a/n: Hello everyone….

Thanks for reading! Looks like a fair number of you are reading this one. It is actually flattering to know that as of this writing, 71 people have taken the time to read the first three chapters. That's Good to see. I know everyone has their preferred characters and pairings when it comes to romances. And the ones I have created have, in many regards, been outside the conventional. At least according to some. Others seem to really embrace it. As long as any criticisms are constructive in nature, please do not hesitate to offer them. I have had a number of PMs over time that have expressed a wide range of opinions. Some have been totally against Callie and Chet being a couple. Or as things went on, Callie and another woman. Others have been very positive and supportive. The outside the box lives of some of the characters are not meant to intentionally place forth the need we have in our current society to shove diversity down our throats. Far from it, actually. It's just a circumstance that has existed in the lives of this writer's characters. I make no apologies for this. But didn't want anyone to think that I wrote some of these characters out of some effort to be intentionally diverse for the sake of having to be PC. In my last volume (Atlantic City) Someone sent me a PM suggesting that I wrote Callie and Iola's progressive and liberal sexuality for that purpose. And it simply isn't so.

This particular volume does not necessarily serve to convey any heavy focus on any of the character's relationships. Though it obviously serves as a great influence on the character's current place in life and perhaps the discontent that results for some of them.

I have always found a deep need for some character development that goes beyond the simplified station in life that was represented by the series original author(s). I do not offer any overt criticism of their simple characters. After all, the original intended age range for our heroes was obviously much younger than many of us who still read them in any form available.

In any event, I do appreciate those who have been reading this one, and have read my other past stories. I have quite a few other unpublished stories, but have been hesitant to place some of them here. Perhaps for fear of them not being entirely appreciated.

As usual, I thank those who take time to drop a PM or make a review.

-Carly

-4-

Madeleine Morton spent most of her life being the much-adored daughter of Chet and Callie. While being adored came with its benefits, it did not always translate into being loved or getting quality attention from her parents. At times it was difficult for her to know if this is how all girls were raised. Maddie was born into money. By the time she was born, her parents had had the good fortune to have been granted financial stability in the form of a substantial reward they had received from working a case. Callie, who had never fully embraced the money. Chet, on the other hand, had made it a bit of an obsession. In that he should create more wealth in the name of maintaining financial stability. This, for most of his relatives, had been a stretch given that he was never in any danger of his family ending up destitute. With the help of his associates, he had managed to parlay three million dollars into roughly more than seventy million in a little more than a decade. Chet had long since left the detective game to spend his full time in what could be deemed an early retirement. Though Chet would strongly protest the term. He surrounded himself with other like-minded locals. All of whom spent most of their time at their homes in East Hampton, New York, playing the stock market and convincing themselves they were masters of the universe.

While Callie had definitely appreciated their financial security, she had always had a love and hate relationship with their money. As the years went by, it was often more hate. In spite of the fact she had, at times, enjoyed being one of those rich bitches from the Hamptons. It wasn't so much the status in its traditional sense. Truth be told, most of the time Callie despised keeping company with her Long Island equals. She more enjoyed the solitude that it granted her from having to deal with society. At one point she had become quite ineffectual in her ability to relate to people. This became a point where she entered a downward spiral. Mired in alcohol and indifference. Nothing, at this point, had made her happy. Not her marriage. Not her children, and aside from the buffer from dealing with it all that it granted, certainly not the money. Callie was consciously aware of how bad it had become a couple years back. The entire dysfunction of her family served a daily reminder of that something had to give. It eventually did in a roundabout way a year back when Callie left for a weekend vacation to meet Iola in Atlantic City. This set forth a chain of events that could not have been predicted. It concluded with Callie almost losing her life when she had been shot. Perhaps the irony had been in that she was shot as a result of having given a bigger damn about someone other than herself. The injury also caused a turning point in the deteriorating relationship she had with her oldest daughter, Madeleine.

