Page 29 of Forgotten Girls

“Good. I’ve seen some amazing results, but it takes time. Weeks usually.” Jo reached for her phone.

Beth shook her head. “Then it’s a waste of Wolfe’s time. We don’t have weeks to stop this monster.”

“Okay, then in the meantime, I’ll try and convince Jenna to ask Ginny some delicate questions.” Jo smiled. “I’m sure she’ll at least be able to give a description of him.”

Nodding, Beth frowned. “Okay, stress how important it is that we get the information.”

“Jenna is very good at her job.” Jo frowned. “She’ll get the information.”

Beth pulled her hair into a ponytail and secured it with a band from her wrist. “That’s good to know. When you speak to Wolfe, ask him to send the father’s DNA profile to Kalo. He’s exploring DNA databases for siblings from Shoebridge and when and where they were adopted.”

“We are on the edge of a breakthrough.” Carter grinned. “We make a great team. I’m looking forward to trapping this monster.”

“He likely won’t talk if you corner him.” Jo pushed hair from her face and sighed. “He’s smart. You’ll need to find another way.”

“If he shows to the adoption meeting, then we can follow him.” Styles nodded slowly. “We’re planning on breaking the rules, so placing a tracker on his vehicle won’t make a whole lot of difference.” He leaned back in his chair and yawned. “I guess we’ll all go down together?”

“Maybe.” Carter tossed a toothpick into his mouth and grinned like a wolf. “If we do, a team like us would make a mighty fine detective agency. I figure we’d head for the big city and charge the big bucks.”

Astonished, Beth looked from one to the other. “I figure if we crack this case, the director will be so happy he’ll overlook everything. We’ll make him look good.” Suddenly exhausted, she rested one hip on the edge of Styles’ desk. “I’m beat. I’ve gone as far as I can right now. Once Jo has called Sheriff Alton, can we call it a day?”

“Fine by me.” Styles stood and collected the coffee cups. He took them to the sink and rinsed them.

Beth went back to her computer and backed out of the system, not leaving a trace of her presence. She pushed the thumb drive into her purse. She’d work on the encrypted files in her apartment later. In the background she could hear Jo speaking on the phone. She turned and looked at her. “How did it go?”

“Good. Jenna will go and see Ginny now and Wolfe will run the tests.” Jo stood and stretched. “Now we can do nothing but wait.”

“Okay, so let’s eat. I hear TJ’s does a fine rib eye.” Carter stood and reached for his jacket.

“He sure does.” Styles wiped his hands dry and strolled back to his desk. He pushed his hat on his head and whistled for Bear. He looked at Beth. “We’ll walk to TJ’s with the dogs. Why don’t you drive with Jo? It’s freezing outside.”

Beth looked from one to the other. “If you’re planning on walking anywhere, there may be a sniper out there. Wear your liquid Kevlar vests just in case.”

“Sure.” Styles smiled. “But I figure they won’t try that in town again.” He patted his pockets for his keys. “You can take my truck if you want.”

Keeping a pleasant expression on her face, Beth met his gaze. Getting close up and personal with Jo concerned her. Although a very nice woman, Jo always gave Beth the impression she was dissecting her. It unnerved her and she needed to always be on her guard around her. Keeping her distance and not becoming BFFs with her had worked fine so far. “We’ll take my truck.” She looked at Jo. “Are you ready to leave or do you want time to freshen up?”

“I’m fine.” Jo smiled at her. “It will be good to have time for some girl talk.”

Heart sinking, Beth took her coat from the peg by the door and pulled it on, followed by her hat and gloves. The last thing she wanted was her mind probed by Jo. She’d need to keep the conversation on Jo and not her. Taking a deep breath, Beth turned to her. “I’d love to know more about your little girl. Jaime, isn’t it?”

“Yes, she’s doing well at school.” Jo smiled. “But I want to know more about you, Beth. I’m interested in how you cope with having a serial killer as a father. I get to interview the perpetrators but never the families. How it affects your relationships would be a fascinating subject.”

Beth looked away, trying to smother the rising panic and forced a smile. “When I have a relationship, you’ll be the first to know.”

“You seem to get on well with Styles.” Jo wasn’t giving up.

A cold shiver of trepidation crawled up Beth’s spine as she took the keys from her desk drawer and straightened. “He’s my superior, so that’s a given.” She gave Styles a wave. “See you in ten.”

THIRTY-FOUR

Rainbow

Footsteps came from outside along with the sound of someone crying. Terrified, Shiloh slid from the sofa and backed into the corner of the room staring at the doorknob as the lock turned and the door creaked open. Evan filled the doorframe, but a cold breeze still leaked in from around his body. The smell of mountain air and pine trees filled the room with an icy chill. She stared at him too afraid to speak and peered at the girl he was holding by the neck.

“This is Callie Davidson. She’ll be sharing your room for a time.” Evan grinned at her. “Doc has brought along another box of clothes for y’all.” He pushed the girl into the bedroom. “I’ve explained how to use the washer and dryer down here, I want to see clean sheets on the bed. If you walk around in dirty clothes with your hair filthy, you will be punished. Do you understand, Shiloh?”

Nodding, Shiloh dropped her gaze to the floor. Speaking and following directions was part of the rules if she planned on eating and drinking. She raised her chin and looked at him. “I understand. Thank you for the clothes. I’ll change the sheets on the bed right away.”

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