Blood Trail

by C. M. Sutter

  Renz whistled as he ducked his head and looked out the passenger window. “This is it, huh?”

  “According to the address she texted me, yeah.” I chuckled. “Apparently, she knows how to make money.”

  Renz huffed. “I’d probably give the credit to the hubby, but that’s just my opinion.”

  I climbed out with my briefcase in hand. “Is being a chauvinist still a thing?”

  He shrugged as we walked up the paved driveway, past a gold Mercedes sedan, and to the front door. Renz clacked the doorknocker, and we waited.

  I heard what sounded like heels tapping against the floor as the person approached the door. I assumed it would be Diane who would answer. I looked down at my shoes still coated in dust from walking the campground.

  “Damn it.” I leaned over to wipe them just as Renz spoke up.

  “Too late.” He pointed at the doorknob as it turned. “Hurry, stand up.”

  I quickly righted myself and tried to look like an FBI agent—whatever that might be.

  A fortysomething woman with a stylish haircut, wearing false eyelashes, and dressed in what looked like a designer pantsuit pulled open the door, introduced herself, and welcomed us in.

  Diane led us into an enormous family room, where three other people sat on couches opposite each other with a giant redwood coffee table separating them. Introductions were made between us and the other three. Diane’s husband, Mike, stood and shook our hands, as did Laura and Adam Usher.

  Diane shooed the cat off the couch. “Guido, scram. Please, Agents DeLeon and Monroe, have a seat. May I offer you something to drink, sparkling water maybe?”

  “That sounds delicious,” I said. “Thank you.”

  Minutes later and with glasses of sparkling water in front of us, Renz took the lead and asked why the families assumed that Hope and Claire were with the guys.

  Mr. Usher began with what he knew and what he suspected. “For years now, Claire has had a thing for that dirtbag Gary Rhodes. Even when he was in prison, she would send him letters, and you know that teenagers don’t write letters. She’s been a sad sack for five years, but in the last month, it’s been like she’s come back to life—and in my opinion, not in a good way. She’s always thought she was older and more mature than her chronological age.” Adam looked at his wife. “I admit, we’ve created a spoiled, entitled brat, and even though we’ve tried, we can’t backpedal out.”

  “Excuse me, Mr. Usher, but the easiest way to test your daughter is to cut her off—cold turkey. No credit card usage, no ATM withdrawals, and none of her bills paid for her.” I paged through my notes. “Claire is twenty-one years old. She’s been a legal adult for several years, yet you still support her. What college does she go to?”

  He remained silent.

  “Where does she work?”

  Still no answer.

  I looked from Diane to Mike. “And Hope? College, job, what does she do to contribute to her own life?”

  Diane’s attitude changed, and she sniped her response. “She’s our daughter, and we love her, Agent Monroe.”

  “I’m sure you do. Are you going to love her as much when she’s spending life behind bars? How will your neighbors react to that? Even though you’ve handed her everything on a silver platter, you’re strangling her by not allowing her to figure out her own life, make her own mistakes, and suffer her own consequences for her actions. What you’ve done to shape her life may be directly related to the crimes she could be committing.”

  Diane stammered angrily. “You have a right to your professional opinion, but are you a mother, Agent Monroe?”

  “No, I’m not.”

  “Then how on earth would you know what’s in my daughter’s best interest?”

  “Because she’s rebelling against you. Why do you think she and Claire moved to Buffalo? They’re trying to make their own way in life, but in doing so, they’re going down a dangerous path that will lead to prison. The money you’re giving her enables that.”

  “I don’t believe for a minute that Claire went with Gary voluntarily,” Adam said.

  Renz took over. “You’re all aware of where the credit cards have been used. What you didn’t know is that we have Claire on video last week paying for snacks and diesel fuel for a white box truck off I-25 in Glenrock, Wyoming. She was at the counter by herself and didn’t appear to be fearful, nor did she ask anyone to call 911.” Renz turned to Mr. and Mrs. Daniels. “Hope was also spotted paying for diesel fuel but in Schaeferville, South Dakota. She didn’t seem to be under duress either. The girls don’t own white box trucks, do they?”