All in all, Madeleine was quite lucky to have not been turned on to behaviors that were more destructive than the obsession with materialism. While her parents were responsible for cultivating that problem, so often other issues with drugs and alcohol accompanied. Maddie, with the help of her aunt Iola had been able to stay somewhat grounded through her childhood. When her mother had been so near death, it was quite the awakening. Maddie and Callie both had been growing back in a strong and positive direction since the event. Now, there was hope that Chet could be saved. Or at least the relationship he had with his children. The one in most danger had been with his eldest. It had been strained even more as Maddie had opted to spend more and more time with her mother in the last year.

Maddie was pleasantly surprised that her father had not been glued to a cell phone or computer screen since her aunt had dropped her off. One of their big problems had been her father's constant distraction with business. Or what he often claimed was business. More often than not she had been easily bought off when her dad attempted to placate her with allowing her to buy things. Things she didn't need.

"So, dad…" Maddie paused as she watched her father sweeping out the bed of the old pickup truck. "you said this was grandpa's truck?" Chet looked down at her and smiled.

"Yep. He kept it in good shape all the years he had it. Uncle frank and I did some work on her over the last few days. I think we have her ready to serve another 20 years." Maddie had spent the last hour with Chet and thus far had been impressed with seeing how relaxed her dad was. This was not something that she was used to seeing. But it was definitely a positive thing to her. And in turn it made her feel relaxed herself. She was not initially too enthusiastic when her aunt had suggested her coming out today. She assumed that their meeting was likely to be another visit where she took a back seat to her father's other interests.

"Did grandpa let you drive it when you were a kid?" Maddie asked as Chet jumped down from the now clean truck bed. Chet grinned a bit as he wiped his hands off. He looked over and took in his daughter with awe. She had grown up too fast. Chet had to do a double take in how many similarities Maddie shared with her mother. Chet gave a heavy sigh. Maddie looked a little apprehensive.

"What…what's up, dad?" She asked, feeling a little self-conscious by his gaze. Chet leaned back against the truck and looked down with a knowing smile.

"Well, I was just kind of amazed on how you have grown up so fast. I almost thought I was looking at your momma. We used to all hang out here at the farm back in the day. I guess I just thought back to that time when she looked just like you. So beautiful." Chet's voice faded and Maddie could sense an audible sniffling from her father. She didn't really think she had experienced this side of her father. At least not since she was a very small child. But even that was different. As she physically grew into womanhood she had definitely noticed her relatives taking pause to note how she had been developing into a copy of her mother. But, perhaps hearing it from her own father, meant even more. Maddie looked down for a few moments to avoid eye contact and conceal her own face, which had a telling expression. She cleared her throat and looked back up to her dad.

"Well, thank you for that. I guess I got lucky if I am to believe how many of my relatives tell me how pretty I am or that I look like momma." She paused and was momentarily hesitant to continue. "So, uhm, you and mom used to hang out here and make out in the barn and stuff?" Chet smiled broadly at the inquiry. She shook his head and chuckled a bit.

"Well, not exactly. I suspect Uncle Frank would have taken exception with that. You see, as you might have been told at some point, your momma and Uncle Frank were a pretty big item. Back then when we were teens, your mom and Frank were the ones probably necking in the barn." Chet sighed and laughed a little more. "Not that I would have minded being in his place. I had often wanted to be the guy who had your mother's affections back then." Chet choked up a little again at the thought of how he had ultimately achieved that dream. Then years later it all seemed to fall apart. He wondered silently if it would ever be possible to reconcile with Callie. He looked up, and his eyes met with his child's. Maddie didn't need to be very perceptive to read what was painted all over her dad's face. It was quite evident. Without even considering the 6+ month disconnect that they themselves had been experiencing, Maddie stepped forward and embraced her dad. Chet wrapped his arms around Maddie and held on tight.

"I'm sorry, daddy. I am so sorry that you are sad." She said quietly. Tears began to well up in her eyes and she felt her father run his hand through her hair.

"It's…It's ok, baby." He said back to her. "I am so sorry for what I have done to cause this." Maddie shook her head slightly.

