths along the walls. There was an old fashioned jukebox in one corner, and a soft jazzy tune was playing from it. The diner smelled of bacon, hash browns, and hot coffee. Various people sat around, and waitresses zipped back and forth between tables. The light from the neon sign above the door shone in through the windows, casting a warm glow over the customers and the kitchen.

Behind the counter was a woman with striking features. Her face was round and her skin was smooth. She had long, curly hair that was pulled back into a bun and she wore a white apron over a red blouse. Her eyes were a deep green and they shone with intelligence and warmth. Nicky immediately recognized her from Meghan's file. This was her mother, Linda Salinger.

"Mrs. Salinger?" Nicky asked.

She looked up. Nicky and Ken both held up their badges, and Linda went pale.