Page 51 of Girl Lost
“Or blackmail,” Corbin added. “If it’s organ harvesting, they could be holding on to evidence to use against someone. A way to tip the scales if they ever needed to.”
That made the most sense. If this was just about disposal, the swamp would’ve swallowed the evidence whole. But burying them? That meant control. Leverage. Someone in the chain wasn’t just making money off stolen organs, they were keeping receipts.
Luna’s phone screen lit her face as she swiped. “Oh, great. Themedia’s already reporting this. They’ve just told the whole world about the bodies.”
“That was fast.” A little too fast. He gripped the steering wheel tighter. “Let’s get Tori on board. If this is a serial offender targeting young girls like Carlie, we need to cross-reference with any similar missing persons cases in the area. Vulnerable teenagers, runaways ... they make easy targets and could be in danger.”
His phone rang through the car’s infotainment center. He glanced at the center screen where Harlee’s name displayed across the top. He tapped the button to answer. “Hey, Har. I’ve got you on speaker with Luna here.”
“Yeah, okay. I need to talk to you.” Something in the way she said it cut through the noise in his head. Harlee didn’t rattle easy.
“What’s wrong?” He tightened his grip on the steering wheel. “What’s going on?”
“I saw the news, then Tori filled me in. Is it true? You found Carlie ... and others?”
Tori already knew. Sounded like the Behavioral Investigative Unit had been briefed on the details of the case, the victims, the potential scope. But he wasn’t sure why Harlee sounded so upset.
“Harlee, I appreciate your concern, but this isn’t really an ATF case. We’re not even sure what we’re dealing with. Human trafficking. Organ harvesting.” Or worse. A killer who murdered for enjoyment.
“Yeah, I know. That’s why I’m so worried. Trinity Brown, one of our students.” She drew in a breath loud enough for him to hear it. “Corbin ... she’s missing.”
18
LUNA’S HEART HAMMEREDagainst her ribs. That hint of panic in Harlee’s voice meant they were thinking the same thing.
Trinity. Missing. Just like Carlie.
And the other girls.
The ones they’d found in shallow graves.
But Liv had said Trinity ran. Repeatedly. Disappeared until Stryker found her and dragged her back. Liv thought she was still using, and Jordan pretty much confirmed it. So was she running now? Or had someone taken her?
“Harlee, are you sure Trinity is missing?” Luna was still on thin ice with her friend, and throwing doubt hadn’t gone over too well last time. “Liv said she runs off sometimes.”
Silence hummed through the phone for a beat. “Since when do you talk to Liv?”
Luna shifted. “I met her when I took a shower at the gym yesterday.”
Corbin jumped in. “We questioned some teens earlier, and they said they knew Trinity. One called her a pillbilly.”
Harlee’s sigh rattled the car speakers. “Okay, yeah. Running’s herspecialty. Oxy’s got ahold of her. Started after her heart transplant surgery.”
“Heart transplant?” Her mouth went dry. Her daughter, if Trinity really was her daughter, had been close to death. While Luna had been overseas, oblivious, her child’s heart had been failing. She’d needed a new one cut into her chest. The thought made Luna’s own heart constrict.
“That’s serious.” She fought to keep her tone neutral when every maternal instinct she’d been suppressing all these years roared to life. She gripped the door handle to steady herself, grateful Corbin was focused on the road. “What happened?”
“Yeah,” Harlee said. “From what little I know, she had cardiomyopathy from some virus. Happened before her parents died.”
Her parents. Not Luna. Not Corbin. Someone else had been there while their daughter fought for her life. Someone else had held her hand through the terror and pain.
“That’s awful, but why didn’t Stryker kick her out of the program?” Corbin asked. “He has a zero-tolerance policy for drug use.”
Luna stilled herself, waiting for the answer. She’d been asking herself the same thing, and if Harlee even hinted that Trinity might be their daughter, she’d be dropping the biggest bombshell since ... Her mind flicked to the explosion in Peshawar, but she shut it down and focused on Harlee.
“Honestly? They knew each other before the program,” Harlee said. “Stryker was friends with her father, a Miami detective. After her parents were killed by a drunk driver, she bounced around foster care. Started getting into trouble. Stryker felt responsible for her. That’s why he’s always chasing after her, bringing her back. Not to mention letting her push the boundaries and bend the rules when she’s here.”
It was true that Stryker had a soft spot for the lost and broken. But this ... this felt different. Like there was something more.
