Sometimes I wished I didn’t have a crush on Eli, like when he acted like an overbearing ass.
Just when I hoped—albeit secretly—that his dinner invitation meant he might see me differently, he sweeps in and acts like a dick.
I wanted to scream, because under all my anger at him, I was angrier at myself. From here on out, the lives of all the girls who went missing were on me. I squeezed my hands and released them, trying to shake out some of the tension. “I already have two brothers, I don’t need a third,” I huffed and kept walking. “Glad you gave me extra handcuffs. Now I can leave your ass cuffed somewhere remote where fleas and ticks can infest your damn hot body. Too bad I didn’t get a muzzle as well, you need one of those. Oh, and dinner—”
“I was just going to ask about dinner.”
“Shit.” I turned and faced Eli, who was right behind me. “How long have you been following me?”
“Since you stormed out of my office. I wanted to make sure you got to your car okay.”
“Next time, give a girl a heads-up, why don’t you?”
“Why? It’s much more fun to just listen. So, dinner?”
“Not interested.” I yanked open my car door and slid into my driver’s seat. Before I could slam the door closed, he caught it and held it open.
“Great, I’ll call you and we can set a date.” Eli shut my door before I had time to say anything back. I flipped him off. He threw his head back and laughed. That pissed me off even more.
Chapter 5
Eli
“Why so tense, Grey?” Lehr asked. “We figured out who the mysterious Oman Matim was and where Nazari is. Who would have thought that they were one and the same?”
I drummed my pencil on the conference table. “Are you fucking kidding me? We have a piece of paper that, if what Bridget saw is correct, leads us to believe that he’s collecting and selling women based on looks. We still are no closer to figuring out where to find him or where his next snatch and grab is. A rookie deputy came across all this information. She saw it, and we don’t know if he knows she saw it.” My knees bounced with agitation, and I was chewing the inside of my cheek raw.
“I’m sure she can handle herself. Besides, she knows the risks she takes every day when she gets dressed.”
My hand flexed, my fingers straightened, and the pencil woven in between my fingers cracked. The sound reverberated around the room like a wrangler’s whip. He needed to count his blessings that it wasn’t his neck. I wanted it to be his neck.
“Lehr, why don’t you shut up? Can’t you tell that this is bothering Eli?” Chiu asked.
“Grey, give me your take on the situation,” Perone ordered.
“Sir, I think there is a larger operation going on. Deputy McGuire suggested that they looked like social security numbers, but I think they might be identification numbers.”
“For the girls?” Chiu asked.
“No. I think they are the identification codes for the buyers. We get those, we figure out that key, and we will know where to look for the girls and cut off the money source.”
“If these men are looking for women to fill their inventory, then I’m assuming that these must be the offered rates,” Perone said, pointing to the figures listed after each description. “Keep your ears open. Eli, if your deputy is on his radar, keep tabs on her but don’t shirk your regular responsibilities.”
“Of course not.”
“The address listed on the driver’s license for”—Perone glanced down at my notes—“Abdul Sami Rashid AKA Tavi Yael Nazari AKA Oman Keith Matim, have we checked it out?”
“I’m going to head over there after this,” I answered. “But according to Google Maps, the address doesn’t exist.”
“Amazing what money can buy you nowadays,” Chiu mumbled. “So, I’m assuming he paid off someone in the DMV?”
“That would be the easiest guess, but who knows,” I answered. “We’re missing something, some piece of this fucking puzzle.”
“While you check on the location, we need to coordinate with local law enforcement. We’ve also added three more women to our list of possible missing women connected to this case. Two women disappeared from the State Fair, and one went missing at an outdoor concert. I think we need to have eyes at all of the upcoming events.”
“Earth Day Birthday is the next one,” I informed him.