"You aren't the only one to blame. I thi…think we all had a part." She stepped back and offered her dad a kind smile. "I know I had a part. For that I am sorry." Chet took a deep breath to break the stream of tears.

"Well, I think we have all had some hard lessons to learn. But I just hope that we can pull out of this." He looked off to the side hoping to break the stream of sorrow which was overtaking them both. "So, uh, baby, what were you asking me about grandpa's truck again?" he spoke up and gave an affectionate slap on the fender. Maddie smiled as her eyes shifted. Also hoping to avoid a potential storm of crying if they were to continue with that warm and fuzzy moment.

"Oh, right… well, I was wondering if uh, grandpa let you drive his truck when you were my age?" Chet thought back and smiled.

"Well, I was probably a little younger than you when dad first let me drive the truck around the farm." Maddie looked wide eyed.

"What? Younger? Like how old were you?" Chet sighed.

"Wow, let me think. I guess maybe nine or ten." This caused Maddie to look back incredulously.

"Get out of here?! Are you serious?" Chet nodded solemnly then grinned.

"Yep. Had work to do on the farm and a truck is seen as a tool that you use."

"But don't you need to be 16 to drive?" Maddie asked, still amazed her father was able to drive a truck when he was as young as 9 years old. Chet shook his head.

"Nope, not when you are on your own property. As long as you stay off public roads, you can pretty much drive at any age. You can be permitted to drive on a public road at 15 and have your license to solo at 16. But when it comes to work here on the farm, your grandpa was having me drive the truck slowly through the fields while he scattered manure and such." Maddie looked at the truck with admiration and shook her head.

"Well, you were pretty lucky to start at that age. Too bad we don't have any farm stuff to do." She said with some envy in her voice. Chet's lips formed a smile.

"Well, you don't always need to scatter cow poop as an excuse to drive a farm truck. For instance, sometimes I'd get to drive it myself out to the patch of woods at the north end where I built one of my tree houses. It was quite a distance to walk. Sometimes your gramps would let me use the truck to run around here on the place."

"Tree house? You had one? I always wanted one growing up, but kind of figured it would make the neighbors mad. So I never asked you." Chet gave out a chuckle.

"Yeah, baby. I suspect that if I were to construct a tree house like I had here out in the Hamptons, I would likely get some flack by some neighborhood association. I'd probably have to make it look like a real house to avoid that."

"What did your tree house look like?" She asked. Chet shrugged.

"Easy enough to show you, baby. Well, what is probably left of it anyway." Maddie's eyes lit up.

"Seriously? Can you take me out and show me?" Chet reached into his jeans and drew out the set of truck keys. He smiled and tossed the key ring to her.

"Why don't you take us out there?" Maddie looked at the set of keys in her hand for a moment, then looked up to her dad. A wave or both happiness and nervousness swept over her. She blinked several times and attempted to quell the new wave of tears that were building up with her father's simple gesture. She nodded and flashed a broad grin.

"Ok….dad!" she exclaimed.


The Circle J Truck Stop was a substantially sized facility that sat on the western side of Highway 81. It was part of the expansive artery of highways which helped facilitate the large volume of ground transportation for that corridor. Thousands of trucks passed through the area on a daily basis.

Frank Hardy, closely followed by Iola Hardy made his way towards the rear of the main building. The truck stop was comprised of a many sections. Retail fuel center, gift shop, trucker only areas and two different restaurants. Frank opened his badge and clipped it into an open position on his hip. There were at least half a dozen cruisers parked nearby representing local Bayport Police, as well as state and highway patrol units. Frank gave a nod to a younger, uniformed patrolman who was on duty near the designated crime area which was cordoned off with crime scene tape.

"Hey Murphy." Frank acknowledged. "What do we have?" The young officer who appeared to be about 27 with blonde hair and blue eyes looked nervously at Frank.

