by C. M. Sutter
“Sorry, Jade, nothing yet. Want some coffee?”
“I’d love some, thanks.” I walked over to Dan. “Find any fingerprints on the tape?”
“Sorry, but no. It’s been rolled over itself deliberately.”
I smirked. “Our guy is pretty smart. He wants to hide potential fingerprints. How about freezing it?”
Dan grinned. “That’s just what I was about to do. I’ll get that started and move on to the tarp.”
I nodded a thank-you to Kyle when he poured several cups of coffee and handed me one. I sat down at the table with the guys to brainstorm for a minute.
“So, unless her prints come up, we have nothing other than looking through the missing persons database. We don’t know if she’s local or not. If she isn’t in the system, we’ll move forward locally with the tattoo first, then the nationwide missing persons database. We’ll get the media involved and release a sketch of her face too if necessary. How much longer, Kyle?”
“I’d say an hour at the most. I’ll call your desk phone when I’m done.”
“Thanks. Dan, will you print out ten pictures of her tattoo for me?”
“Sure thing. I’ll bring them upstairs when they’re ready.”
I headed back to the bull pen with my Styrofoam cup of coffee to tell the guys Jason’s theory. I pulled out the notepad and sat at my desk. Lieutenant Clark came out of his office and joined us.
He grabbed an empty chair and sat down. “What’s the word on our vic?” he asked.
“Kyle is still scanning IAFIS for her prints. If she isn’t in the system, we’ll go back to the old-school method. A lot of phone calls and letting the media help us out. I’d like to go through the missing persons database too and see if any descriptions pop for someone with a large dragon tattoo on their back. She could be from anywhere, boss, but we’ll check within the state first. Nobody has been reported missing in Washburn County as of”—I looked up at the clock—“thirty minutes ago.”
“Is there more? It looks like something is weighing heavily on your mind.”
“It’s a theory that Jason presented.” I tapped on the desk with my pen.
“Uh-oh, her nervous energy is kicking in,” Jack said.
I smiled—Jack knew me well. “Jason thinks our Jane Doe might have been caged.”
The lieutenant wrung his hands. “What the hell? That’s something we haven’t had to deal with yet. Get busy, guys, and come up with a plan of action. I’m going downstairs to talk to Jason.”
“All right, everyone, you heard the lieutenant. Let’s start going through the DOJ database. Start with Wisconsin and type in her approximate age, height, weight, hair color, and the keywords ‘dragon tattoo.’” I turned in my chair. “Jack, call North Bend PD first and see if anyone local has been reported missing in the last forty-eight hours. Maybe the system hasn’t been updated.”
“Got it.”
I went to the whiteboard and wrote down our Jane Doe’s vital statistics, according to Jason, so everyone had the information in front of them.
“Clayton, will you make a fresh pot of coffee, please?”
“Sure, Jade.” He got up and went to the coffee station.
Two hours and two pots of coffee later, and with no luck searching the Wisconsin database, we had moved on to the nationwide database. I stretched and rolled my neck. My shoulders were stiff from leaning forward over the desk, staring at my computer.
“Anybody find anything remotely promising?” I looked from face to face.
They groaned their response. Nobody matched Jane’s description with a large dragon tattoo so far, and Kyle had come upstairs an hour ago and informed us that her prints weren’t in the system.
“This is too time consuming. Even if there is a photo in the database, she might have gone missing as a child, and the description won’t match. We have to go with the media.”
I called downstairs to Jason. “Hey, Jason, can you take a picture of our Jane Doe? Something that is suitable to put on the air?”
“Doubt it. Her color is off, and her eyes are closed. People aren’t as easily recognized when their eyes are closed. I think a drawing and description would be better. I’ll call Marie and see if she can stop in. If she comes in now, we’ll have it ready for you in a few hours. The photo of the tattoo should help too.”
“Thanks, I appreciate it. We haven’t had to use a sketch artist for so long I almost forgot we had access to her. How about a break, guys? My eyeballs are beginning to blur.”
We sat in the lunchroom and discussed Jason’s theory.