“Let’s do this,” Perone ordered. “Form a team, you can pull from Tampa, Daytona, and Jacksonville. You have Special Agent Jennifer McNamara, as well as Special Agents Holler and Jameson so utilize them first, if this is homegrown, Special Agent McNamara will be essential. You take lead on this, Grey. Get me a list of the names of the agents you want brought in to assist. Just remember, keep me apprised of everything.”
“Will do, sir.”
Perone left the room, and I turned to Chiu and Lehr. “Who do we want to bring in for this?”
“Why don’t we get the same team together that we had for Sello? They were all willing to put in the hours and do grunt work,” Chiu suggested.
“Good idea, I’ll let Perone know.” Sello was a major event a few years back, and most of the agents who came to help were from Tampa. The man killed his daughter, girlfriend, and several law enforcement officers before sending us on a wild chase. In the end, we caught him. Unfortunately, it seemed like the odds were against us lately, and for every one we took out of commission, two would fill the void.
I reached into my pocket and pulled out the roll of Tums. I was too young for heartburn, but thoughts of Bridget being at the mercy of Nazari . . . it was too much.
I cupped my forehead and let my thumb and index finger massage my temples as the antacid settled my stomach. I was only freaking out because she was my best friend’s little sister. I was worried for her safety, right? That was all, nothing else.
Chapter 6
Bridget
“Sassafrassa, motherfucker, Christ on a cracker.” I beat my fist against my steering wheel, he was lying and I knew it. How dare he take that page from my notebook. Those were my notes and after spending an excruciating two hours in his presence, my head was splitting.
I tossed two Tylenol into my mouth and chugged my water.
I always left Eli’s company feeling more unbalanced than a game of Jenga.
Deciding that I needed to head back to the station and fill my brother in on what had happened, an idea hit me. When I was a kid, I used to do leaf drawings. I would put a leaf under a piece of paper and rub the side of my pencil lead across the page. The imprint of the leaf would come through. Once my friends and I learned that, it turned into a way for us to send secret letters. We would take two pieces of paper, stack them on top of each other, and then write hard enough so that each letter would leave an impression on the page below it. When we were done, we would destroy the letter and only send the bottom blank page. To read it, we’d just have to take our pencil and rub the graphite across the paper, just enough to shade it in. The words would appear in the negative space the graphite didn’t touch. I always thought it was pretty cool.
I pulled into the sheriff’s station, then I raced inside with one thought: find a fucking pencil. Heading down to my brother’s office, I sighed when I saw his door closed. Damn. Heading down the hall to the main area, where several newer detectives shared one gigantic space, I began looking for a pencil. “Doesn’t anyone use fucking pencils anymore?”
“No, we enter everything on the computer, or in black or blue ink for legal documentation.” I jumped to see Eric Alsop walking into the room. “But feel free to look around. Someone might have one.”
“Thanks, Eric.” I waved and then proceeded to move from desk to desk, not touching anything as I scanned the surfaces for a pencil. This area was called the pit, on most days it was sparse, since the deputies were out doing what they do best . . . detective work. Today was no different.
“Ah-ha.” I reached for the yellow fucker on Justin Camfield’s desk. It was sitting flush agai
nst his computer, and when I grabbed it, I saw the corner of a piece of paper that had been jammed under his computer. Curious, I used the eraser side to slide the sheet out a bit more. Something about the page was eerily familiar. The paper looked somewhat tea stained, and the letters appeared to have been typed on a typewriter.
Callum bitched once about a ransom letter written on a typewriter; he said it made his job harder. With a computer, you can’t ever truly erase what you do on it, and printers leave a fine imprint that can tell investigators a lot about the model used.
I’d seen this piece of paper, or one like it, earlier today. My heart raced as I glanced around the room to make sure that no one else was coming and that Eric wasn’t paying attention to me. Then, moving so I could get a good look, I read:
* * *
Red, green, five point, 8343-12-6499-42-04862
Red, green, five point, 2642-65-3544-22-69396
Blonde, blue, V, ten point, 1434-54-3950-95-03922
Brunette, blue, V, ten point, 9343-94-5311-34-94344
* * *
I felt as if I were going to vomit.