"Looks like another abduction, Frank. A family of four had stopped for dinner. The girl apparently slipped out after the meal to the rear and we have a witness who saw her being escorted from the area of those bushes…" he said pointing to a line of bushes at the far edge of the pavement. "to an older model blue van parked over in the right side next to the orange cones we laid out. The witness initially thought that someone was escorting an intoxicated person to their car. That maybe the person got sick and was tossing up in those bushes and they were being helped to their van. But due to the abrupt manner in which the person was placed in the back of the van and quick departure, it became evident this was the victim and suspect." Frank nodded grimly and glanced over to Iola. He looked back to the officer.

"Where's the old man?" He asked, glancing around. The officer gave a gesture towards the building.

"The chief was inside talking to the family of the victim. The state boys are out with the forensics team. The chief said when you got her to have you find him. Bridges has been out sick the last couple days." Frank gave a wry grin. Detective Bridges was the other ranking detective of the Bayport Police Department. He had been covering for Frank while he was on vacation. Frank nodded and gave a pat to the patrolman as he walked past him into the crime scene area.

"Thanks, Murph." He said quietly. The pair walked into the crime scene zone. Various field agents and officers glanced briefly at them as Frank made his way to the rear doors. They walked in. Frank looked over his shoulder at Iola.

"You may want to linger back while I talk to Collig. " Iola nodded knowingly. Though she was not officially employed by the Bayport Police Department, she was often afforded the ability to be present at crime scenes due to her association with the Hardy family. In the case of a fresh crime scene of an abduction, Frank chose to not push his luck. The first abduction within their jurisdiction sent the chief into a sterner mindset when it came to procedure. The fact that the first victim had still not been recovered, alive or dead, was weighing heavily on the head of the Bayport Police Department. No doubt, a second abduction would have the chief more concerned about following procedure to the letter. With the state agencies and the FBI also playing in the game, it was not the time to take liberties.

With Iola fading back, Frank made his way down a narrow hallway which led to the employee office area. Frank gazed into the first open doorway he came to. This was apparently one of the employee lounges. A series of round tables filled the room. The room was empty with the exception of a young boy who appeared to be about 12 years of age. He had brown hair and was interacting with a woman of about 30 years of age who had her long blonde hair tied back and was wearing a dark blue jacket with the FBI emblem on the back. Frank smiled briefly to her as he recognized her as Special Agent Davis. She was no doubt offering comfort to the younger sibling of the abducted girl while the police were talking to his parents. Davis smiled back and gestured towards the next room over as if reading Frank's facial expression seeking out the Chief.

Frank continued in that direction. He came before a closed door. He heard voices on the other side. Frank deduced this was where the family was and knocked on the door. A moment later a familiar booming voice was heard.

"Come in." Frank opened the door and walked in. Before him appeared to be a larger office with a conference table on one side. At the table sat a distraught looking couple that Frank judged to be in their forties. The woman, who had auburn hair and green eyes, was quite bleary eyed from several rounds of crying. The man, who had black hair and a squared jaw appeared slightly more stable. But it also was likely just the look of a father who was stunned and shocked beyond the ability to express any emotion at that point. He held his wife close. Across from them was a portly older uniformed officer of his mid sixties. He looked up and nodded to Frank and gestured to the couple.

"Detective Hardy, this is Ken and Ellen Salinger." He looked to the couple. "This is senior detective Frank Hardy. He will be in charge of the investigation on the local front." Frank walked over and offered a kind smile to the couple. He sat down. Chief Collig cleared his throat.

"The Salinger's daughter is named Emma." Frank nodded and looked to the couple.

"Mr. and Mrs. Salinger, please accept my apologies for this happening. Be assured we are putting things together and will do our best to get your daughter back to you." Chief Collig looked over to Frank.

"The Salingers are from Fulton." He said, indicating a small town about twenty miles north of Bayport. They had stopped off to eat and get gas for their trip down south." Ellen Salinger looked up with a beleaguered expression. She looked desperately at Frank.

"Find my little girl…" She rasped as tears flowed along her cheeks. "She must be so scared. She must…." Her head fell again into the chest of her husband and she began to freely weep again. Ken looked at the two officers.

