by Toby Neal
“Here, Jake!”
He reached her at last. “That damn dog of yours . . .” His voice trailed off as Sophie pointed to the backpack, discarded boots and scattered clothing. The scene told a mute tale of struggle.
“Shit.” Jake looked up and met Sophie’s gaze. Her eyes were wide, her mouth pinched. The color had drained from her face, leaving her skin sallow and the scar on her cheek, a vivid line. She thought the worst.
“Maybe Julie got away.” Jake didn’t sound convinced, even to himself. “Maybe she’s been kidnapped. They’re holding her somewhere, tooling her parents. We shouldn’t touch anything. Do you have a signal? We need to call Freitan.”
Sophie had let go of the dog’s leash, and she was watching Ginger still nosing around the discarded items. “I think if there were a body nearby, Ginger would be looking for it. But the trail seems to stop here.” She took out her phone and held it up. “Excellent. I have three bars.”
She made the call to Freitan as Jake photographed the site thoroughly, dividing the area into a grid and taking photos up and down until they had enough for a composite. “I’ll update Bix while we wait for the detectives,” he said, when Sophie told him Freitan and her partner were on their way.
They made their way back to the Jeep, careful not to trample the area or obscure any possible tracks or other evidence. Once at the Jeep, Jake detailed the progress to their superior at Security Solutions. “I don’t know if it’s time for an update to the parents. I will leave that to your judgment,” he told his superior.
“Great,” Bix said dryly. “You know how I love breaking this kind of news to families.”
“Rank hath its privileges,” Jake said, and hung up.
While they waited in the Jeep, Jake made notes on his small work laptop, logging the stages of their investigation as far as location time and detail. Sophie had her laptop out, too. She typed at a ridiculous speed.
“I need to find a way to use DAVID. Julie could be part of this disappearance pattern.” Sophie’s voice was low and firm.
“This couple could have been preying on people for a while now. There’s no telling what the cops will turn up when they tear that little hovel apart at Travelers’ Rest,” Jake said. “I took them just for opportunistic predators supporting a drug habit, but they could be much more than that. Who knows how long they’ve been operating in the area, and what they’ve been up to.”
“We have to find out.” Sophie glanced up. “If we could track their movements around the island, we might be able to put together a picture of the people who’ve gone missing, and figure out a profile. See if there are patterns that intersect.”
“But you need access to the police database to search all the missing persons and a secure uplink to use that program,” Jake finished. “I think you should talk to the detectives about your theory.”
Sophie nodded her head. “Hopefully, they will be open to working with us.”
Us.
Jake liked the sound of that.
Chapter Fifteen
Kamani Freitan looked tired to Sophie. Dark circles under her eyes looked bruised, and her thick black hair straggled out of its braid as if she had slept on it. She stood beside Sophie, her partner in her shadow, and glanced around the area at Julie’s belongings. “Think this might be a homicide?”
“Could be just a kidnapping,” Jake was avoiding eye contact with the detective. Sophie noted the rigidity of his shoulders, the tightness of his voice.. “These are definitely her things, and we have evidence linking her to Rayme and Webb.” He gestured with his chin to Sophie. “Show her the chain.”
Sophie slid the slender gold charm bracelet out of her pocket and dropped it into Freitan’s extended hand. “We took this item of Julie’s off Holly Rayme not long ago.”
“Rayme and Webb said they got to know her, took her to Volcano, and rolled her for her money and jewelry. They claim they let her out of their car at this mile marker. Uninjured, with her clothing and her backpack. We had no reason to doubt their story at the time,” Jake concluded.
Freitan’s partner, Detective Wong, surveyed the area. “We should photograph this, and then take the items into evidence.”
“Yeah. Our officers picked up Rayme and Webb; we can interview those two down at the station. Since we’re being stonewalled on the family body dump case.” Freitan’s full mouth tightened into an irritated line.
