You asked about another kid…if Nick had one, he said. He only ever mentioned one kida daughter. And he rarely mentioned his wife. But…well, whenever he did mention either of them, I always thought he looked sad as hell. Like he regretted what had happened. More than just losing a wife, but something else. Something he never talked about. I dont know if that helps you or not.

Kate considered it for a moment. She nodded her thanks as they got into the car, wondering if maybe Nick Sanders had lived the last fifteen years with a knot of regret in his stomach…if beyond all of the drugs and bad life decisions there had been a little seed of paternal love buried down beneath it all.

As they pulled out of the parking lot, DeMarcos phone rang. Kate listened to the one side of the conversation as she did her best to remember where, exactly, Highway 57 came in on the stretch of road they were currently on. Again, all of these damned country roads were starting to look the same.

DeMarcos side of the conversation was rather uneventful. Kate got the impression that she was speaking to someone in authority. There were a string of Yes sir and I understand. There was also a very brief rundown on the mornings plan of attack, including their current outing to find the home of Jack Kramer. The conversation lasted less than three minutes. When she ended the call, DeMarco sighed and looked over at Kate.

I need you to head back to the motel. Director Duran wants one of us on a conference call with the state PD and Barnes. It seems Nick Sanders is still not talking. Until we can make it to Richmond, Skyping in is going to be the best we can do. He also wants us up in Richmond by the end of the day to take over the interrogation.

What about Jack Kramer?

Duran says one of us can stay on the case. Only one of us needs to call in.

Not it, Kate quipped with a sarcastic smile.

Hey, Im good with that. Ive had my fill of the local flavor. Ill take stuffy Skype calls over trailers like Nick Sanderss any day.

Kate felt that she might be wasting her time going to speak with Jack Kramer. Just based on what she had seen of Nick Sanders (and the many details in his police record), Kate didnt find it hard at all to believe that someone might want to smash his face in. Still, there was the small chance that perhaps Jack Kramer had some insights into Nicks personal life. And if there were even juts a scant few, it might be worth the trip. It would perhaps even give them some ammunition for the next time they spoke with Nick Sandersammunition he might not expect them to have.