Det. John Cristofuoro sat in the corner booth in a small diner across the street form his motel in Coff’s Harbor. He was listening to a truck driver tell him about a hitchhiker he had picked up a few months back. Since arriving in Australia, he had heard several similar stories. Each lead had been followed carefully, each evaporated like the morning mist once the sun came up.

He was tired of chasing leads that turned up nothing. Tired of eating diner food and drinking a seemingly endless stream of coffee while waiting. Waiting… for a good lead, for the case to end, to go… home. He tried to focus on what the trucker was saying; making notes as details presented themselves. Slowly, the details seemed to start clicking into place this could be the one lead that leads somewhere.

Looking at the man before him, Cristofuoro realized this guy had actually seen Jaime/Susan. “Finally a break…” he muttered half to himself and half aloud as if that would somehow make the trail easier to follow. After writing down the driver’s contact information and paying for the coffee he headed towards the Coff’s Harbour Police Station.

Since arriving in Australia the Police had cooperated with him. The catch… he had to report new leads to them before acting on them. The Coff’s Harbour Police had an open file on Susan Weakland it was considered “courtesy” for him to share his leads…plus they kept reminding him that he too was a tourist and they had the right to revoke his Visa, effectively ending his investigation.