This was her chance. Sophie cleared her throat. “I have a theory. I would like to be able to use your secure Internet connections at the station to run my idea through some software I possess. My theory has to do with these missing persons cases.”
Freitan had sharp dark eyes that reminded Sophie of a mynah bird. “What’s this theory?”
“I can’t tell you until I have a chance to assemble numbers and run statistical analyses on some data I need to put together.” Sophie met the woman’s gaze squarely. “I promise I will share any findings I get with you. But I need a hack-proof place to work that’s cool and dry. This environment kills computers.” Sophie gestured to their damp and dripping surroundings.
Freitan gave a brief nod. “I ran background on you. You were quite the tech agent in the FBI. You will need to sign confidentiality agreements, but I’m down with that.”
Wong nodded as well. “We will have to run it by our station chief, but I don’t anticipate a problem. You two have been straight up with us and brought us good leads.”
Relief brought a smile to Sophie’s face. She couldn’t wait to get DAVID burrowing for missing persons data. “Terrific. You won’t regret this. When can we get started?”
Freitan tipped her head back to survey the sullen clouds, prematurely darkening the area. “Tomorrow. We have a lot of ground to cover, dealing with this scene and interviewing Webb and Rayme. And we’ll still need an okay for you to use the facility. Wong and I will be in touch.” Freitan ran an assessing glance over Jake, his black combat clothing smeared with leaves and mud. “You’re filthy, Jake. You need a good scrub in a hot shower, my man. Take two, baby, and I’ll see you in the morning.”
Jake glared, then stomped away through the brush toward the Jeep, the back of his neck reddening. “Kamani! Rude!” Wong smacked Freitan’s arm.
“What? Dunn’s a dirty boy who needs a good rubdown,” Freitan laughed, unrepentant. “I wouldn’t mind hitting that.”
Freitan was never going to get anywhere needling Jake that way, and he deserved a little inappropriate teasing after all he’d put Sophie through early in their working relationship. Still, she felt protective. “That kind of speech is inappropriate, Detective,” Sophie said. “You wouldn’t like a male officer to engage in sexual innuendoes with you, would you?”
“And you don’t think I deal with that kind of shit talk every day from the guys?” Freitan tossed her head defiantly. “I’m just getting in a few licks for our team.” Her grin was toothy and feral. “So to speak.”
Sophie shook her head and followed Jake at a slower pace, leaving the detectives to photograph the site and collect the evidence. She felt exhausted but wired.
What would they do in that cabin all evening until tomorrow?
Chapter Sixteen
Jake turned the wheel of the Jeep, guiding the vehicle into the Volcanoes National Park through an entrance nestled between beautiful lava stone entry portals. He glanced at Sophie. “Do you mind taking a run along the rim of the crater? We have a few hours of daylight left.”
Sophie’s smile warmed him. “You must have read my mind. I need to discharge some energy. Get the kinks out, as Marcella would say.”
Jake nodded. Relief that she so clearly understood allowed his tight jaw to loosen.
He paid their park entrance fee and drove to a parking lot near the Volcano House Inn and Restaurant. That venerable old establishment perched on the rim of the caldera, a historic barnacle on the living organism that was Kilauea volcano. Sophie took running shoes out of her backpack after they parked. “I think the dogs will be glad of this
too.”
“Yeah. We get to see how Tank does on a leash.”
Soon they were jogging along the wandering path that circumnavigated the edge of Kilauea Volcano. The dogs were perfectly behaved on their leashes, and Jake felt the frustration and tension of their challenging day drop away as they ran.
The views from the edge were stunning. The caldera was as austere as an asteroid and just as foreign, sweeping out below them hundreds of feet, a cliff ending at the flat black field that had once been liquid stone. The active vent of Pu’u O’o gushed sulfurous steam, looking like a giant campfire set on the barren surface of the moon.
Sophie took the lead, her athletic body moving easily along the trail. Jake glimpsed those sexy tattoos on the insides of her arms, but regrettably, the ones on her legs were hidden by nylon pants.
