“Thank you for seeing me today on such short notice,” Detective Pederssen says politely. In a rural area outside of town, Eric takes a seat at the table in a farmhouse kitchen that’s laid out with coffee cups and homemade brownies. Outside the window, fields of corn wave in a strong breeze. A middle-aged couple, both tall and rangy, stands together at the door. A boy and a girl, close in age, around four and five, sneak looks at the strange man from a hallway behind the kitchen.
Opening the screen door, Brian Wallet calls to his young children, telling them to go out and play. Without a peep, they skip outside.
“Well behaved,” Eric remarks.
“We do our best,” the woman replies with a small smile, picking up the coffee pot to pour them each a cup. “Help yourself to cream and sugar. So, wh
