by Blake Pierce
When they were inside and away from turmoil of the press, Barnes practically collapsed in one of the chairs in the small waiting area just in front of the bullpen.
“Okay, so here’s where we’re at,” he said. “I’ve got four officers, including Foster, out talking to families that had even the most remote connection to the Fullers. Many of them are repeat interviews, only this time we are asking specifically about any information they have on the Fullers’ lives before moving to Deton. We’re also speaking with anyone we know might have been a friend of Mercy Fuller. There are three state policemen at her high school right now, speaking with guidance counselors and teachers.” He sighed here and then looked back and forth between Kate and DeMarco. “You really think this Katherine Sanders woman is telling the truth?”
“I don’t know for sure,” Kate said. “But I don’t see why she’d have any reason to lie about it. We’ve got a team at the bureau working on getting current contact information on one Nick Sanders, a man who, according to Katherine, is Mercy Fuller’s biological father.”
“This all sounds insane to me,” Barnes said.
“It’s a little crazy for us as well,” DeMarco said.
He led them back to the small conference room they had been using. Kate saw that several people had filled the whiteboard with names, phone numbers, dates, and other information. It looked chaotic but showed signs of a team that was very much dedicated to getting to the bottom of a case.
There was a book on the center of the table—one that Kate recognized as Mercy Fuller’s journal. Barnes slapped it and slid it over to Kate.
“We’ve had two officers read through this, looking for anything that might indicate Mercy’s knowledge of her real parents. But there’s nothing. I think it’s safe to say that if Wendy and Alvin Fuller weren’t her parents, Mercy had no idea.”
“It would make sense,” DeMarco said. “If we’re going on the assumption that Katherine Sanders is telling even a half-truth, the Fullers would have no reason to come clean.”
“Sheriff Barnes, how far back can you recall the Fullers coming into town?”
“Decent, I guess. Someone moves into a town like this, it’s all locals talk about for a while. I was only an officer when they arrived. Came into town with a baby in tow.”
“Any idea how old Mercy would have been at that time?” Kate asked.
“Sorry, no. Surely not quite a toddler yet. Still a baby.”
“I can’t help but wonder if this potential abduction fifteen years ago is the motive—the reason the Fullers were killed. And if that’s the case, I doubt the killer and abductor would be anyone local.”
“But if Katherine Sanders has been on the hunt for her so-called sister, maybe she told other people. Maybe other family members,” Barnes said.
“Based on what she told us, there would be no more family other than her father, and she claims not to have been in recent touch with him.”
“Any possibility that Katherine Sanders killed them?”
“Extremely doubtful,” Kate said. She looked to DeMarco to make sure she was not alone in the assumption and got a nod of agreement.
“Well, if this thing extends out to Waynesboro and Staunton, I don’t know if—”
They were interrupted by a knock on the door. After Barnes yelled a quick and curt come in, a state trooper walked into the room. His pants were dirty around the bottom and he looked ragged and tired.
“We’re going to do one last run out in Jones Field and along Blood Gulch Road,” the trooper said. “But we’re finding absolutely nothing. We’re starting to think the abductor came in through Jones Field, with a car waiting along Blood Gulch Road.”
“Meaning the abductor is nowhere nearby,” Barnes said.
“Exactly.”
This did not discourage Kate at all. She had no illusion that Mercy Fuller would be found here in Deton—if she was discovered at all.
So then where might she end up? Kate wondered.
It made her once again think about Anne Pettus, how she and Mercy were very close and would sometimes take shopping trips about an hour or so out of town. She then wondered what sorts of things Mercy did before she had friends with a driver’s license. She thought about the Crabtree family and how they had cared for Katherine Sanders when her parents had been unfit.
Both Alvin and Wendy worked locally here in Deton for fifteen years, Kate thought. Surely someone must have babysat her at some point…
“Sheriff, in all of the records we’ve collected, I don’t recall coming across someone that babysat Mercy when she was a child. But surely someone had to watch her after school and over the summer while her parents worked, right?”
“That’s right,” he said, a smile touching his lips. “There might not have been a babysitter on there because a lot of the parents take their kids to the little nursery and kids area of the Baptist church in town. It’s not exactly a day care, but kind of like an unofficial preschool of sorts. And I am pretty certain the church is in the contacts…”
Kate grabbed up the file on the table, one of many copies of the Fuller files that were circulating around the station. She scanned through the names of potential people to question and came to a name with the local Baptist church—Cornerstone Baptist—written in parentheses by her name.
“Delores King,” she said out loud. “You know her?”
“Oh yeah. Sweet old lady. She’s somewhere in her seventies, I think. She’s a permanent fixture at that church—for the little day care thing and on Sundays.”
“You think she’d be up for a visit?”
“I can guarantee it,” he said, his smile growing wider. “But be warned…be ready to have your ear talked off. That lady is the very epitome of a small-town grapevine.”
This was usually a trait that unnerved Kate but given the lack of information they had to work with, she supposed a stroll through the grapevine might be exactly what they needed.
