They piled into their car as Kate plugged Nick Sanders address into the map app on her phone. As she did so, she saw that it was 10:09; the night seemed as if it had settled on the little town ages ago, making the day seem even longer.

Fortunately, Duck Branch, much like Deton, was incredibly small. They made the trip down a series of back roads from the Carroll County police station to Nicks residence in under twenty minutes. He lived in a trailer park that housed eight mobile homes, all of which looked like they were just one wind storm away from being relocated. DeMarco located Nicks trailer and parked in the small square of dirt that served as his driveway.

As they got out of the car, Kate could hear the thumping bass of rap music coming from elsewhere in the park. Somewhere else, an infant was screaming. And it all seemed to bounce from the trees and countryside, as if there were no escape from any of it.

There was no porch on Nicks house…just a set of wide concrete stairs that led up to the front door. It was made to look like woods but Kate was pretty sure it was about as thin and hollow as an ice cream cone. She tried the door and found it locked. Undaunted, she reached into the inner pocket of her jacket, where she had been keeping a small lock-pick set for the last thirty years of her life. As she set to work on Nick Sanders front door, Kate estimated that she had used this kit at least fifty times over the span of her career. She enjoyed the feel of DeMarco watching with a reserved kind of respect and awe.

The lock popped easily, and Kate opened the door right away. They were met at once by the overwhelming stench of cigarette smoke and what smelled like old frying grease. Kate found a light switch along the edge of the doorframe and flipped it on. The light revealed a cluttered mess of a trailer. The living room and kitchen were all connected, separated by only a thin bar area that was littered with old paper plates, empty beer cans, and strewn mail.

The living room contained an old recliner, a scarred coffee table, and a flat-screen TV that was propped up on an old bookcase against the far wall. A few sets of dirty clothes were scattered on the floor.