DeMarco answered the door, already fully alert. Kate saw that DeMarco slept in much less than she did, leaving little to the imagination. She looked away for a moment, finding the line between being professional and considerate.

Something happen? she asked.

Yeah. We need to meet Barnes and Foster at the station as soon as we can.

Give me three minutes.

And with that, they were on the move, Kate rushing back to her room with a surge of pure adrenaline propelling her forward.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Kate drove close behind Barnes, headed down yet another back road off of Highway 44, as the first light of morning came glowing in between the trees. The residence they were headed to technically had a Deton address but was closer to Deerfield. Out on the back roads, it all looked the same to Kate and it amazed her how Barnes and Foster could differentiate each road and property.

Foster was riding shotgun with Barnes, keeping Kate informed in real-time via text. The last message he had sent told her that they were four minutes away from the suspects homea man named Todd Ramsey. He also informed her that they had one other unit on standby if things should get hairy. They were electing to keep the caravan to Ramseys house small so as to not alert any news crews hiding out in the area.

They were also treating this as a high-profile crime and, as such, were prepared to go in with guns drawn. Kate didnt fully agree with this approach but it was not worth arguing over. The fact was this man had used the credit card of a girl who had been missing for three days, and all signs did indeed point to Todd Ramsey being guilty as hell.

Barnes started to slow down as they approached a house on the right side of the road. He turned quickly onto a thin strip of dirt that looked to have once been covered in gravel. The driveway was short, the house sitting less than fifty feet off of the road. Kate parked directly behind Barnes, nearly nose-to-tail. The four of them got out of their cars right away, Barnes and Foster drawing their sidearms. Kate and DeMarco stayed a few steps behind, not yet pulling their weapons. The play here was that someone local might actually recognize Barnes or Foster (and if they didnt, theyd certainly recognize the badges on their unmistakable uniforms). It might be a little more alarming and confrontational if two strange women came knocking on his door at six in the morning, aiming guns at him.

Barnes wasted no time psyching himself up or preparing. He walked directly up to the front door and knocked. He knocked hard, putting his full weight into it. The door trembled in its frame.

Todd Ramsey! Answer the door! Its Sheriff Barnes with the Deton PD.