"Would it be ok if we had a little time?" He asked, in hopes that Frank would not start another round of questions that the chief and two other officers had already put them through. Chief Collig cleared his throat and nodded with a soft expression.

"Yes, of course. Detective Hardy and I will step out. Take all the time you need. Agent Davis is in the next room with your son. I know she and the other FBI field agent will want to ask you some additional questions. But it can wait for a few." Ken nodded briefly as he held his wife as she cried. Chief Collig gestured for Frank to follow him out of the room.

The two walked down the hallway in silence. Chief Collig let the way back out the rear entrance. He looked over to Officer Murphy.

"How are things out here?" He asked gruffly. Officer Murphy nodded and gestured towards a long line of cars and trucks lining up towards the front of the building.

"Well, a few people asking why they can't access the rear pumps. But no one getting too nosey. But the press will likely be showing any time now. The state boys aren't using secured communication. Collig scowled and cursed.

"Damn. They have to know that in doing so, they are being monitored by the media." Collig had a history of contempt with the local State Police division that he often had to work with. He looked up at Frank, who smirked back.

"Well, Chief, you do know how Thornberg loves to see himself on TV." Collig grunted at Frank's offhand comment about the captain in charge of the state police in their area.

"Swell." He gestured for Frank to follow him. Chief Collig pointed to an area where at least three members of the forensics team were gathering physical evidence and assessing the area. "This is where the van was stationed according to a witness." Frank noted the area was not in a fuel lane, but off to one side.

"Looks like he was pulled off to this area near the edge of the pavement. Gives a pretty clear view of the rear entrance. Do we know which entrance the Salingers used when they came in?"

"Front." Collig replied. "He also knew the scene here. He had a good line of sight on the back door. But the surveillance cameras don't have a span that goes beyond the pumps here in back. Initial checks of the front and side cameras footage do not offer any signs of an older van as described by the witness. Probably wouldn't help much anyway. This place, for all its money making, haven't update the outside cameras in over ten years. The new technology is all on the inside to keep an eye on the overpriced gifts and food. You can't read plate numbers with these cameras outside unless you are within 30 feet of the camera. Zooms are all nasty early tech digital. Bank of monitors are at the cashier station, so anyone can pretty much see their limitations on the outdoor cameras."

"So…" Frank began as he looked about the area. "He could be on the inside cameras cruising for a target? Do we know if the girl went outside on her own accord? It would be helpful if we could get a lock on her leaving with an escort." Collig sighed and looked over to Frank.

"Sorry, but we aren't going to get that lucky. Video has the girl stepping out the rear entrance quite alone." Frank nodded grimly.

"I know we are just in the preliminaries of this investigation, but why would she go out the rear door? Did the parents offer an indication of why she stepped out?" Collig grunted.

"Parents have her leaving the table to use the restroom. Video doesn't have her going to the restroom." Frank took a breath and exhaled slowly.

"I want to get a look at the video. When do you think initial forensics will be complete?"

"They will be here till the wee hours before they give public access to that area and put together their preliminary findings. You might as well check the video." He paused. "You can bring your assistant if you want." The chief said. Frank looked at the chief from the corner of his eye. His beleaguered expression told Frank that the clues thus far were slim, and that he would welcome the assistance from any member of the Hardy family. Frank, clenched jaw, nodded briefly and turned to walk back inside. Bayport Police had not often had to deal with these kinds of cases. The idea of organized abductions of youth down the seaboard was disturbing enough. But when it happened in Bayport twice in a matter of weeks the whole police force was feeling the effects.

Iola looked over at Frank as they stood before a bank of monitors. He was trying to cue up the timeframe when Emma Salinger had left the building.

"Parents are beside themselves I assume?" Iola inquired softly as Frank fidgeted with the control knob of the video unit. Frank nodded.