  The four of them stared at the floor.

  “You need to cut off their access to money immediately. Those girls are likely with Gary and Leon by choice, and even though we’re early in this investigation, the signs point toward the four of them being involved in abducting minors and passing them off to be sold.”

  Mike slammed his fist on the coffee table. “No way! I don’t believe that for a second. Hope wouldn’t do that.”

  “Mr. Daniels, are you aware that Hope has a police record?”

  “What?”

  “She was arrested last year for stealing from a grocery store.”

  “Why? She gets plenty of money from us.”

  “The arresting officer asked her the same thing. Her response was that she did it for a thrill.”

  Diane’s eyes filled with tears, and I stared at her until she looked away.

  “When was the last time any of you spoke to the girls?” Renz asked.

  Diane said she’d talked to Hope on the night of August 15 and not since. Claire’s parents said the same thing.

  “That’s been just over a month now. How often have you been to their duplex?”

  Diane and Laura looked at each other for a few seconds before Laura responded.

  “We’ve gone together four times. The cars are never there, and nobody answers the door.”

  Mike took his turn. “Why can’t you just arrest Gary and Leon and be done with it?”

  “If the girls are with them, they’ll be placed under arrest, too, but we aren’t at that point yet. So, it’s likely the girls have never returned home, but we do have eyewitness accounts of the guys being at their addresses of record. I assume they came home to be at their parole officer appointments, plan the next abduction, and leave shortly after that. Can you access Claire’s and Hope’s credit card and bank accounts right now?” Renz asked.

  They said they could.

  “We need to know what kind of transactions have gone on the credit cards during the last few weeks.”

  We waited as they checked the most recent use.

  Diane spoke up. “Hope hasn’t put anything on her card in over a week, but she has taken cash advances against it.”

  I nodded. “Likely to keep you from seeing what they’re using the cards for. You need to cut off all access to the cards immediately, including cash advances. What about bank debit cards?”

  “They have them too,” Mike said.

  “Freeze them. Living entirely on cash is actually harder than one would think, especially in emergency situations. Many places frown upon accepting cash transactions since it makes theft very tempting to employees.”

  Laura began to cry. “I need to know what Claire is doing. I’d be cutting off all ties to her.”

  “Believe us when we say this will end sooner than you think if they don’t have unlimited access to credit use. They’ll become desperate, take reckless chances, and get caught much faster. Keep in mind, unless the guys are making plenty of money on their own, they’re using your daughters, which basically means they’re using you to fund their criminal enterprise. Are you willing to have that go public?”

  Mike raised both hands as a gesture of defeat. “I’m not going to risk my reputation or career. Hope is cut off as of now. Diane, give me all the bank and credit card information so I can make the calls.”

  Adam jumped on board too and reached out t
o Laura. “We don’t have a choice anymore. If Claire is going down, it’s our fault, but I’m not about to let her take us with her.”

  We’d finally gotten through to them, and both families swore if their daughters reached out to them for anything, they would let us know.

  I gave them my business card after we stood to leave. “Remember, tough love goes a lot farther than being an enabler. No matter what, if they call and plead for money, don’t cave in. This will end a lot faster if you leave everything in our hands.”

  Chapter 12

  “I would have thanked God that we finally made it to your apartment, Leon, but it’s just as bad as this damn car. I’m surprised we didn’t break down between Cheyenne and Rapid City.”

  “Shut up, Hope. Can’t you ever say anything nice? You’re nothing but a spoiled rich bitch.”

  She huffed then went silent. Seconds later, she spoke up again. “That’s it. I’m taking my car and going to Buffalo. At least my duplex is nice.”

  “You aren’t going anywhere. I’m sure your folks have reported you missing by now, and the cops are probably watching your place. If they are, that means they’re looking for your car too. We’ll use the car after I spray-paint it and swap out the plates.”