“What do any of you know about human trafficking?”
Billings huffed as he fed a handful of change into the vending machine and pushed button A2. A second later, a bag of potato chips fell to the hinged door below. “I don’t know a damn thing, Jade. This town is too small for something like that to be going on right under our noses.”
“Yeah, I thought the same thing, but a lot of new faces have popped up in the last year. North Bend is a desirable community—maybe for criminals too. I’ve certainly never dealt with anything like this, that is, if she actually was caged.” I looked at Jack. “I wonder if Lindstrom or Colgate ever has.”
“We can sure ask if we have to. Milwaukee is a big city, and Chicago is only ninety minutes further. It isn’t impossible.”
I agreed. “It’s something we can chew on. Let’s get the description, drawing, and the photo of the tattoo ready for the media first. Jason pushed the tox report. He said he’d have it back tomorrow. I’m sure that’s going to tell us more.”
Chapter 5
“Melanie and Liz are getting bids, but it’s moving pretty slow,” Jeremy said. “It doesn’t look like anyone wants Beth. Shit. I can’t lower her age now—everyone already saw what I wrote, and this is the third time I’ve listed her for sale. If she doesn’t sell this time, she’s going to disappear too. Guess nobody wants a woman over twenty-four.” Jeremy looked at the clock on the computer. “There’s only two hours left, and the numbers aren’t even close to the reserve.” He pounded his fist on the desk. “That jerk from Miami is still the top bidder for Mel and Liz. There’s no way in hell we’re giving him a package deal for both of them.”
The brothers sat at the computer and refreshed the bids every few minutes. In a few hours, the clock would stop counting down, the bidding would end, and the fees would still be owed, sale or no sale.
“The bidding has to move five thousand bucks for Mel and Liz before the reserve is hit. We’re going to owe money on Beth.” Jeremy jotted down notes to himself. No large tats and nobody over twenty-four. He was getting agitated. “Get them back out here. I need them to look excited. Better yet, they have to look hot.”
Matt chuckled. “Got it.” He left the video and computer room and headed to the dimly lit area where the girls were held captive. “Get up.” He rattled their chain-link cages with the cattle prod. “Let’s go, or I’ll zap you. We need a do-over, and it better be good. Look seductive and hot. If you don’t get sold, it’ll be your fault, and you’ll pay the price.” He opened the first cage and pushed Melanie out with the prod. He held the stun gun in his other hand. “Get out there and act sexy,” he barked. “Your life depends on it—now move.”
Melanie stood in the small picture booth Matt had made, wearing the same blouse and skirt she had on earlier. “Keep those top two buttons open,” Matt instructed. He tied a red scarf around her neck to hide the stun-gun burns and brushed her hair. “That’s better,” he said with a look of approval. She shook with fear, and tears streaked her cheeks.
“Hold on,” Jeremy said just before Matt began taking pictures. He walked out and grabbed a wet washcloth from the bathroom. He returned and threw it at Melanie. “Fix your damn face and look happy. Now start over and smile seductively.”
Matt began clicking the camera, and Melanie forced a sexy smile. She knew what was in store for her if she didn’t.
Jeremy nodded. “Yeah, that’s much be
tter. Okay, put Mel back in her box. Don’t bother with Beth—she’s a waste of time. Get Liz in here. It’s her turn.” Jeremy uploaded Mel’s new pictures to the auction site then went back to hitting the refresh button.
By three o’clock, both women had new photos on the site, were back in their cages, and the auction had ended. At least the reserve had been met on Melanie. She would be gone by Friday, and the confirmation had just come through for eight thousand dollars via wire transfer. A man from Morocco bought her and was sending a representative out of New York to pick her up at an agreed-upon location.
Jeremy shut down the computer and walked into the darkened room. He rattled her cage. “It’s your lucky day, Mel. You’ll have a new owner as of Friday, and you’ll be living in Morocco—how cool is that?” Jeremy laughed at the thought of eight thousand dollars. The instant transfer had already confirmed the money was in their joint account under fictitious names.