"The mother is crying as any mother would do. The father seems stunned and is trying to help his wife. I don't know much just yet. The Feds are going to do some additional interviews before releasing them. I think they want to get them out though before the media circus comes." A moment later her nodded towards the monitor. "Ok, there she is." Iola turned back towards the screens. The two watched as they saw a slim girl with longer dark hair approach the rear doors from the left.

"Very pretty." Iola observed as she caught a profile of the girl. A small button nose was defined relatively clearly. She had a shoulder bag hanging from her right side. She exited the left door. Frank looked at the timer on the screen. It indicated over 90 seconds before any other patron exited the rear doors. "Do we have outside footage?" Frank gave a frown.

"Not full. Just one camera focused on the pumps. Nothing focused on the rear door like the front. And nothing stretching as far as the area where the van was supposedly stationed." Iola shot Frank a glance.

"Are you kidding me? A place this big with so much traffic in and out doesn't have full multi angled cameras on the exterior?" Frank shook his head.

"Outside the front has decent coverage. But the cameras out there, as you can see, are dated and resolution, quite frankly, sucks. Cameras on the inside are much better. They placed their camera budget predominantly on the inside. Gotta keep folks from stealing crappy souvenirs and beer." He sighed deeply. He placed the video into rewind and kept playing back the 7 second block of footage that showed Emma leaving the building. Iola watched in silence. A moment later she held up a hand.

"Frank, can you slow it down and magnify?" Frank looked down at the controls.

"I can slow it down, but I don't see anything that will let me magn….hold on…" he interrupted himself and clicked on a plus sign. This send the system into a slow reload of the clip. "Yeah, a little anyway. What are we magnifying?" Iola pointed down in the scene.

"Lower. By her hip." Frank raised his eyebrows and complied with her request. After what seemed a painfully long reload, a magnified, excessively pixilated view of the lower part of the scene appeared. Frank and Iola watched as the slow video played out.

"There!" Iola spoke up. "Stop!" Frank hit the pause button.

"What's up?" He asked, still not following. Iola took a nearby pen and pointed to Emma's hand a couple seconds before she went through the door.

"Hit play." She said. Frank engaged the play mode again and studied the area Iola pointed to. The two watched the grainy enlargement and observed that Emma placed her right hand inside her open purse and began to pull something out.

"What is she getting?" Frank asked aloud. "She starts to pull something out right as she exits the doorway."

"Replay it." Iola said tensely, eyes glued to the screen. Frank, once again reversed the video by a couple seconds. Finally, Iola snapped her fingers then pointed. Frank froze the scene. His eyes focused in on the scene. Emma's hand appeared to be pulling out a small rectangular box.

"Looks like a pack of smokes to me." Frank said. Iola nodded.

"I concur, detective. Seems like she had a bad habit that she wanted to keep from mom and dad." Frank nodded.

"That gibes with her telling them she was going to the restroom. She told a little fib so she could pop out back for a smoke." Iola nodded her agreement.

"She couldn't have done it in the bathroom. They have smoke alarms in there and there is no smoking in the entire building." Frank looked up thoughtfully.

"Come on!" He said leading the way from behind the counter. Iola followed him as he exited the rear doors. Once outside he looked along the wall of the building. Almost immediately he found what he was looking for. A sign on the wall read "No Smoking Near Entrance or Gas Pumps!" Frank led the way towards the scene where there was still an agent looking over the area where the van was reported parked. Frank studied the ground then turned to Iola with a grim smile. He pointed down to show several areas where there were extinguished cigarette butts. He looked down to the agent.

"Mallory, am I wrong, or is this area an unofficial designated smoking spot?" The middle aged man, who was balding looked over to Frank.

"Without a doubt, Frank. Making it pretty hard to find other physical evidence with all these cigarettes all over." Iola watched and nodded, then looked back at Frank.

"So, the perp was hanging out in the smoking lounge hoping to catch a fish?" Frank nodded.

"Sure looks that way." He looked down to the agent still sifting through dirt. "Hate to tell you this, Mallory, but there is reason to suspect the kid had come out for a smoke." Agent Mallory looked up to Frank and starred at him for a full five seconds.

