Dennis Murphy

You think an intruder would have grabbed it?

You would think so.

So Carter set out to follow the most promising lead he had.

Who was this woman, Deanna, the text messenger who wondered if Keith had made it home okay?

He had described her as a guy friend.

Carter had called ahead to the authorities in the Indiana town where Deanna lived.

They'd arranged to bring the woman down to an interview room.

She was waiting.

Deanna was about to tell the detective a story that would dramatically reshape his investigation.

Is she a guy friend?

No, it was more than that.

Deanna shared the same story with us.

Deanna says she and Keith first met years earlier at a vendor fair.

She was the CFO of an IT company.

Keith, the road warrior lawnmower salesman, had a booth there.

She says he asked her to dinner.

They quickly discovered how much they had in common.

After several dates, Deanna says, Keith expressed interest in a relationship.

But she wanted to keep it just friends.

They stayed in touch but didn't see each other for a while.