Well, thats why Im so confused about this daughter of hers. According to the tests we got back, Wendy Fuller was very much infertile.

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

Kate left Staunton Womens Services reeling. The enormous piece of the puzzle they had received from Dr. Shilling made absolutely no sense. And it drastically altered the course of the case. It was such a blow to the case that Kate and DeMarco sat in the car, remaining in the parking lot, for several minutes after leaving the building.

Hows this even possible? DeMarco asked.

Common sense points towards adoption, Kate answered. But if there was anything related to adoptionor even foster care, for that matterthere would have been something in the public records we pulled back in Deton.

So…where the hell did Mercy Fuller come from?

Thats a damned good question.

Kate reached into the back seat of the car and gathered up her files on Wendy and Alvin Fuller. There wasnt much about their lives in Waynesborojust a ten-minute jaunt from Stauntonso they didnt have much to filter through.

Weve got an old address for the Fullers and the last known employer for Alvin before the move. Coleman Furniture and Cabinets in Waynesboro.

Seems like thats our next stop, then, DeMarco said.

Kate felt like they were grasping at straws at this point. The revelation that Wendy Fuller had been infertile blew the case apart, leaving no clear direction of where to go. But they had come out here hoping to dig up some answers. They sure as hell had gotten one; it just so happened that this particular answer brought many more questions with it.

***

Waynesboro was slightly larger than Deton. With an actual Main Street, courthouse, and a few storefronts, it seemed like a metropolis in comparison. The place still boasted a population of under three thousand, making the traffic at 9:30 in the morning nearly nonexistent.

They found Coleman Furniture and Cabinets at the far end of town, alone on its own little plot of land. A small lumber scrapyard sat behind the property, as well as a few small sheds. It was apparently the kind of place that built its own furnituresomething that seemed to tie directly into Alvin Fullers eventual job in Deton as a foreman at the lumber yard.

They walked into the central building, which was quite large and boasted several display set-ups of custom-built cabinets and handcrafted living room furniture. They had only been inside for about ten seconds before a cheerful woman came down one of the large open aisles to greet them.

Can I help you ladies? she asked.

Yes, actually, Kate said. We were wondering if the manager might happen to be here? Or, if not a manager, someone that might be able to help us with finding information on a former employee.