And they did. Their investigation into that very same case led to the eventual arrest and prosecution of a deputy sheriff who’d been on the fringe of the case. He’d done his best to hide evidence, misdirect investigators, and cover up any trace of his relationship to the victim. Through Tashi and Jessica’s work, the state police eventually learned of a shallow grave outside Iowa City where the lawman had buried her.

“How come everyone I meet knows I’m not from here?” Jessica said, Tashi driving them farther south into the county. Her GPS set to a place called The River.

“Maybe it’s the blue hair,” Tashi said, turning off of Highway 9 and onto Jericho Road. “And your big black Doc Martens. You definitely bring a certain vibe to the state of Mississippi.”

“I’ll have you know I’ve toned it down while you’ve been out doing your meet and greet,” Jessica said. “I dressed down considerably for my little resupply trip to Walmart. Don’t you see this T-shirt, ‘Love it or Leave it’? But as I was in line at Walmart, waiting to check out, I got the same question, ‘Where you from?’ Like ‘New York City’ was tattooed on my forehead.”

“Everybody seems to know everybody else down here,” Tashi said, the road and terrain flattening out south of town, long stretches of cotton and soybeans all around them. The sun high and blazing hot. “Even with Brandon Taylor, look at all the connections. His former girlfriend is now married to the sheriff, who is the nephew of the old sheriff. And the sheriff’s sister used to know Brandon. And Brandon’s father worked at the sawmill owned by one of the town’s biggest crooks. It’s one degree of separation with everybody in town.”

She slowed and put on her blinker as she spotted a hand-painted sign directing them to THE RIVER. ALL WELCOME.

“Are they going to try and convert us?” Jessica said. “Maybe you should let them know you’re Jewish and I’m a lapsed Catholic. You know, straight off, so it’s out there.”

“This place is more of a community outreach than a church,” Tashi said. “They have a decent online presence. It was started by a guy named Jamey Dixon. He had a pretty extensive history, spent some time at Parchman for manslaughter. He was convicted of killing his girlfriend in 2005. They found her on a back highway run over dozens of times. The body was so mutilated, there wasn’t much of her left. Although he always claimed he was innocent.”

“Maybe he was.”