Melanie’s fear of the unknown came through in small sobs. She knew better than to cry out loud. Reanne’s screams had gotten her killed. Mel tried squeezing her hand through the chain links to reach for Liz in the next cage.
“Get your hand back in the cage before I break it.”
She hadn’t realized that Jeremy was still standing in the doorway, watching her. She quickly pulled her hand back, scraping the skin off her wrist in the process. She lay down in the cage and kept quiet.
Jeremy shut off the lights and went upstairs. His fingers wrapped around the handle of the refrigerator, and he yanked it open. A cold beer would be good. He pulled out two cans and followed the sound of the TV playing in the living room. Matt sat on a chair with his feet propped on the ottoman and watched a crime thriller. Their dog, Cage, lay at the end of the couch. Jeremy handed his brother a beer then plopped down with a heave on the opposite end of the sofa. The dog lifted his head, looked at him, and moaned. With a curled fist, Jeremy punched the cushions and grabbed a few pillows, trying to create a comfortable spot to watch TV. The same routine occurred every time they turned on that crime thriller series. Jeremy watched the program, then he paused the TV during commercials and jotted down notes for future reference. As usual, a ring of condensation formed below Jeremy’s beer can. He’d watch the water run down the sides of the can for a few seconds then turn his focus back to the TV when the commercial was over. This time, he watched the program for five minutes, then he paused the TV before the commercial, breaking their routine.
Matt sat up straight. “Hey, what are you doing, man? It isn’t a commercial yet, and it was just getting to the good part.”
“Plan on the beach tomorrow. We need two new girls. We’ll do the model-photographer ruse, and this time we need to know their age before we grab them. I don’t want anyone over twenty-four. No noticeable tats either. The business cards, camera, and Xylazine have to be ready to go.”
“Yeah, no problem. I’ll get everything ready. Two syringes, then?”
“Bring extra—just in case. I don’t want anything to go wrong. We have to come up with a plan for how to grab them too. We can only do two at a time.”
Chapter 6
“I think this sketch will do the trick, Marie—appreciate it.” I held the drawing next to the face of our unidentified female victim, and the likeness was spot on. With the photo of the tattoo on her back and the sketch of her face, if this Jane Doe was local to our TV viewing area, somebody would recognize her.
I rapped on the lieutenant’s office door. He looked up from his paperwork and waved me through. Jack joined me.
“Jade, Jack, anything new?”
“No, boss, but I want to get this composite and photograph on TV before the evening news. Just wanted you to take a look and give us the okay.”
Lieutenant Clark closed the folder he had lying on his desk and slipped on his reading glasses. He extended his hand, and I gave him the two pictures. We waited for his opinion.
“The sketch looks remarkably like her. You have her vital statistics to add to the broadcast?”
Jack spoke up, “We sure do, boss. Her height, weight, hair and eye color, approximate age, and the general location where she was found will be added to the newscast. I can notify the local stations right away so it gets on the six o’clock news. We just need your go-ahead.”
Clark scratched his forearm. “There aren’t any missing women with her description in Wausaukee or Washburn Counties?”
I responded, “No, sir. Even if we looked over every photo in the statewide database, she may look entirely different than when she went missing. We don’t know how long that’s been. Also, as Jason pointed out, her muscles are atrophied. She may have lost significant weight since she was last seen. I think putting the sketch and dragon-tattoo photo on TV will give us something more definitive.”
“Okay, get it out there. I want to see it on the news in”—he looked at his watch—“less than an hour.”
“Thanks, boss. We’ll get right on it.”
Jack closed the lieutenant’s office door at his back and returned to his desk. I headed to the coffee station and felt the side of the stainless-steel coffee pot—cold. I started a fresh pot.
“I’ll call the local NBC and CBS stations, and you call ABC and FOX.”
Jack looked up and acknowledged me. “You got it, partner. The sooner the news stations can squeeze our segment in, the better.”
We sat down and called the station managers for each TV channel that broadcast in southeast Wisconsin. We explained as much of the situation as we could and faxed over the sketch, the description of our Jane Doe, and the photograph of the dragon tattoo to every news channel.