"That isn't making my job easier, Frank. Look along this whole line of bushes. It spans a good thirty yards. There are hundreds of smokes laying around out here. I hope you aren't thinking I have to find the cigarette in question." Frank gave a dry smile.

"Wouldn't hurt." He turned to Iola and snapped his fingers thoughtfully. He glanced back at the line of bushes. "Murphy said that the witness reported they initially thought that a person was helping their companion who may have been sick. I assume that their translation of sick could suggest the girl was incapacitated by this point." Iola nodded her agreement.

"Yeah. Say she goes out over there to the left area of this smoking area. Now, first off, since it's the middle of the day, and plenty of sun out. So what are you trying to avoid if you don't want mom and dad to see you?" Frank looked over to the bushes. They were an unkempt line of hedges meant to beautify the area, but hadn't been maintained well, so they appeared to be overgrown into weeds. But there was clearly an area behind the line of bushes.

"Well, if I were a teen not wanting to get a lecture and needed my fix, I'd probably go over on the other side of those overgrown hedges." He led the way over and they circled around the far side of the hedges. The area was mostly open grass. Frank and Iola looked down. There were far fewer cigarettes in this area. A mere handful. The pair got down to examine the cigarettes more closely. Iola pointed to one.

"That one looks kind of interesting… Doesn't it?" Frank looked down at a cigarette that was laying alone. It appeared to be relatively fresh even though it sat in a shallow puddle. What was more interesting is that it appeared nearly unsmoked.

"Does look kind of wasteful. With the price of smokes these days, one doesn't typically take a drag or two and toss it."

"Not without a good reason." Frank stood up and looked over the hedge which he could barely see over.

"Mallory, got a second?" Frank asked. The agent looked over.

"Sure, Frank." Agent Mallory walked over to the pair. Frank looked down.

"My sister in law just pointed this out. She might have saved you some time." He pointed to the intact, nearly unsmoked cigarette. Mallory pulled out a camera and stepped back.

"Let me get some photos, Frank." Iola and Frank stepped back several feet and allowed Mallory to photograph the area. He came back and took out an evidence bag and a pair of tweezers. He expertly pulled up the smoke and placed it in the bag. He turned to Frank and Iola. "I will get some reference prints from mom and dad's car and see if we can match anything up." Frank nodded to the agent.

"Thanks, man. Check for foot prints and see if you can come up with anything. " He said and turned to Iola. "Ok, maybe we will get lucky. But back to the scene." He and Iola stepped back from the area not wishing to muddle up the potential area of abduction further.

"So, we have this point." Iola gestured towards the area where the cigarette was found. "we are out of the direct line of sight of the windows. So what is the most likely scenario? Does he come back here and grab her? She drops the smoke on the spot."

"He has to immobilize her pretty quick. What does he use?" Frank asked her aloud. Iola looked around.

"Logical choices would be taser, or perhaps chloroform…". Frank shook his head.

"Chloroform is unlikely. It takes an average of five minutes of direct inhaling to render the average person unconscious. Seems a spirited teen in a place like this would not be an easy one to immobilize with it. However, the taser may be more effective at least rendering you immobile enough to be carried somewhere. It would also give the appearance that the party was still awake, but incapacitated. Like being drunk. There are also, of course, several injectable substances that could be used that take effect almost immediately." Iola nodded.

"So he renders her neutral by some means and puts an arm around her and they make their way to this van. Do we have the van on any cameras?" Frank shrugged.

"Not from the back cameras. But the feds will likely be going over the front cameras to see if any accidental shots including the vehicle described got captured." He looked down at his watch. "I am going to go update the chief and talk to Agent Davis. See if we can get any info from the parents regarding any known smoking they may have been aware of. But it seems if we go by the video of her exiting it seems pretty obvious she was going out for just that reason."

"Ok." Iola said and took out her phone. "I'm going to give Joe a ring. I don't think he was counting on me being this late." Frank nodded.

"Sounds good. I will get back with you in a bit." He said and disappeared into the truck stop to report to Collig.