I studied the porch, the potted ferns to the side of the front door. Nothing stood out as unusual. Both looked to be in need of water, but that was normal for Debbie to leave her plants begging for a drink. She said God would take care of the outdoor ones but when they died it was still His fault. What she didn’t realize is sometimes even God appreciates a little help. I looked inside the front window. Everything seemed mostly the same as it had when I left three days ago. Debbie’s magazines were spread on the square glass coffee table and the television remote sat on top of them. Debbie had watched TV at some point since I had left. A car door slammed behind me. I jumped and pivoted around. “Sorry agent I never meant to scare you.” An officer, who I guessed to be in his mid-forties, came around from the driver side of a cruiser. His hair was crop-cut which told me he was trying to hold onto his youth. Another officer, who came from the passenger side stood beside him. He was younger than the driver by at least twenty years, and likely a rookie.