I hung up, sighed, and waited for the brewing coffee to beep. I needed to be revived. “Okay, let’s take a break. We’ll see if anything shakes out after the news bulletin. I have a feeling we’re going to be pulling late hours if the calls actually start coming in. We should think about dinner while we still have time.”
Billings stood and offered to go out and pick up the food. “I need a dose of fresh air anyway,” he said. “I’m going to Jimmy’s, so here’s the menu. Write down what you want. I’ll call it in and pick it up. They’re pretty fast.”
Billings started at my desk and handed me the menu. I browsed the three pages and decided on a large Caesar salad with strips of broiled chicken. I didn’t eat as healthy as I should when I worked late, and salad seemed like the best choice for a guilt-free meal. I wrote down my order and tossed the menu across my desk to Jack’s.
“Have at it, partner. You’re up. Thanks for the offer, Billings. I appreciate it.” I leaned back in my chair with my eyes closed. “Somebody tell me when ten minutes has passed. I need a power nap, then I have to call Amber.”
“Jade… Jade. Hey, partner, wake up.”
I opened my eyes and squinted at him. I gave Jack a scowl. “What the hell are you doing?”
He laughed. “I’m kicking your desk. You didn’t wake up when I called your name.”
Clayton added, “Yeah and you were sawing some serious logs too.”
“I was not.” I stretched and yawned. “I’m going to make a quick call to Amber. Thanks for waking me up, guys.”
I walked into the lunchroom to clear my head and get my bearings. I needed blood flow to my extremities too. I tapped Amber’s name on my contact list and waited. She answered on the second ring.
“Hi, Jade. When are you coming home?”
“I’m not sure, Sis. I wanted to let you know that I may be late. We have a missing person’s bulletin going out on the six o’clock news on all the channels. With any luck, the phones will start ringing. As much as I don’t want to stay too long, we have to see if any viable leads come in.” I yawned again.
“You sound really tired.”
“Yeah, I am, but I think I’ll hang around for a few more hours. It’s nothing that a pot of strong coffee can’t fix. Jamison and Horbeck can take the calls after that. Anyway, we’re ordering takeout, so go ahead and have dinner, hon
ey. Don’t wait for me.”
“Okay. I’ll feed the kids and lock the doors.”
“Thanks, Sis. See you in a few hours.”
I hung up and heard Billing’s voice coming from the bull pen. He was back with dinner, and in thirty minutes the news would start. I returned to my desk and saw a steaming cup of coffee waiting for me. My salad sat next to it. “There is a coffee and food fairy after all.” I plopped down in my chair and dug in.
Chapter 7
“Check it out, man. Hurry, get up here!”
“What’s going on?” Jeremy ran up the stairs and followed Matt into the living room.
“Watch the news. They showed a picture of Reanne. The segment is coming up right after the commercial.”
Jeremy rubbed his forehead. “Shit! I have to think about this. This is just the local news, right?”
“Yeah, only the Milwaukee stations.”
“Okay, we should be good, then. Nobody from North Dakota is going to see this. Man, they’re quick around here. I figured a small Podunk town like this wouldn’t put anything on the news, let alone on the same day. The last girl I dumped never got her fifteen minutes of fame at all.”
The third commercial ended, and the news was back on. The anchorman showed the sketch of Reanne’s face and the photo of the dragon tattoo.
“Woo-hoo, there she is! That drawing is pretty damn good. Looks just like her.”
“Matt, shut the hell up. I’m trying to think. I wasn’t expecting this.”
“What’s the problem? We aren’t in North Dakota anymore.”
“Yeah, I know, but that was just stupid on my part. How could I be so careless? From now on, they’re getting buried.”
Jeremy was angry with himself and went back downstairs to finish passing out dinner. He glared at the women.
“One peep from any of you and you’ll all be buried in the woods.”
With the twist of a key, he released each padlock and opened their gates.
“Get to the back of your cages,” he ordered.
