They came to the spot where state maintenance came to an end, the rough tar surface giving way to a dirt road. The sun was nearly at full blast as 7:30 in the morning approached, painting a muddy golden hue over the road.

The spot is about another mile ahead, Ramsey said. Just before you get to the Jones Field. You know that little side road?

I know it, Barnes said, aggravated.

They drove on, the cruiser kicking up little plumes of dust behind them. The car remained in silence again until, about two minutes later, Ramsey sat forward in his seat. Its right there, he said. Thats where I pulled over.

Barnes pulled the car over to the side of the road and wasted no time getting out. All four of them piled out of the car and stood along the edge of the road. Where was the card? Barnes asked.

Ramsey walked to the back of the car and looked in all directions. He seemed to be giving it some serious thought, wanting to be absolutely sure. After a few seconds, he pointed to a spot just ahead of the car, to the left. He walked over to it, took two steps off of the road and into the overgrown grass along the side, and nodded.

Right there, he said. I saw it so easily because it wasnt lying down flat. It had gotten caught up in some of the weeds and was sort of standing a bit.

Kate took a step back, wanting to be able to take in the entirety of the scene. She saw no blood, no clear indications that anything bad had happened in this spot. She could also see no clear traces that anyone had passed through the area on foot. Beyond the overgrowth of grass on the side of the road, there were only trees and shadows.

Sheriff, whats on the other side of those trees? Kate asked.

He thought about it for a while, perhaps checking out a map of the area in his head. This little strip of forest goes on for a few miles. Two, maybe three. And then it empties out at Jones Field…just a big old strip of undeveloped land that becomes popular during hunting season.

Thats a lot of ground to cover, DeMarco commented.

Well, Kate said, with the discovery of the credit card at this very spot and the fact that shes now been missing for three days, I can contact some folks at the state PD. Get some manpower and some bloodhounds. If we need it, I can maybe get a few more bureau eyes down here as well.

I can get on that right now, Barnes said. I figure the dogs could be down here within a few hours.

Make the call, Kate said. In the meantime, Ill see what I can do to get the bureau to put some push behind it. If we