***
Barnes had been right; even give the morbid nature of their visit, Delores King seemed thrilled to have company. She had just finished handing out a snack of Goldfish crackers and apple juice to the six children she and one helper were looking after when Kate and DeMarco arrived. After Kate had explained to her why they were paying a visit, Delores led them into a small classroom near the back of the church. She smiled the entire time, though once Kate and DeMarco had shared details of the case, there seemed to be traces of sadness there, too.
The classroom Delores had brought them to was for younger children. All of the chairs were far too low to the ground, leaving the three of them to stand.
“So, as we told you,” Kate said, “the church was listed as a potential child care for Mercy Fuller. Do you recall keeping her at all?”
“Yes, I do. A brilliant little girl. So brilliant, in fact, that I believe her parents allowed her to just stay at home by herself when she was ten years old or so.”
“So she was here for her preschool years?” DeMarco asked.
“She was. I never truly got to know Alvin or Wendy all that well. They only ever came to church on holidays. But they always paid on time and were never late to pick up Mercy.”
“Mrs. King, what I’m about to tell you is considered classified, though I doubt it will remain that way with all of the news crews around town. So I would greatly appreciate your silence on the matter. Do you understand?”
She gave a nod and Kate couldn’t help but not believe her.
“Recent discoveries in the Fuller case are leading us to look into the possibility that Mercy was not the biological child of Alvin and Wendy. Were there ever any moments while she attended here where you heard Mercy say something about maybe being adopted or the Fullers not being her real parents?”
The expression on Delores’s face made it clear that she had not been expecting this sort of a question. “I…well, no, nothing that I can remember. I would have never even thought of such a thing. I mean…even just looking at Mercy, s
he did bear a passing resemblance to Wendy. But nothing like Alvin…not a single feature.”
“What do you remember about the Fullers when they came into town?” DeMarco asked.
“Not much, really. I thought it was weird…as did a lot of people, that a family with a brand new baby would willingly move to somewhere like Deton. Not many opportunities, you know? But the little bit I knew of them….they seemed like a nice enough couple.”
“Did you ever hear any gossip about them? Maybe why they came to Deton at all? Or maybe anyone that didn’t really care for them?”
“No…nothing like that. I know small towns have a penchant for gossip, but Deton really isn’t like that. Everyone mostly tends to get along with everyone else.”
“What about Mercy herself when she was part of your preschool and childcare program?” DeMarco asked. “Was she well-behaved? Any problems with the other kids?”
“No. From what I remember, everyone liked her. She was something of a jokester, you know? Always trying to make kids laugh. A team player. I don’t recall her ever throwing any tantrums or bossing the other kids around.”
Kate was about to ask another question even though she was pretty sure this avenue was a dead end. Before the words could come to her, though, her cell phone rang. She gave an apologetic look to Delores, stepped outside of the room, and took the call. She was surprised to see Duran’s name on the call display.
“This is Agent Wise,” she said, never quite sure how to answer Duran’s call now that she was in this peculiar second stage of her career.
“Wise, I thought I’d call you directly to let you know that we found the information for Nick and Helen Sanders, parents of one Katherine Sanders. Turns out Katherine was telling the truth about her mother. Helen Sanders died in an apartment in Raleigh, North Carolina, about ten years ago. Heroin overdose. As for her father…we’ve got an address of some place called Duck Branch, Virginia. Last known job is with a place called Bill’s Tire and Auto, and that news is within at least one month of being recent.”
“Where the hell is Duck Branch?”
“Looks to be about an hour and a half away from Deton. Another small backwoods sort of town.”
“DeMarco and I will head down that way right now, then.”
“You got enough state guys there in Deton to cover while you’re gone? Do I need to send another few agents down your way?”
“I don’t think so. At this point, it would just be adding to the clutter.”
“Keep me posted,” he said, ending the call and leaving Kate with the burdening knowledge of realizing that she and DeMarco were going to have to get back in the car and meander through the Virginia countryside yet again.
She checked the time and saw it was 3:40. She had no idea when Bill’s Tire and Auto closed, but knew it would easier to meet with Nick Sanders there rather than locating his home and having an awkward meeting with him there. She ran a few scenarios through her head and then, after some quick thinking, looked up the police station nearest Duck Branch, and placed a quick call. If she was going to close this day out on a high note, it seemed she’d need all the help she could get—even if it came in the form of a small backwoods police department that had no knowledge of the recent turn of events in the Fuller case.
She wrapped the call up and reentered the room DeMarco and Delores King were still in. Delores was telling DeMarco a few details about the one time she’d had a purposeful conversation with Wendy Fuller but there was nothing of use in it.
“Mrs. King,” Kate said, “thank you for your time. But we need to get going.”
She hurried out of the room as politely as she could, with DeMarco falling in behind her.
“Who was on the phone?” DeMarco asked.
“We got a location on Nick Sanders. And, lucky us, it requires more driving through rural Virginia.”
DeMarco said nothing, making her feelings about more car riding unclear. But the one thing Kate did see in DeMarco was an unwavering determination. In the steely expression DeMarco wore, Kate could see the foundations of a woman who was going to become an incredible agent, living out a grand career. But more important, she also saw the spark of a woman who was not going to rest until this case was solved. And there was no way a seemingly endless stream of Virginia back roads was going to derail her.
