Page 17 of Forged in Secrets

“I hear there’s been potential human trafficking activity going on. Any truth to the rumors?” Ben tried his best to sound friendly, hunching his shoulders a little to remove an inch or two of height. He’d learned over the years that his intimidating physique could be just as harmful as it was helpful, depending on the situation.

Detective Hayles visibly relaxed as he escorted them back into the hall. Good. They would need to stay on local law enforcement’s good side if they wanted to figure out what happened to Katie.

“Unfortunately, you heard right. There have been several cases relating to a ring that’s active both here and in Mexico. Three girls have disappeared in the past six months, God help them. But so far as I can tell, the Fairman girl doesn’t fit the profile. So far, the girls who potentially have been taken were all prostitutes, addicts, or homeless.”

Grace visibly flinched at the man’s brisk tone, but Ben understood where he was coming from. Even a small-town cop like Hayles had no doubt seen evils that Grace could scarcely imagine. Sometimes, the only way to face such darkness was to pretend it didn’t touch you at all.

“We are collaborating with both the FBI and the Mexican authorities to bring those poor women home,” the detective continued. “but I do not have any reason to believe Katie Fairman met the same fate. She has a very different profile of risk factors.”

“Thank you for your time,” Ben said as they reached the reception area, accepting Detective Hayles’s business card. “I’ll make sure to contact you if we find anything relevant.”

As soon as the man retreated into the inner halls of the station, Grace released a loud sigh. “Well, Jade is right about one thing. They’re not taking this seriously at all. Half of the stuff he told us Jade said wasn’t even written on the notes he was reading.”

“Then I guess it’s even more important that we interview her ourselves,” Ben said. “And take notes. I don’t trust her.”

“Me neither,” Grace said, patting down her hair as they emerged into the mid-morning island breeze. “She doesn’t even seem to care that Katie’s gone.”

“So why did she call the police?” Ben mused aloud.

Jade’s attitude and her behavior weren’t lining up. She was acting like a reasonable, concerned friend, but her words revealed something much nastier.

Grace bit her lip as she considered this.

“That’s exactly what I was wondering. Maybe we’re just taking her a little too seriously. Being a jerk doesn’t mean she’s guilty of any wrongdoing.”

“That’s true,” Ben agreed.

They made their way up the sidewalk toward the SUV they’d rented in silence. Even Grace seemed to be lost in her own thoughts.

As they climbed into the sickeningly hot vehicle and clicked on the air conditioning, Ben turned to face her.

“I don’t know how to ask this, but I’ll ask anyway,” he said.

“Ask what?”

Her blue eyes looked so earnest that he felt even moreguilty about what he was going to say, but he had no choice. If they were going to find Katie, he needed to understand more about her, and right now, Grace was the best person to help him do that.

“When’s the last time you spent time with Katie?”

“She and her dad came skiing with my family at our cabin in Aspen when Katie was thirteen,” Grace said after a long moment. For some reason, she was looking out the window at the passing palm trees instead of facing him, as though something about the memory bothered her. “It was about a year after her mom died. She was having a rough time, and she opened up to me more easily than to her dad.”

Ben nodded, feeling terrible for the girl. Losing her mother when she was so young must have been difficult. It had been hard enough for him when his own mother, Mary, had died, and he was twenty-three at the time.

“And have you talked to her much since?”

“Here and there,” Grace said.

She didn’t elaborate, and for a few moments Ben drove in silence, keeping careful watch of where he was going as more and more college kids filled the sidewalks of the small island town.

He tapped his fingers against the steering wheel. He couldn’t let his thoughts go unspoken any longer.

“I guess I just have to wonder what kind of person Katie is today if she’s best friends with someone like Jade.”

He could see Grace’s back stiffening beside him.

“She’s nothing like Jade, Ben,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

“I don’t want to speak ill of a potential victim. But there’s truth to the idea that we are reflected in the company we keep.”

---