Page 70 of Girl Lost
“All right,” he said, clapping his hands together. “Jett, we need you to set up a secure database for all our evidence and leads. Something we can all access but that’s protected from outside eyes.”
Jett nodded, his fingers already flying over the keys. “On it. I’ve got some ideas for an encrypted system that should do the trick.”
“Good. Tori, I want you to start building profiles on our victims. Look for patterns, commonalities. Anything that might help us understand why these particular girls were targeted.”
Tori pulled out a notebook and jotted down notes. “All right, I’ll need all the information we got on the victims so far.”
“You’ll have it,” Corbin assured her. “Blade, I need you to start reaching out to your contacts in local law enforcement. See if there are any similar cases we might have missed. And Harlee, I need you to dig deeper into Trinity’s background. Her friends, her habits, anywhere she might have gone.”
Luna found her gaze drawn to Corbin. He was in his element, coordinating the team, piecing together the puzzle. It was a side of him she’d never really seen before, and she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of regret for all the years they’d lost.
“What about you two?” Jett asked, looking up from his laptop. “Where do you fit in all this?”
“Our first step needs to be getting Trinity’s medical records,” she said.
Jett’s eyebrows rose. “That could be tricky. Patient confidentiality laws are pretty strict.”
“I know, but hear me out.” Luna met each of their gazes in turn. Wanting her records wasn’t entirely selfish. “If we can prove that Trinity’s new heart came from one of the missing girls, we’ll have solid evidence the Chiron BioInnovation Center is buying organs on the black market. Probable cause to investigate the clinic. And maybe, just maybe, find Stryker.”
Corbin nodded. “She’s right. It could be a concrete link between the organ harvesting and a specific recipient.”
“Where are her parents?” Blade asked.
“Foster kid,” Tori said. “Parents died in a car crash. She started running with the wrong crowd, partying, shoplifting, the usual. Stryker knew her parents and brought her into the program to avoid juvie.”
“He saved her, just like he saved us,” Luna said.
Harlee snapped her eyes to Luna. “Speak for yourself. I never needed saving.”
“Of course not,” she said. “My mistake.”
Jett gave Harlee a reprimanding look then turned to Corbin. “Don’t we have medical records here?”
“Harlee already pulled her file,” Tori said. “But it’s basic. Name, address, allergies, you know, the stuff the kids fill out on intake.”
“We should have a release form around here somewhere ... yeah. Here it is.” Harlee clicked her mouse.
The printer behind Tori beeped and buzzed. She plucked the paper from the tray. “This grants guardianship to Stryker. So legally, he has access to her medical records.”
“Which is a problem because he’s been kidnapped,” Jett said.
Blade took the paper. “She’s a missing person with a serious medical condition. Should be enough for a warrant.”
“Okay, we’ll need her entire medical history, surgical reports, post-op care instructions. Anything we can get from the Chiron BioInnovation Center.” Corbin sounded excited now. “Luna andI will go.” Corbin looked at her. “She’s proved herself to be rather ... persuasive.”
He didn’t know the half of it.
“Can I see that?” She gestured to the release, and Blade passed it to her.
Luna leaned against the wall, her arms crossed, trying to project an air of calm she didn’t feel. She scanned the form. The usual legal jargon. Stryker’s signature. And there, near the bottom, Trinity’s full name and date of birth.
May 3.
Her heart sank. A cold knot tightened in her chest. It wasn’t her. It couldn’t be her. Right year but wrong birthday. Her daughter was born March 5. The date was etched into her like a jagged scar on her soul.
She handed the form back to Blade and forced a stiff smile. “Looks official enough.” What a stupid thing to hope for.
But Stryker still needed her. Trinity too. Her mind raced through the information they’d gathered, the connections they’d begun to make.
