“Huh.” Reyes was curious now. He leaned in closer—again brushing her arm. This time he did not pull it away as quickly.

“It doesn’t look familiar—this driveway or fence. I’m trying to think about the houses on Abel Hill . . .”

“Isn’t there some way you can search for it—on the police systems or something? I’m wondering if anyone even lives there. Kurt Kent from the bar—he said maybe some neighborhood kids were looking for a cut-through to town . . . which means maybe it’s abandoned, and then maybe . . .”

“It wasn’t searched,” Reyes finished her thought.

“You tell me,” Nic said.

“I’d have to check the log of the canvas.”

“Can you run the property, see who owns it? I researched the two companies that had plants here—RC Chemical and later, Ross Pharma. One article said Ross bought the plant owned by RC. It looks like the house is on the same land with their buildings—red brick, black roofs.”

“Town Hall has all the land records. I searched those buildings myself, me and a trooper—the ones that used to be Ross Pharma. We didn’t see a house.”

“And utilities? Can we find out if they’re servicing that house?”

“Yeah—from the companies who run them. Electric, cable. Or they might have satellite or another provider for Internet, if they have it. Then there’s heat—natural gas or oil. We get both around here.”

Yes, she thought. That all makes sense. That all seems possible. She finally drew a breath that filled her lungs.

“Can I show you one last thing?” she asked.

“Sure.”

Nic zoomed in on the satellite image of the property on Abel Hill Lane. She’d been staring at it on and off for over an hour, not believing her own eyes.

She pointed at a small object just beyond the house—beneath a tree, but a tree with a missing limb right in the center. From the top, she could see through it to the image hiding beneath the canopy.

“What does that look like to you?”

Reyes squinted, stared. “I have no idea. Maybe a tractor. Piece of farm equipment?”

“Or a pickup truck. Dark color,” Nic said. She let the thought sink in.

Reyes looked closer. “I suppose—can you zoom in more? Maybe get a different angle, or a different shot from another day?”

“This is the only one I could find. But think about it, she was seen getting into a truck—heading into town, not away from town. And now there’s a property that hasn’t been searched . . .”

“That may not have been searched. We won’t know that until we look at the log.”

Nic’s thoughts were running wild again.

She wanted to tell him about Chief Watkins, about what she’d seen. She didn’t want to drive him away by accusing his boss of something. And what something would that even be?