Page 19 of Sutton's Shadow

And that was one reason Wyatt worked to test drones and develop other tech devices. Searching an unstable building was dangerous work. Using a drone with a built-in camera to search the area could be the difference between life and death. The images would allow the team to formulate a safe plan to help the victim. The team would know where the weak points of the structure were and what sections would need to be reinforced.

The Center for Robot-Assisted Search and Rescue, CRASAR had been researching and developing technology for several years, working on human-robot teams for both unmanned aerial vehicles, UAVs or drones, as well as unmanned ground vehicles, UGVs. He’d love to get his hands on one of those UGV devices.

Graham was working hard at raising the funds to purchase several FINDER devices. The Finding Individuals for Disaster and Emergency Response technology could detect survivors’ heartbeats and breathing under layers of rubble. The devices had been successfully deployed around the world—including Puerto Rico, after hurricane Maria.

The future of urban search and rescue looked to be high tech, and Wyatt hoped the Nighthawks would someday be on the cutting edge of that tech.

He spent a lot of his free time tinkering, creating devices of his own. He’d loved taking things apart to discover how they worked when he was younger. His grandmother had often lamented the fate of their electronic devices, but he’d always put them back together perfectly, if not better. The latest incarnation of his current creation was ready to be tested, and he hoped this time he’d gotten the design right.

But for now, they mixed old-fashioned search and rescue skills with high tech.

Jude Riker, a former Delta, was one of the best tracking and sign cutting instructors Nighthawk had. Emma Watterson was the best climbing instructor. Logan Cain, a former SEAL, was their water rescue expert. And Wyatt, of course, taught the tech skills. The Nighthawks trained others in SAR techniques and also took part in many rescue missions throughout the years. As their notoriety grew, so did the demand for their help. Therefore, keeping up with their own skills and exercise programs was beneficial. The Nighthawks never knew when they would be called upon to help.

But at the moment, thoughts of his sister consumed Wyatt’s focus. Yesterday had been eye-opening but had done nothing to bring him closer to finding Bethany. He sighed and ran a frustrated hand over his sweat-coated brow before answering. “We searched most of the houses on Ian’s list. No one had heard anything about Bethany. A few of them gave us some other names to add to the list. Ian’s covering those today.”

“Jesus, I’m sorry, Tin Man,” Graham said, replacing the barbell he’d been using back on the rack.

“Yeah, man. I wish there was more we could do,” Atticus “Finch” Mobey said as he pushed a button on the treadmill he’d been using to slow it down. Finch was their helicopter pilot whose eagle eyes had been instrumental in many of the searches they’d done from the air.

“So no leads?” Logan asked.

“Not where Bethany is concerned.”

“What about that lawyer you mentioned? Was she able to help?”

“Dylan Solis. She’s a spitfire. Went toe to toe with Dodd without flinching.”

“That man is an ass,” Graham muttered. The Nighthawks had tried to work diplomatically with Dodd on several occasions, only to be met with animosity.

“You have no idea,” Wyatt muttered. “Turns out our illustrious sheriff has been hiding things. Dylan hit him with the names of several girls who’ve gone missing over the last year. All from his county. Dodd claims they’re all runaways. But the fucked-up part is that his deputies had never heard of the girls.”

Several curses rang throughout the room. Wyatt had to agree with the sentiments. “Yeah, Ian was livid. So many missing girls, and no one had ever heard of them.”

“Fuck. Human trafficking?” Evan Cole, a former Chicago police officer, asked.

“I’ve heard trafficking in Michigan has been a growing problem. Especially up north. Easy access to Canada,” Logan reported.

“Fuck.” Thoughts of Bethany being stolen across the border consumed him. If traffickers had kidnapped her and they got her to Canada, he’d never see her again.

Graham’s hand landed on his shoulder. “I’m sure that’s not what’s happening with Bethany. She’s safe, and as soon as they can either get a hold of her caseworker or restore their records, we’ll know for sure.”

“Yeah, I know,” Wyatt replied, not really believing it. If it turned out traffickers were working in Michigan and had stolen his sister, he would burn their organization to the ground. And looking around at the other men in the gym, he knew each and every one of them would add their own match to the inferno.

“Always knew Dodd was no good,” Jude stated.

“Let’s not jump to conclusions,” Graham, ever the voice of reason, said. “We don’t know for sure what any of this means. We need more information.”

“Dylan promised to see what else she could dig up,” Wyatt conveyed. “Between her and Ian, we should know more soon.”

“What about Sutton? Didn’t she used to be some sort of investigative reporter?” Finch asked.

“She was a photojournalist. She took pictures. Occasionally she’d uncover some sordid story through her photographs, but that was it. She could be pretty reckless when it came down to chasing the perfect photograph when I worked with her years ago.”

“You worked with her?”

“Protection detail. It was interesting trying to keep her out of trouble. She was a daredevil.”

“Aren’t we all?” Finch teased with a wink.

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