He nodded and got up, practically having to tear his eyes away from Jeremy. He didnt just walk out of the roomhe stormed out. Before he said a word to Kate or DeMarco as they followed him, he went straight into his office. He held the door open for them and closed it when they were both inside.

Right away, he said: Shit.

You think hes telling the truth? Kate asked.

I think there are enough truthful tidbits in his story to make it believable. That little story about Wendy Fuller punching Mercy…that really happened. Mercy called the police. She wasnt sad when she did it, either. It was about five years ago, but I remember it well. She was vindictive about it. Wanted to make sure her mom got into trouble. But in the end, all it took was a little sit-down with the family and all was well. Wendy had a drinking problem back then. From what I understand, shes been clean and sober for about two years now. As for this shit with Mercy hating her parents with a passion…I just dont know for sure.

Everything hes telling us is the exact opposite of what Anne Pettus said. She said Mercy loved her parents…that they got along really well.

Heres where I get stuck, Barnes said. Jeremy Branch and his older brother are nothing but troublemakers. Ive busted his brother twice for possession of drugs and once for lewd conduct in the back of his truck out on the back roads. As for Jeremy, Ive had him in here just oncefor petty larceny. But I always figured it would be just a matter of time before he became more of a regular.

Would he have any need to lie about Mercy potentially being the killer? DeMarco asked.

I just dont know. But…it makes a lot of sense, right? Girl gets fed up with her parents, kills them, and then runs away.

Kate nodded. She recalled her own imagined scenario of Mercy approaching her unsuspecting parents and killing them both before the second one she killed was even sure of what was happening.

How long has Jeremy been living with his brother? Kate asked.

I dont know. For good, maybe a year or so. Even before that, though, he would live with his brother off and on. His brother is Randy Brancha twenty-five-year-old permanent screw-up. Their parents divorced about ten years ago. Randy got his own place as soon as he could, that miserable old double-wide out on the edge of the woods. For a while, I think Jeremy bounced back and forth between his parents but then their mother moved in with family down in Alabama. After that, I think their father just sort of stopped caring.

But he lives around here?

Yeah, out on Waterlick Road.

Any idea if Jeremy ever stays with him at all?