They stood there in silence, before Tara finally raised her head.

“I think our original theory was right,” she confirmed. “I think it’s pointing to where the killer will strike next.”

It made perfect sense to her. The first two victims, the couple, who went missing by Hanover, New Hampshire—the compass pointed north from that crime scene. And north, Tara confirmed, was where the third victim was found on the porch. At that crime scene, the compass pointed south, which was where they stood moments earlier on the trail, south of the second crime scene. And if Tara’s theory were right, the killer would strike south, yet again.

Warren sighed, “I agree,” he finally said. “But we need to be careful.” He paused. “You never know if a killer is just trying to throw us off.”

Tara mulled his words over in her head. It wasn’t something she had seriously considered before. What if, she thought, the killer was doing this purposely—making them think they knew something, making them think they were ahead of him, only to toy with them and do something drastic later? It was a thought that suddenly made her feel uneasy. She knew this killer was smart, but was he smart enough to outsmart them?

Suddenly, Sheriff Brady stood in the doorframe, interrupting Tara’s train of thought. She stood with reading glasses now at the tip of her nose and she tilted her head downward to see above them.

“We have a list for you of the Mid-Atlantic trail crew,” she said and then turned for them to follow.

Tara and Warren followed her into her office and took a seat across the desk from her. She swiveled in her chair, reached for a piece of paper behind her, and placed it down on her desk in front of them. She pushed the list toward them.

“My officers narrowed it down by those who volunteer in the area and who’ve had access to four-wheelers,” she confirmed.

Tara reached for it and looked it over, but was quickly disappointed when she saw the length.

“There’s over twenty names on this list,” she said as she looked up from it. Knowing they had little time, Tara knew that a list that long could easily waste precious hours.

Warren peered over her shoulder.

“She’s right. We need to narrow it down,” he said as Tara placed the list back onto the desk.

Sheriff Brady shook her head. “I’m sorry,” she said. “It’s the best we can do.”

Tara’s frustration boiled. “There must be some other way to narrow down this list,” she insisted.

Sheriff Brady looked startled. “Agent Mills, like I said…”

But Tara quickly interrupted her. “Did you check for police records? Any illegal or concerning behavior?”

“We did and unfortunately we didn’t find anything too concerning,” she snapped back.

Tara took a deep breath. “I’m not trying to be difficult. It’s just interviewing over twenty people could waste very precious time.” She paused and let a silence fall around them as she gained composure. “You said nothing too concerning?” Tara questioned with a steady voice.