True to her word, Andra was ready in a half-hour after quickly changing and applying a small amount of makeup. There was no longer any sign of the dark circles he had seen under her eyes earlier.

Sitting down in front of her open laptop he watched as she began to type. Within moments the lock screen had disappeared and she was swiping through the desktop until she found what she was hunting for.

The screen went momentarily dark and when it blinked back to life he could see that she had turned the camera on and was now staring at her own reflection. Cameron looked to make sure he was well out of frame as she fussed with her hair a moment longer and then apparently satisfied began to record. 

"Hey, guys! It's me." She said smiling cheerily into the camera. "I know I've been MIA for a few days and I just wanted to drop in really quickly and let you all know why. As it turns out, I have stumbled onto a real-life paranormal mystery and I'm following a few leads on it. As soon as I know what's happening I will drop another video to let everyone here know the situation. If this turns out to be what I believe it is there could be a story here. In the meantime, I'll continue to investigate, and just know that I should have a really interesting surprise for you guys in a few days. Until then, stay safe and God bless."

She uploaded the video and shutting her laptop turned to Cameron. "All set." She said, smiling up at him.

"Alright then. Let's get on the road."

He followed her out of the room as she headed for the stairs.

As they stepped down into the main hallway, Andra headed directly for the kitchen. Cameron followed behind and as the door swung open his nose was filled with the warm smell of cinnamon and apples. Denise stood with her back to them as they entered. She was elbow-deep in the white frothy suds that filled her kitchen sink. As the door swung shut behind them she turned with a smile and began drying her hands on a nearby dish towel. "Well hello, you two. Done so soon?"

"Sort of," Andra answered. "Cameron and I are going out for a bit if that's ok?" 

"Yeah, I guess that's alright," Denise replied, laying the towel down by the sink and washing her hands. "Will you two be back in time for dinner?"

Andra glanced back at Cameron. "If dinner is what I smell," he said, "then I will personally make sure we're back in time."

Denise laughed and waved a hand at him. "That smell is dessert. We're having chicken and dressing for supper and it should be ready around six. Where are you two headed anyway?"

"I've stumbled onto an interesting ghost story I want to post," Andra said immediately. "Cameron has a friend whose grandad can tell us a little more about it so we're going out to talk to him."

Denise shivered. "I'll never understand your interest in all things morbid. I guess you can go though. Just make sure you check-in and, Cameron, if you would please leave me your cell number just in case something comes up."

"Mom!" Andra groaned. "I have my phone with me."

"Of course you do," Denise replied. "But humor me, you never know when something might happen and I'd like to be able to get in touch with you."

Andra rolled her eyes but relented as Cameron rattled off his number. Denise saved it into her contacts before slipping her cell into the back pocket of her jeans.

"Alright, you guys have a good time, and remember, dinner will be on the table at 6."

"We will. Love you, mom." Andra said, grabbing Cameron's hand and dragging him toward the door.

He had just enough time to wave a quick goodbye before he was pulled into the hallway.

"What's the hurry?" Cameron asked, laughing as she practically bounced down the front steps of the house.

"We need to get out of here before she decides to start asking for references and social security numbers," Andra said sarcastically.

Cameron laughed as he opened the passenger door for her and she slid inside.

Thirty minutes later, after stopping and getting burgers and fries for the road, they were headed out of town.

Cameron caught himself stealing glances at her as they drove. She had slipped out of her strappy sandals and was now sitting barefoot and cross-legged in the passenger seat. The sun coming through the windshield fell on her bowed head turning her red hair into a halo of flame as she pored over the contents of the file folder spread out on one denim-clad leg.

She absentmindedly plucked a fry from the grease-stained container balanced precariously on the console between them while flipping quickly through several pages muttering to herself.

"So what are you thinking, boss?" he asked her, gesturing in the direction of the papers she held in her lap.

"To be honest," she said, nibbling at the end of her fry "I'm not sure. I've been over it a hundred times today. I don't know what it is but something just doesn't feel right about any of this."

"Ok." He replied. "Tell me what you have and we'll talk it out."

She nodded, taking a sip of her chocolate shake, and then reshuffled her papers. "Ok, well, this says the acting sheriff on the case at the time was Connie Ramirez. I'm assuming that's who we're talking to today?

Cameron nodded. "Yeah. I don't remember how it came up but Mark mentioned ages ago that his grandad had worked that case. I just asked him about it and he said he'd give him a call. This case is the reason he moved. Mark says he'll talk about it to practically anyone who will listen."

Andra nodded. "That's good because you and I have both seen the pictures. Something was going on with her well before her dad died. According to the papers, she went to the party with Greg the Friday night before she died but she didn't leave with him."

"Wait. What? Who did she leave with then?" Cameron asked curiously.

"I wondered that too," Andra replied. "All it says is that she left with an unnamed friend."

"Alright, we'll come back to that. What else does it say?" He asked.

"The rest is pretty much what you've already told me," She said, matter of factly. "Savannah came home to an empty house. Pretty much every single news article says her mom was out of town on a business trip. The evidence points to the fact that she probably fell within a few hours of returning home. The coroner's report however states that the actual time of death was sometime Sunday."

Cameron grimaced and a shiver ran down his spine. That was the part of the story he had always hated the most and secretly, he had hoped it was an exaggeration. He couldn't imagine what that would have been like lying there for hours on end waiting for help that would never come. He didn't know Savannah, but at that moment his heart broke for her.

"That poor girl." He said shaking his head in disbelief.

Andra nodded in agreement. "I can't even imagine. I just keep thinking how scared and alone she must have felt." She said, gnawing at her lower lip.

Cameron saw the stress on her face and that nagging feeling returned. He was concerned that she was too involved. It was definitely taking a toll on her but he knew better than to think she would consider letting it go.

"Do you realize," she said looking up at him suddenly, "that we are a week away from the anniversary of her death?"

"No. I didn't even look at the date." He said honestly.

"Cameron, that's when we should go to the house. We should be there for the anniversary."

"You realize that doesn't give us a lot of time to get all this together?" He asked.

"I know, but you have to admit the timing couldn't be more perfect. If something is going on in that house, and I think there is, that would be the best time."

"I know you're probably right." He told her. "It just seems like we're rushing it some."

"Well, it's not that big a deal." She told him but he could see by the look on her face that she wasn't being completely honest.

"Let's do this." She said, fumbling anxiously with the folder in her lap. "We'll see what the sheriff tells us about Savannah's case and then we'll decide what to do from there. He should be able to shed some light on everything the papers aren't saying."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Cameron replied, glancing at Andra as they pulled off on a long dirt drive. "I just hope you know what you're going to ask him because we're here."