They ran for miles, until the dogs were panting with tiredness and sunset was a glowing coal in the west.
Eventually, they returned to the Jeep and fed and watered the dogs beside the vehicle. Jake cocked his head as he met Sophie’s eye and pointed. One of the frequent rainbows of the area caught the last of the sunset’s light, landing on nearby rocks. “Must be a pot of gold somewhere around here.”
Sophie scrunched her brow. “Pot of gold? This must be one of those cultural things.”
“Indeed it is. An old Irish legend is that at the end of a rainbow, there’s a pot of gold guarded by leprechauns. Wee folk. Related to fairies.”
“A common enough conceit. Almost every culture has some version of magic and . . . tiny people.” Sophie was cute when she groped for words.
“Never say leprechauns are common in the presence of an Irishman.” Teasing, Jake hooked an arm around Sophie’s neck to give her cropped head a knuckle rub. Sophie stiffened in surprise. She tossed his arm off as she spun to confront him, eyes wide with surprise and apprehension.
Jake felt a stab of pain to his chest that he had activated that old fear in her. He held his hands up, palms out. “I’m sorry. I was only playing.”
Sophie’s gaze softened. She smiled. “Thor save me from a large man with a sweaty armpit anywhere near my face.”
“Thor save you?” Jake got into the Jeep as she secured the dogs.
“I’ve decided to rotate my insults among all the known deities.”
Jake laughed and fired up the Jeep.
They drove out of the park toward the cabin where they’d be staying. He forced himself away from imagining how he’d like to fill the hours alone with her in the dark.
Jake drove Sophie to Hilo the next morning. They’d had fish tacos at Volcano Village after their run, then a platonic evening working quietly on their laptops and early bed. Freitan had called and given the okay for Sophie to come into Hilo to work at the computer lab at the station, and Jake could tell by Sophie’s tense silence that she was dying to get to it.
Last night in the cabin had been torture, knowing that Sophie was sleeping naked in the room next to him, with nothing but a thin wall and an unlocked plywood door separating them. He hadn’t gotten any rest until Tank got up on the bed with him, curling up at his feet with a warm comforting weight. Ginger was similarly keeping Sophie company. Something about the situation with the dogs had finally given Jake the peace to sleep.
He glanced at her profile. “I’ll take Tank to the Humane Society while you work.”
She was still looking at the dogs. “What if they don’t find a home for Tank? What if no one wants him? Tank looks rather . . . scary.”
Jake swallowed. “They get put down.”
“Put down? You mean killed?” Sophie glared at him. “What’s humane about that?”
Jake cleared his throat. “I guess . . . it’s humane the way they do it. The animals get a shot. Never feel a thing.”
“No. Unacceptable.”
Jake felt bad about it too, a queasiness roiling his gut as he thought about filling out a form surrendering Tank and leaving him in a cage. “He’s not technically our dog. We rescued him from a bad home.”
“Only to put him in a place where he’ll be killed if he isn’t adopted? Through no fault of his own?” Sophie snorted. “I’ll keep him.”
“Right. Because you’re in a position to take care of two dogs.”
She made no response to this, and he glanced over. Her eyes were downcast, her mouth pulled down. Even sad, Sophie’s mouth looked kissable. “I should go back to Oahu and quit this attempt to hike around. Then I could keep both dogs. But I’m not ready to. I want to keep exploring for a while.”
Jake sighed. “You hardly had time to do much of that this time.”
“I’ve been able to see a lot of interesting back roads, got to see the lava hit the ocean, and I’ve run on the rim of the crater, thanks to you. But you are right. Ginger is more than enough for me to deal with while hiking and camping.” She looked regretfully into the back seat. “She seems so happy with him.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t want to give him up either.” Jake shook his head. “I just don’t know what else to do.”
They reached the station, and Sophie’s phone dinged. She pulled it out of her pocket and held it up. “It’s the contact who knows something about the missing persons again. I think we should meet whoever it is when I’m done here. I don’t know how long it will take, but I will likely need a break at around two p.m. Will that be an okay time for you to pick me up?”