  Hope grumbled as she followed Leon into his apartment.

  “Come on. I have beer in the fridge, and you can watch TV while I go over our plans for next week. Tomorrow, we’ll go to the store and buy paint for the car.”

  “Where are you going to paint it? You can’t do it in the parking lot.”

  “I’ll do it in the storage garage where the truck and your car are hidden.”

  Hope settled in front of the TV with a beer in hand while Leon studied the map that was supposed to be his and Hope’s route for the next round of abductions. He looked at her from the kitchen table and cursed under his breath. Even though they were considered a couple, Leon had reached his limit with her. He’d never been that keen on reconnecting with her after prison. It was all Gary’s idea, and his ideas could bring in big money or big problems. In Leon’s opinion, they would do better without the girls. He and Gary were strong and fully capable of abducting three to five girls a week easily, plus they wouldn’t have to share the cash with Hope and Claire.

  But if we kick them out, they’ll more than likely go running to their parents and tell them we forced them to come along, and the law will be hot on our asses.

  Leon cracked open his second beer, smoothed out the paper map on the table, and highlighted the route he would take south after picking up the truck from the storage garage in Schaeferville. They would go south through Rapid City and connect with State Highway 79, where they would pass through a dozen small towns, find abduction opportunities, and meet up with Gary and Claire in Glendo, Wyoming. After that, they would continue south until they reached the Denver area, where they would make the drop. Leon had a few days to think things over, and he would be in touch with Gary during that time. If there was a way to change Gary’s mind, Leon would do his best to make that happen.

  Hope had made herself a bowl of popcorn and began watching a reality show. Leon had no interest in joining her, and after polishing off a can of chicken noodle soup and putting the bowl in the sink, he looked from the TV to Hope. “I’m not watching that shit.”

  She shrugged. “Suit yourself, but I’m not changing the channel.”

  “I guess I’m going to bed, then.” Leon disappeared down the hall and into the bedroom, where he closed the door at his back.

  Sometime later in the night, Leon woke because he had to piss. Likely the two beers he’d drank earlier was why. He rolled over and felt Hope’s side of the bed, but the spot was empty, and the sheets were cool to the touch. It was obvious that she hadn’t been to bed at all. He sat up, clicked on the nightstand lamp, and looked around. He listened for the sound of the TV but heard nothing.

  What the hell? Maybe she decided to sleep on the couch.

  After throwing back the blankets, Leon stumbled out of bed, down the hallway, and into the bathroom. Seconds later, he turned the corner and peered into the living room. Hope wasn’t on the couch.

  “What the hell?”

  Leon flipped on the lights, looked into the kitchen, and scratched his head. The apartment was small, and there was nowhere else she could be.

  “You stupid bitch. You better not have done what I think you did!”

  Leon spun and looked for keys on the board of hooks mounted to the wall. One of the two keys for the storage garage, along with Hope’s car keys, were missing. He slammed his fist on the counter and swore. He looked at the clock then remembered what time he went to bed.

  She could have an hour’s head start on me. At least she didn’t take the beater, so that means she called a rideshare to take her to the storage garage. I’ve got to tell Gary.

  Since it was after midnight, Leon assumed Gary would be sleeping, and being woken out of a dead sleep would definitely piss him off. Hearing what Hope did would send him into a tailspin. Leon steeled himself when Gary answered the phone.

  “This better be good. I was sound asleep, bro.”

  “Hope is gone.”

  “What the hell does that mean?”

  Leon heard the anger in Gary’s voice, but he had no other choice—he had to tell him. “Hope sneaked off while I was sleeping. One of the two garage keys is missing, and so are her car keys. She hinted that she wanted to take her car and go back to her duplex, where it’s nice. I told her there was no way that was happening since there’s a good chance a BOLO is out on her car and her duplex is probably being watched by police. The bitch took off anyway.”

  “I need to go outside so Claire doesn’t hear this conversation.”

