Page 41 of Forgotten Girls

“I don’t like wearing them, and I’ll be happy to oblige.” Carter grinned at him as they headed for the door.

As they waited for the takeout, Styles pulled Carter to one side. “How did you cope with Beth? She can be a little over the top at times.”

“Fine.” Carter frowned. “Don’t be too hard on her today. I don’t figure she’s feeling well.”

Rubbing the scar on his chin, Styles frowned. “She looks fine to me, a little flushed maybe, but as normal as Beth can be.”

“Well, you need to make sure she sees Nate.” Carter removed his hat and ran a hand through his hair. “She was squashed by that guy and it might have done some damage. The thing is, Beth is too stubborn to seek help. Has she always been like that?”

Nodding, Styles walked up to the counter to collect the bags. “Yeah, she’s independent.”

“So I see.” Carter picked up the tray of to-go cups of coffee and followed him to the door. “Maybe it’s because she’d never had anyone to care about her before now.” He gave him a sideways glance. “She needs to know she’s a valuable part of a team and we all have each other’s backs. In case you’ve missed it, Beth is lonely and has trust issues. You could make that go away. I figure she’s been hurt bad at one time. Like the rest of us, she’s damaged goods. We need to bring her closer and make her fit, so she’s got a group of friends around her.”

Blowing out a sigh, Styles turned to him. “Trust me, that’s easier said than done.”

FORTY-FIVE

As they waited for Wolfe to arrive to complete a forensic sweep of the scene and remove the body, Beth went to work. Carter had retrieved her laptop from the truck and she’d set up a video link to Kalo. She sent him links to anything interesting and they worked at searching the thousands of pathways the doctor had created on the dark web. With his laptop and her skill to open backdoors, she had one objective and that was to find Shoebridge. She had a hunch he’d have a code name, but which one? There were so many chat rooms, all created for the clients of a monster or the suppliers who moved children and young women around as commodities. In these chat rooms, they discussed topics that made her want to spew. She hurried past, running ideas to link the doctor to the second in command.

“I have something.” Kalo’s voice made her start. “A recurring codename in six different chat rooms, along with Rotcod, or the doctor: T-A-K-A.”

“That sounds like ‘take her.’” Styles stopped pacing and sat down beside her at the small table.

Beth punched the air and moved her fingers swiftly over the keyboard. Excitement thrummed through her as another chat room opened up before her eyes. “I’ve found their private chat room. I just needed that thread.” She grinned at Kalo through the screen. “Man, you are a legend.”

She cracked her knuckles and wiggled her fingers. After reading the messages, she could easily word her message to Shoebridge so he’d never know it wasn’t from the doctor. She looked up from her screen and smiled. “They were going to sell Shoebridge’s new girl, who we believe is Shiloh, and the doctor’s new girl, but I’ll convince him the doctor is sending two replacements. Here we go.” She typed a message. “My phone is out. I forgot to bring the darn charger. I have a delivery. I won’t need your girl after all, or mine. Unless you want either of the new ones I’m sending. Your choice. The problem is I tried to explain where you live but the guy refuses to drive into the forest at night without a GPS coordinate. I’m stuck in Helena doing a deal. I know how to get to your place, but I need an address. You don’t need to worry. He’s one of us. They’ll be delivered first thing Monday morning, but I’ll need the address right away to set things up. We struck gold today. I’ve sold the twins for a fortune and we have an ongoing customer for the foster kids or any others we can obtain. I’ll have the entire crew out searching for potential sales. Message me ASAP.”

She turned to look at the others. “Now we wait. It might take him a time to get back online.”

Twenty minutes dragged by. A knock came on the door. It was Wolfe. Beth stood to stretch her legs and hoped he hadn’t found any of her DNA in the room. “Did you find anything interesting?”

“I’d say he died of a drug overdose.” Wolfe’s gray eyes moved over her face as if searching her mind. “Typical Tarot Killer MO. Small mark on left forearm, likely a needle stick injury. I’ll need to determine what was used to kill him.” He pulled a small bag from his pocket. “I found blonde hairs on the bed. Did you happen to go near the bed at all?”

Beth placed a hand to her mouth. “Oh, I’m sorry. I did toss the bed. I was searching for a laptop and lifted the mattress. I touched the bedding. It was in a mess all twisted up and the laptop was under the bed.”

“Okay.” Wolfe smiled. “I’ll need a couple of your hairs for comparison. We don’t want you blamed for murdering the doctor, do we?”

“It wouldn’t stick anyway.” Carter shrugged. “She wasn’t out of my sight all day and with the three of us, miles from here, before that.”

“That’s good to know.” Wolfe nodded. “But I still need those hairs.” He reached a gloved hand toward her and plucked out a few strands. “Okay, I’m done here. I’ll keep everything under wraps until you hunt down the other suspect. I don’t file my reports until the autopsy and the drug tests are completed, so you’ll have plenty of time to keep it legal.”

Beth walked him to the door. “Thanks. We’ll get this guy soon. I’ve already baited the hook.”

“Good.” Wolfe nodded. “Parents will sleep better knowing predators like Brewer are off the streets.”

A shiver went down Beth’s spine. “This one, yes indeed, but unfortunately, they’re like cockroaches: You’ll never kill them all at once and there’s never just one. Search long enough and you’ll always find a nest.”

FORTY-SIX

Rainbow

Heart pounding, Shiloh followed Callie from the cabin. It was a trial run. They couldn’t risk leaving now in daylight. If Evan hunted them down, the underbrush hadn’t regenerated enough regrowth to hide them. At night would be their best chance, regardless of the risk of wildlife. They’d worried about the cameras seeing them and spent hours searching each room for the tiny peepholes. They’d found them, opposite the bed and in the bathroom. It seemed Evan wasn’t interested in what they did in other parts of the house. This made it easier for them to plan their escape and they’d waited until they heard the sound of a vehicle moving away. Without a clock they had no idea of the time and went on the intervals between meals. Each took turns listening with one ear pressed against the food hatch. The lock on the door had opened without a problem. It seemed that Callie was as experienced in cracking locks as she’d insisted and managed it easily with a bent fork.

Cold wind smacked at Shiloh’s face and flashed across her eyes like needles the moment she stepped outside. The building where Evan kept them was at least warm, as long as they kept the fire going and he left a good supply of wood for them. “Why don’t we offer to take Bonnie with us? She’s trapped here just like we are and it won’t be long before the doctor takes you away. You really don’t want that. He’s a horrible man. I can’t imagine living with him. He stinks of cigars.”

“They both do.” Callie pressed her back to a tree and scanned ahead. “Do you figure Bonnie will tell on us if she sees us?”

Shrugging, Shiloh looked at her. “I don’t know. She doesn’t talk to us at all does she? I don’t know what Evan does to her. Maybe he beats her? She acts like a frightened mouse.”

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