They then ventured deeper into the house, coming to a room that obviously belonged to a teenage girl. A bedazzled journal sat on a desk that was littered with pens and papers. A ceramic pink pineapple sat at the edge of the desk, a picture holder of sorts with a wire holder at the top. A picture of two teenaged girls, smiling widely for the camera, was held within it.

Kate opened up the journal. The last entry was from eight days ago and was about how a boy named Charlie had kissed her very quickly while they changed classes at school. She scanned a few of the entries before that and found similar scribblings: struggling with a test, wanting Charlie to pay more attention to her, wishing that bitch-face Kelsey Andrews would get hit by a train.

Nowhere within her room were there any indications of homicidal intent. They checked the parents bedroom next and found it similarly disinteresting. There were a few adult magazines hidden away in the closet but other than that, the Fullers seemed to be squeaky clean.

When they exited the house after twenty minutes, Barnes was still on the porch. He was sitting in an old tattered lounge chair, smoking a cigarette.

Find anything? he asked.

Nothing, DeMarco answered.

Although I do wonder, Kate added. Did you or the state police happen to find a laptop or cell phone in the daughters room?

No. Now, on the laptop…thats not much of a surprise. Maybe you could tell by the state of the house, but the Fullers werent exactly the type of family that could afford a laptop for their daughter. As for a phone, the Fullers cell phone plan shows that Mercy Fuller did indeed have her own phone. But no one has been table to trace it just yet.

Maybe its powered down, DeMarco said.

Probably, Barnes said. But apparentlyand this was news to meeven when a phone is off, it can be tracked back to the place where it was powered down…the last place it was on. And the state guys figured out it was last powered on here, at the house. But, as you pointed out, its nowhere to be found.

How many men do you have actively working the case? Kate asked.

Three at the station right now, just basically running interviews and digging through things like last purchases, last known places they visited and things like that. Theres one guy left behind from the Staties thats helping, though hes not too happy about it.

And you have one guy on your force that youd consider the lead on it other than yourself?

Correct. As I said, that would be Officer Foster. The man has a mind like a lock box.

Could you lead us to the station for a quick debrief meeting? Kate asked. But just yourself and this Officer Foster. Lets keep it small.