and his brother in quite a bit of trouble, even aside from the disappearance of Mercy Fuller.
The search inside the house did not take long. While DeMarco remained outside, Kate scoured the place and within fifteen minutes, had found more than enough to get the Branch brothers into a lot of trouble.
Half a pound of cocaine had been found in one of the bedrooms, along with half a dozen ecstasy pills. In the other bedroom, there were several plastic baggies of pot, another dozen ecstasy pills, and a few containers of prescription pain medicine. The real kicker had come when Kate had found a small black notebook beneath the bed of the second bedroom. It looked to be a tally book of sorts, recording who owed money and for what.
She also figured out that the first bedroom she’d checked was Jeremy Branch’s. She knew this because of a rather provocative picture sitting on his bedside, featuring himself and Mercy Fuller, who was mostly undressed. But she could find no journals, no laptop, nothing that might lend clues as to his involvement in her disappearance or the deaths of her parents.
She did find one thing of note, though. Something that answered at least one question. In the small bathroom just off of Jeremy’s bedroom, Kate found a new travel-sized toothpaste, female deodorant, and a new miniature-sized toothbrush. Apparently, Mercy had bought those things to keep here, trying to cover up any traces of having been physical with a boy before she went home.
She headed back outside, wading through the tall grass for the car. “All of the travel-sized stuff is in Jeremy’s bathroom. Apparently, Mercy was keeping it all here.”
“That’s…cute, I guess?”
“Or a bit obsessive,” Kate suggested as she got behind the wheel. “Also, we now know one of the reasons he ran.”
From the back, Jeremy spoke up, his voice panicked and ringed with fear. “All of that stuff is my brother’s.”
“So he was just keeping some of it in your room, then?”
“Yeah, he sells it and…and…”
“Save your wind for the station,” Kate said. “Truth be told, the drugs are only secondary right now.”
“I had nothing to do with Mercy or her parents,” he said. “I swear.”
“I hope not,” Kate said as she started the car forward. “But I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.”
CHAPTER FIVE
This time, when they entered the Deton Police Station, the large desk at the front of the bullpen was occupied by a woman who looked like she had been planted there and had never left. She was easily sixty years of age and when she looked up at Kate, DeMarco, and Jeremy Branch, she gave a well-rehearsed smile. When she realized what was going on, though, the smile faded and she was all business.
“You the agents?” she asked.
“Yes ma’am,” DeMarco said. “Where can we park Mr. Branch here?”
“The interrogation room for right now. I’ll get the sheriff on the phone and let him know you’re here. Follow me.”
The older woman led them alongside the bullpen, down the same hallway Barnes had led them down earlier. She opened the door to the second room on the right. It looked pretty much the same as the one they had met Officer Foster in earlier in the day. There was an old scarred desk with one chair parked on either side.
“Sit down,” DeMarco said, giving Jeremy a light push in the direction of the table.
Jeremy did as he was asked, not resisting at all. When his butt was in the seat, he folded his handcuffed hands in front of him and stared at them.
“What was the relationship between you and Mercy Fuller like?” Kate asked.
“I barely knew her.”
“I saw a picture in your bedroom that says otherwise.”
“What would you say if I told you she was that…well, that friendly to most guys?”
“I’d say that’s a pretty daring accusation to point at someone. Especially in a town like this one, about a girl who just lost both of her parents.”
Jeremy sighed and gave a shrug. His nonchalance was aggravating Kate but she did her best to remain professional.
“I told you…I don’t know anything about that family.”
“You’re lying,” Kate said. “And here’s the thing. You can keep lying, but this is a small town, kid. I can unwrap your lie pretty easily. And if I do find out you’re lying to me, then we’ll start digging into the drugs. Maybe find some of the people your not-so-bright brother has listed in that black notebook under his bed. Maybe tell them that you told us where to find the book.”
Jeremy’s eyes widened at this thought and he started to shift in his seat. Kate also wondered if there might be a card to play in terms of his older brother. She wondered which of the two might crack under pressure first.
But apparently, she was not going to have to go that route. She could practically see the moment when Jeremy Branch decided that his own self-preservation was the most important thing.
“Fine, I know her. But we weren’t like dating or anything. We just hooked up every now and then.”
“So it was a sexual relationship?”
“Yes. And that’s about all it was.”
“Did you not care that she was fifteen?”
“I kind of did. I figured I’d just break it off with her when I turned eighteen. So I wouldn’t get in trouble, you know?”
“When was the last time you saw her?” DeMarco asked.
“Maybe a week or so ago.”
“Did she come to your place?”
“Yes. We had this sort of blueprint. When she wanted to come over, she’d text me and I’d pick her up over on Waterlick Road. She’d tell her folks she was going to a friend’s house and I’d pick her up and we’d go back to my place.”
“How long had this been going on?” Kate asked.
“Four or five months. But look, I know it sounds dirty or whatever, but I really don’t know her all that well. It was just sex. That’s all. I was her first…and she was sort of curious, you know? She wasn’t like sex crazy or anything, but we met up a lot.”
“I thought you said she was friendly with most guys,” DeMarco said.
His only response to this apparent lie in an attempt to save face was a shrug.
“What about her parents?” Kate asked. “What can you tell me about them?”
“Nothing. I knew who her dad was, you know? I mean, it’s a small town. You sort of know everyone. Plus, she always used to joke that if her dad found out we were fu—having sex,” he said, apparently not finding it appropriate to drop other terminology in front of two female agents, “he’d kill me.”
“And did you believe