Trying to slide the paper back under the computer, I freaked when it wouldn’t go, so I grabbed a latex glove from my utility belt and used it to pick up the paper and hold it as I grabbed my notebook and strode from the pit. I didn’t stop when Eric called out to me, or when the deputy working the front desk told me to have a good afternoon. I didn’t stop for anyone or anything until I was in my car with the doors locked.
Then I freaked the fuck out.
Why in the hell would a detective have this, and it not be in evidence? My mind whirled as I tried to think about what to do next. Should I tell Eli? Tell Callum? Fuck, fuck, fuck. What if I was wrong and Justin had a legitimate reason to have this piece of paper? Who was I kidding? There was no legitimate reason for an officer to have this on his desk.
“Fuck.” I grabbed an evidence bag from my console and slipped the note in to preserve what fingerprints might be on it.
My phone rang and I answered it without taking my eyes off the evidence bag.
“Hello?” Even I could hear the apprehension in my voice.
“Bridget? Everything okay?”
“Yeah, everything is fine, Kat. Whacha need?”
“It’s Wednesday, I just want to see if you need me to pick up anything.”
Wednesday. Tonight was Wednesday. Oh, shit, Wednesday meant everyone was coming to my apartment. I was so friggin’ out of sorts that I’d nearly forgotten.
“Bridget, you still there?” Kat asked, interrupting my thoughts.
“Yeah, I’m here.”
“Do you need me to pick anything up?”
“No. Just come over when you’re ready.” I disconnected without saying goodbye. I’d apologize later.
Starting my engine, I headed across town to my apartment and pulled into my reserved parking spot. Once I was issued a county car, my development gave me a reserved spot upfront. It worked out well, since it gave them the appearance of extra security and let me park right in front of my apartment.
When I grabbed my stuff, the pencil was on my passenger seat and I remembered what had started this whole escapade.
I grabbed it, flipped open my notebook, and lightly shaded the entire sheet. As the letters began to appear, a cold chill rippled across my body. I stared at the page and then at the sheet I’d taken from Justin’s desk. They weren’t the same. So, either they weren’t for the same thing, or they were two different lists of girls entirely. My throat felt tight. If this were another list, a menu of sorts, then that meant even more innocent girls were being hunted, and in a way, my inability to act was putting more and more women at risk.
I tapped my tongue against the roof of my mouth, trying to dry the excess saliva that seemed to be forming. It was the only thing I could do to try to fight back the nausea that seemed to be taking over me.
I wasn’t sure how or exactly when I got out of my car, but I did, and somehow, I made it up to my apartment.
“Bridget, honey, what’s wrong?” Ma asked as I walked in, but I headed straight for my bedroom to change. She followed. “Darling, what happened?” I plopped down on the edge of my bed and stared out my window. The warm security that only my ma could offer engulfed me. “There, there, tell me what has you so worried.”
“I don’t know how to explain it. Da has always told me to trust my instincts, and today, I didn’t. I pulled a guy over. He was everything that makes me nervous, not only as a woman but also as a deputy. Hell, even the FBI is looking for him, but under another name—of course, I didn’t know that when I pulled him over. Still, I got a weird vibe from him. It was right here”—I patted my stomach—“but everything checked out. I had nothing to detain him on, so I had to let him go.”
Ma listened and nodded along, smiling slightly when I spoke about wanting to listen to my gut.
“After, I went and talked to Callum, and he sent me to Eli. I found his photo in their profile cards. It was him, Ma, he’s involved with sex trafficking. He’s bad, I knew it, and I let him go.” I leaned over and rested my head on her shoulder.
“Oh, my wee one, it is a burden you bear. When you put on that uniform, it comes with great responsibility. Sometimes, you win, and sometimes, the criminal wins. The idea is for you to win more than they do.”
