Note: I have no idea how the news works and I don't know much about police reports or anything like that so this prologue might sound strange but for now please just bear with me for the moment. And I know it's slow at first guys but please bear with me again. If you have any suggestions or perhaps knowledge of anything similar to this please don't hesitant to tell me. Thank you.

Prologue

Edgefield News

July 3, 2004

Edgefield, S.C.-News about Sarah Livingston's whereabouts are still a mystery to the local police department. Ms. Livingston was reported missing on July 2, 2004 and is still among the missing people. A bank teller at Regions in town, 26 year old, Sarah lives at 213 Apple Drive. If you have any news of her whereabouts please inform the local sheriff immediately. As of now, Sheriff Pitts has informed us that he has the entire department working on the case.

July 5,2004

Edgefield, S.C.-The whereabouts of Sarah Livingston are still a mystery but earlier Sheriff Pitts informed us that another missing person's case has developed. David Poole was reported missing yesterday after he did not return home after a fireworks viewing in Augusta. Mr. Poole, 27, is the local produce stand owner. If you have any information on Mr. Poole's whereabouts please inform Sheriff Poole as soon as possible.
"I want to reassure the people of Edgefield County that we are doing all in our power to bring Ms. Livingston and Mr. Poole home safe and sound," Sheriff Pitts informed the paper at a recent interview. "And I would like to tell the families that there is nothing to worry about; I will have them back to you in no time. I have already doubled my departments efforts and we are going past the call of duty to figure out where these two young people are."
We will follow this case in further events and do all in our power here at the Citizen News to aid the police department with their search.

July 8, 2004

Edgefield, S.C.-Reports came in on July 7, 2004 that Debra Smith has now been admitted to the missing person's case. The whereabouts of both Ms. Livingston and Mr. Poole are still a mystery to the local police department but we were informed today that the department of Plum Branch has joined the investigation of these three missing peoples. Debra Smith, 36, a teacher at Walter High School and mother of two has been reported missing when she didn't return from a session of summer school on the 7th of July.
Another recent interview with Sheriff Pitts provided more information about the events of the recent case. "I appreciate the help that the Plum Branch Department has sent us and I hope that this will quicken our pace to finding this three missing people. I have tripled my department's recent events and now with the help of Plum Branch's department, we plan to sweep a wider area then was at first suspected. I have called for the help of a specialist from Atlanta that will fly down and help in the investigation. He came higher recommended and I hope that his help with quicken our speed.

"As of now we have very little evidence of the suspect in this case but I assure all the citizens of Edgefield County that wherever this evidence will be on top of it in minutes. I don't want to have the reports of more missing people on our hands. I cannot tell you if these three people are linked in some way or even if the same person is behind anyone is at all. For now everything else is classified, I'm sorry."
We will continue our updates of this case and the events within in. But Sheriff Pitts seemed confident that this specialist would come in handy and shed some light on the problems at hand. This is perhaps the biggest case that Edgefield County has heard in that past ten years. If you have further information please inform either the Edgefield or Plum Branch offices.