Kate could relate. It was exactly how she felt as she pulled her car back out onto the thin strip of road that would lead back to Highway 44 and the winding, waiting roads beyond.
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR
All of the rural Virginia back roads looked the same as far as Kate was concerned. Blacktop—some unmarked with signs or lines down the middle—and expanses of woodlands that were slowly being decimated by local lumber companies. Over and over again. And Duck Branch was no different. It was a little hole in the wall town, nearly every business closed up like the echo of some better life from a decade or so ago.
About halfway through the sorry excuse for a town, Bill’s Tire and Auto Shop came up on the right. There wasn’t even any real sign out front—just an old piece of double-enforced plywood with the name of the business painted on in black. It was 5:25 when Kate pulled her car into the bumpy parking lot. There were several old beaten-up vehicles parked along the side of the building, clearly in need of repair. The only other two vehicles to be seen were a run-down old Ford truck and a police car with Carroll County Sheriff written down the side.
It was the Carroll County police that Kate had spoken to in Cornerstone Baptist Church after getting off of the phone with Duran. She’d called in an assist for an officer to detain Nick Sanders until she and DeMarco could arrive, and the fellow on the line had seemed pleased to help.
Kate and DeMarco got out of the car and walked over to the patrol car. A short and slightly overweight man got out, adjusting his pants as he walked toward them. Kate was rather ashamed of herself when she thought he looked like the stereotypical southern cop—pretty much like something straight out of The Dukes of Hazard.
Because the cop was scrutinizing them so heavily as they approached one another, Kate went ahead and pulled her badge and ID. The cop nodded and extended a meaty hand to be shaken.
“I’m Sheriff Jennings,” he said. “I got your boy Nick Sanders in the front seat of my car and let me tell you, he’s pretty pissed.”
“Did you arrest him?” Kate asked.
“Nope. Nothing to arrest him for. But I did tell him I had some specialist coming in to speak to him. Told him if he hung out here with me until you got here, it would make things much easier. I tell you, though…I have a mind to arrest him anyway. He’s being difficult about answering questions. When I told him I’d like to see his cell phone, he got mad. I thought I was going to have a fight on my hands. He’s demanding a warrant before we can get his phone.”
“Did you make a call for that?”
“Sure did. I expect to have it in an hour or so. The phone is in his truck,” Jennings said, gesturing toward the beat-up truck beside his patrol car.
“You mind if we speak to him?” Kate asked.
“That’s fine. But…can I ask what this is about?”
“He’s a suspect for two murders and a possible abduction up in Deton,” Kate said. “And there may be unlikely ties to the victims. That’s all I can say for now.”
“Can’t say I’m surprised,” Jennings said. “This guy has been nothing but trouble since he moved to town.”
“How long has he been here?” DeMarco asked.
“Four or five years, I’d guess. Came here from Richmond after a shit load of legal issues. Truth be told, if you can get him out of town, I’d consider it a favor.”
He walked to the passenger side of the patrol car and opened the door. “Get on out here, Sanders,” Jennings said. “These two ladies would like to speak with you.”
The man who emerged from the police cruiser bore an uncanny resemblance to Katherine Sanders. He was rail-thin, had a haunted distant look in his eyes, and, a
s Jennings had said, he looked incredibly angry. He had long hair that looked as if it had not been washed in a few days. He also had that same hazy faraway look she had seen in Katherine’s eyes.
Again, Kate and DeMarco showed their ID and badges. Seeing them, Nick Sanders looked instantly alarmed. It was another moment where he looked exactly like his older daughter.
“Mr. Sanders, we’re currently investigating a case in Deton, Virginia, that seems to have a direct link to you. Do you recall the Fuller family from your time in the Waynesboro?”
The alarm on his face now turned to something that resembled genuine fear. Kate thought it was the look of a man who was having his mind read. He felt like his own thoughts and memories were being intruded upon.
“I do.”
“When was the last time you saw the Fullers?”
“A long time ago.”
“Would you be at all surprised to know that both Alvin and Wendy Fuller are dead?”
The news seemed to rock him but he took it in stride. He looked from Jennings and then to the two women standing in front of him. “Who killed them?”
“We don’t know yet,” Kate said. “And honestly, we thought you might be a little concerned about what had become of their fifteen-year-old daughter.”
For just a moment, Nick Sanders looked like someone had slapped him. He recoiled just a bit, his mouth dropping slightly open.
“We spoke to your daughter earlier today,” Kate said. “Katherine. She was in Waynesboro. Apparently, she was searching for the address of Wendy and Alvin Fuller. Do you have any idea why that might be?”
Still, Nick said nothing. He looked paralyzed and out of sorts. Kate also noticed that his hands were trembling. There was a slight tic at the corner of his mouth, too. While these weren’t telltale signs of meth use, they were indicators. She suddenly felt very bad for Katherine Sanders, realizing the influences she had grown up with.
“Mr. Sanders,” Jennings said, “I suggest you say something.”