“Fine. I’ll deal with the dog situation and keep an eye on Ginger. I’ll be back for you at two.”
“Sure you don’t want to come in and greet Detective Freitan with me? I’m confident she will want to see you—preferably without clothing.” Her eyes sparkled playfully at him. “I cannot help enjoying this a bit after how you used to harass me.”
“And if you were half as uncomfortable as I am, then I apologize again for the teasing,” Jake said. “Freitan is a piece of work.”
“The same has been said about you.” Sophie picked up the small daypack containing her laptop. She petted Tank’s head. “Goodbye, my friend. I hope you quickly find a new home.” She dug into the outside pocket of her pack and pulled out a fistful of cash, tucking it into Jake’s pants pocket. “Here’s some extra money to pay for him to be there longer. Without being put down.”
“I will talk to them. Make sure everything that can be done for him is done.”
“I know you will.” She shut the door with a bang. “I still hate it.”
Tank whined sadly as if understanding exactly what was going on. All three of them watched Sophie walk into the station’s utilitarian storefront doorway, and disappear inside.
Jake sighed and put the Jeep in gear. “Might as well get this over with.”
Chapter Seventeen
Sophie unslung her backpack in the quiet computer lab of the South Hilo Police Department. She looked around at a row of aged desktops that made up the station’s tech workspace. “These appear to be at least ten years old.”
“That’s right.” Kamani Freitan had had a shower but didn’t look any more rested than yesterday. She rubbed bloodshot eyes. “Good thing you brought your own equipment.” She pointed to a coil of blue internet cable. “That’s what you really came for.”
“Exactly.” Sophie unrolled the cable and plugged it into her laptop. “Anything new on the Julie Weathersby situation? Did Webb and Rayme give you any pertinent information?” She opened her laptop at an empty workstation on the long table.
“They both stuck to the story that they dropped Weathersby off on the side of the road. Wong and I put them in a cell overnight to think about things. When the officers searched their squat out in Oceanview, they didn’t find anything that clearly belonged to Weathersby. There were some items that seemed like they might have been stolen from tourists, though. Expensive sunglasses. Phones. Some camera gear.” Freitan shook her head. “Those two are nasty.”
“I agree. I look forward to being able to determine if they might be associated with other missing persons.” Sophie di
dn’t want to describe how DAVID worked. Permission for her software to rifle through the police department’s databases was not going to be given, no matter how many confidentiality agreements she signed. She’d have to disguise how she obtained any data she procured through DAVID’s searches when she presented her findings to the detectives.
Freitan departed. Sophie plugged in headphones. She queued up some of her favorite classical music, cracked her knuckles, and dove into the wired world.
DAVID easily penetrated the police department firewalls, and soon she was surfing through reams of data on the missing persons situation on the Big Island.
There were too many cases. Sophie set the parameters for a time frame within the last five years. She input filters screening out cases that had been solved due to runaways, kidnappings, misunderstandings, and more.
She needed to know what bodies were turning up, and being matched to missing people. She started a new search on unidentified bodies. These turned out to be few and far between, though she was able to eliminate another layer of disappearances by reconciling them with recovered corpses.
She still ended up with close to a hundred people who had gone missing in the last five years.
Sophie shivered, looking at the number.
But it didn’t have to be a serial. This area attracted people who wanted to disappear. Perhaps some were just using the Big Island as a launching pad to the rest of their lives, as she was. In addition, there was a booming underground drug trade here that caught many in its undertow.
She needed to find a recognizable trend. She introduced filters and keywords screening for age, marital status, ethnicity, socioeconomic status.
Patterns began appearing, emerging like snowflakes only to melt under the scrutiny of her analysis.
Someone touched her on the shoulder. Sophie jumped, yanking her headphones off and thrusting back in her chair.
Wong stepped back, his square face earnest. “Whoa. Didn’t mean to startle you.”