One

Scott Edenfield picked up the small glass of wine sitting on his writing desk and paced to the wall of window on the fifty-second floor of the Westin hotel in Atlanta. He didn't even want to be there but he had no choice. He was to attend and speak at a conference in just a short while that would take place in the main conference room of the hotel and even though he lived in Atlanta the department decided to give him a treat. They had paid for his room and everything in it so he wasn't going to give up the chance to stay here for free.
Gently sipping at the white wine, Scott turned his blue eyed gaze to the phone as it began to ring loudly. "Hello?" He said as he lifted the receiver in his free hand. Already dressed in his best black suit and with his black hair combed, he was ready to have the conference behind him.
"Mr. Edenfield?" A deep voice from the other end asked. "Detective Edenfield? I asked the desk clerk to patch me through to your room and I hope I have the right one?"
Scott heard the question in the deep voice and answered, "Yeah, I'm Detective Edenfield. May I help you in some way?" Gulping down the rest of the wine, he placed the empty glass aside and picked up the phone. "If this is about my speech tonight, I'm sorry but I'm not going to change it." He walked to the large window again and looked out at the late evening sky which he found beautiful with its constantly changing colors from light to dark. It was much like the cloaked faces that he saw on every case that he worked. The faces of killers and psychos. And it was steady with every case that none knew what to believe anymore; they had too many different personalities constantly roaming inside their heads.
"Hello?" The deep voice asked curiously. "Are you still there detective?"
Scott was pulled back into reality and nodded with a hand going to his head. "Yeah, I'm still here. Sorry I was just thinking."
"I'm afraid I know nothing about your speech detective," the voice said with a laugh, "but I do know that you're going to have to miss that speech tonight."
Scott recoiled in disbelief. "Listen, I don't know who you are but I have to speak at that conference tonight. I wrote that speech for a week and now you don't want me to speak tonight? No, not after I did so much to get this far. I'm afraid that you'll have to talk to someone else about this."
"Detective, this is Sheriff Anthony Pitts with the Edgefield police department," the voice continued as if Scott hadn't spoken. "Now I've already talked with the conference director and he will inform them that you couldn't make it. I have a car waiting downstairs for you and you will be in the car in the next half hour. Get your things packed detective. I will expect you here in Edgefield tomorrow afternoon. A plane is waiting for you as well. Call the department tomorrow to notify where you're staying and I'll send someone to pick you up. My number is (803) 637-4598. I'll be waiting for the call."
"But." Scott couldn't find his voice no matter how hard he tried. He was speechless and utter confused beyond belief. "But." But he did find a pen and wrote the number down.
"Detective don't give yourself a headache," Sheriff Pitts told him with another laugh. "I will speak to you when you arrive. I have much to tell you. I know I've kept you in the dark for now but the blinds will be pulled back tomorrow when you arrive and you will be told everything." He fell silent for a moment as Scott ran a hand through his hair, still watching the horizon in disbelief. "You come highly recommended detective. I assume you won't let us down, will you?"
Scott was silent for a moment as well still trying to process everything that had been said to him. " of course I won't let you down sheriff. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Good," Sheriff Pitts replied with an amused voice. "See you then detective. And Mr. Edenfield?" Scott closed his eyes and turned to face his room. "Sleep well tonight. Tomorrow is going to be a big day. For all of us. Good bye."
Scott sighed deeply and opened his eyes again. "Good bye sheriff." Hanging the receiver up and replacing the phone on the table, Scott picked up the empty glass and poured himself another glass. "No need to hold back now." He pulled the speech from his inside pocket and stared at it as he rubbed his face in disappointment. "Life's never dull is it? So much for this." Crumbling the paper, he tossed it at the window and watched it fall to the white carpet pitifully.
Scott had his small black bag of things packed in a matter of minutes and still in his best black suit, he grabbed the room key, left the room, and checked out of the hotel at the front desk with a frown of disappointment on his face.
Stepping out onto the sidewalk with his bag in hand, Scott watched as a man approached him with a hat pulled low. "You Detective Edenfield." Scott nodded. "Come on, this way. I'll be the driver for your car. It's this way." As he started down the street, Scott followed with tired eyes.
The car ride to the airport was long and boring. With Atlanta traffic as jammed as usual it took at least two hours. Scott was sure he drifted into a light sleep now and then but he couldn't quite remember. Perhaps the wine had something to do with it? He thought about the conference and then Sheriff Pitts and Edgefield but no matter what, his thoughts quickly wavered back to Edgefield every time.
"So, where you headed?" The man asked while they sat in traffic. Scott looked at him with a stunned, half awake face. "Oh come on, I'm trying to pass the time. I'm just a driver here in the city. I don't know what the affairs of other people are. So, where you headed man?"
Scott sighed and rubbed his chin tiredly. "I'm heading home."