Tory, refreshed from her shower, dressed casually in light colored slacks, a button-front shirt, and a light jacket. She kissed her mom good-bye, grabbed her camera, and went out the door. She backed her mother's car out of the driveway and started down the steep and winding road into the small town of Hickoryville nearby, population approximately fifteen thousand on a good day.

She looked at the surrounding green and lush, kudsu-covered landscape along the way, noticing two ...