“But when he wins, a lot of people lose. He abducts innocent girls.”
Our conversation was cut off by the sound of my front door opening. “The girls are here.”
“You get changed; I’ll go greet them.” Ma got up and swept out of my room.
Dinner was quiet, and I figured everyone could tell something was wrong when I didn’t try to kick my brothers out. But I never expected to be so mentally exhausted from a stop. I had been working as an Orange County sheriff’s deputy for almost a month, and in that time, I’d been kidney punched, had a foot pursuit, rolled up on a car that the driver had committed suicide inside, and now this. Six years as a dispatch officer taking calls hadn’t prepared me as much as I’d thought it had.
“Did you see Eli?” Callum asked.
I nodded.
“What did he have to say?”
“He took my notes and told me that he’s handling it.”
“Did he know anything about it?”
I nodded again. “He did, but he was being a little vague with me.”
“What happened, Bridget?” Da asked.
“I pulled over someone today who is a person of interest for the FBI. It wasn’t in our system, so I had to let him go.”
“We should have better cross-department communication. Stuff like that happens way more than it should,” Da said.
“I know.” What I didn’t say was that it was the guilt eating me up. I should have found something that would have made an arrest possible.
“You look tired, wee one, why don’t we get out of your hair?” Ma stood and gathered her belongings before placing a kiss on my forehead. “Call me, okay?”
I nodded, and even the tiny gesture took a toll on me.
Once my family was gone, I was left in my living room with the four women who had no intention of leaving.
“What’s really going on?” Sadie asked.
I got up and motioned for them to follow me into my bedroom. Harley flung herself across my bed and propped herself up on one elbow. Kat and Piper copped a squat on the floor, and Sadie sat in the small rocking chair in the corner of my room.
I took a seat on the bed and leaned back against my headboard. There was something comforting about having your best friends in the same line of work as you. There were no secrets, and they got where I was coming from because at some point, they’d been there, too.
“Just when you think you’ve seen the worst that human nature can toss at you, you run into someone like you did today.” Kat sighed.
“What I want to know is if Bridget is really going to let Eli handle it.” Piper smirked. “This is us”—she pointed to her
self and then pointed to Sadie, Harley, and Kat—“none of us are exactly the type to sit back and watch.”
“I know, right?” Harley asked.
I held up one finger. “Before we go there, I need to show you all something, there’s more.”
Harley sat up and moved closer to me. “Like how much more?”
“You know how Eli took my notes?” They all nodded. “I was pissed, so I came up with the bright idea of trying to do a graphite smudge. You know, to rub and try to get the imprint to come up?” Sadie moved over and sat at the foot of the bed. “Only, I didn’t have any freaking pencils and had to go look for one.”
“Okay,” Kat whispered.
“When I went to grab it, a piece of paper caught my attention. It was sticking out from under a computer, only a corner was showing, but since I’d seen something similar just hours prior, it really popped, you know?”
“Go on,” Piper said.
“It was another list, only it was different numbers and different descriptions.” I passed the evidence bag with the piece of paper in it around so the girls could get a closer look. When Sadie took it, she held it gingerly between her index finger and thumb, as if it were poisonous or something. I guess in a way it was.
“Whose desk was this on?” Harley’s hands were visibly shaking.
“Justin Camfield.”
“As in fucking smarmy, his-girlfriend-is-way-too-young Justin?” Kat asked.
I nodded.
“Maybe it’s a case the department is working on,” Piper suggested.
I shook my head. “Callum is the lieutenant for that division, when he saw the first note, he said that he’d never seen anything like it before. This is exactly the same type of note, just with different colors and numbers. If this was their case, he would have recognized the pattern, right?”
Sadie nodded.
“Why would a new detective have this anyway? Wouldn’t it be in evidence if it was part of an investigation?” I hoped one of them had a better answer than I did.
Book 'Em Bridget Page 6