  From his side of the call, Leon heard the door open and close.

  Gary returned to the conversation a second later. “Okay, so how long has she been gone? Did she take the beater?”

  “At most, she has an hour head start, and no, the beater’s keys are still here. I’m assuming she called a rideshare.”

  “That’s even worse. Now there’s a record of her being at your apartment.”

  “I deserved a good night’s sleep after driving nearly five hours from Cheyenne. I didn’t know she was going to do something so stupid and reckless.”

  “Yeah, yeah. I’m closer to Buffalo and can intercept her before she gets there. That bitch is nothing but trouble, and I’m going to take care of her once and for all.”

  “But you can’t drive Claire’s car there. I’m sure a BOLO went out on that too.”

  “I know, so I’ll take the truck. It might be slower, but I can still make it to Buffalo before Hope does.”

  Leon paced the small apartment. “Should I come too or hang back?”

  “I’ll need your help since I’m going to make Claire stay here. She doesn’t need to get in our way or see what we’re going to do.”

  “So, what are we going to do?”

  “I’m not sure, but I have an hour-and-a-half drive to come up with an idea, so head out now. I’ll let you know when I find her.”

  Chapter 13

  “Who was that, and what are you doing?” Claire stared at Gary after he walked back inside.

  “Don’t worry about it.”

  “I thought we were partners. Why are you keeping me in the dark?”

  “Because this isn’t your problem. I’ll be back soon.”

  Claire watched as Gary grabbed his clothes. “When is soon?”

  “I’m not sure. Just stay put, and stay off the phone unless you’re calling me, and everything will be fine.”

  It took another ten minutes before Gary was dressed and out the door with his phone and all the keys. He spun the combination lock on the bicycle he used for short trips around town, pulled it off the enclosed porch, and headed out. The storage garage was only eight blocks away.

  Good thing the decals are still on the truck. That’ll save me time by not having to camouflage it.

 
Once he arrived at the storage garage, Gary entered his four-digit code and waited for the gate to open. He rode down two lanes to his garage space, got off the bike, and unlocked the padlock from the roller door. The oversized garage had enough room inside for the truck and Claire’s car. Once inside, he placed the bicycle against the wall next to the car, climbed into the truck, and pulled out. With the door rolled back down and locked behind him, Gary headed out. A mile down the road, he merge onto I-25 and made his way north. The only way to take Hope by surprise was to be waiting at her duplex when she got there. Luckily, Gary had grabbed Claire’s keys before he’d left.

  After filling the truck with fuel and buying a large coffee, he was on his way at twelve forty-five. He estimated he would arrive at the duplex around two thirty. If his math was correct, he would get to Buffalo about a half hour before Hope. He would park the truck on a side street, unlock the duplex door, and wait in the dark for her to show up.

  Panic nearly overtook Gary when he thought about Hope’s route. She would have to pass through Gillette on her way to Buffalo.

  What if she goes to her mom and dad’s house instead or stops there on her way to the apartment?

  Gary had to trust in the fact that Hope was heading to the duplex and nowhere else. According to Leon, that was what she’d said she wanted to do before he’d shut her down. What her motivation was, other than being a spoiled brat, Gary couldn’t figure out. She had to know that pulling a stunt like that was reckless and wouldn’t be well received by the rest of them.

  Unless she doesn’t care and intends to turn us in. Maybe Leon slapping her face yesterday was enough to change her mind about being a part of our money-making venture. No matter what, if and when she shows up here, she’s going to meet my bad side.

  Gary arrived in Buffalo just after two thirty. Being a small town of five thousand people, it didn’t take long to reach the neighborhood where Hope and Claire’s duplex was located. Gary parked two blocks away in the back of an apartment complex then cautiously walked to the duplex. He remained in the shadows, and before he got too close, he scanned the street for suspicious vehicles that may have cops sitting inside. When he didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, he scurried to the front door, quickly unlocked it, and slipped inside. He would wait in the dark for Hope to arrive.