Author: Allison Brennan
Category: Suspense
Go to read content：https://onlinereadfreenovel.com/allison-brennan/page,6,90279-the_lost_girls.html
Siobhan quickly booted up her laptop and downloaded the photos from her cloud account. She worked quickly and efficiently. “I’ll pull out the best photos—the ones that clearly show facial features. I also have license plates. But then I really need to go to the hospital. You should come, too—see Elizabeth, talk to her doctor. I’m worried about her.”
“Is she sick?”
“No—she was small, barely five pounds, but was at term or close to it. Beautiful. Perfect. But the hospital has already had inquiries about her. What if someone tries to claim her?”
“The police would have questions. CPS would need to verify—”
“But she’s my only connection to Mari and Ana. She was left at that church for a reason. She was left with the locket for a reason—and that reason was for the priest to call me. She wants my helps. Needs it. I can’t walk away, and I can’t let anything happen to Baby Elizabeth.” She took a deep breath and turned back to the photos. Siobhan was certainly passionate.
Noah’s phone rang, and he excused himself and went into the hall.
“What’s his story?” Siobhan asked Lucy, keeping her eyes on the computer.
Siobhan seemed genuinely interested, though it was clear to Lucy she’d been frustrated with Noah. Lucy appreciated that Siobhan said what she thought and didn’t play games. Her methods were straightforward. She wanted answers because she cared—not just about Marisol and Ana, but about the girl who had been chained to the bed.
“Noah is one of the best agents I’ve ever worked with,” Lucy said. “We knew each other in DC before I went to the academy.”
“And he’s in the San Antonio office now?”
“Temporarily. Long story.”
“Something to do with what happened in June?”
“In part.”
“He just seems very … suspicious. Very cop-like.”
Lucy almost laughed. “He can be serious. He’s methodical and organized. He’s a good person to have watching your back because he doesn’t get flustered. He’s a by-the-book agent, but can be flexible. He was my mentor when I was in DC.”
“By-the-book? I’ll bet he and Sean butt heads.”
“They did. They’re fine now.” At least, they were friendly. Friendlier. They’d never be best buddies, but Lucy appreciated that they both made an effort.
“Good. That would be pretty uncomfortable if your partner and husband didn’t like each other.”
“Husband,” Lucy muttered.
Siobhan laughed. “Get used to it.”
“I am. It just sounds … strange.” Lucy had never believed she’d get to this point. That she’d fall in love, live with a man, get married. It was overwhelming and exciting at the same time.
Siobhan clicked a few keys then tilted the computer screen so Lucy had a better view. “These are the best shots of each person.”
Lucy leaned over the desk and studied the photos with Siobhan.
“I don’t have a photo of Pedro, the teenager who called the cops on me. The deputy, by the way, called him Pete. But there are four other men, the woman, the young girl carrying the baby. I don’t have a great shot of the woman upstairs, but I can work on it.”
“That’s her baby.” Lucy pointed to the blond girl carrying the infant.
“How can you tell?”
“Well, she’s wearing a maternity blouse for one thing—see those straps? They unbutton for nursing. Then look at her arm—she recently had an IV.”
Siobhan enlarged the photo. “You have a good eye. I hadn’t noticed that. I was focused on their faces.”
“She’s so young,” Lucy said quietly. Eighteen, nineteen maybe. Not much older.
“Maybe someone is looking for her,” Siobhan said. “I have to believe that. I can’t believe that all these girls are unwanted. Unremembered.”
Lucy didn’t recognize any of the other people, but the older, well-dressed woman was put-together—the whole package. Jewelry, makeup, clothing, shoes. She was clearly in charge. The way the men stood around her, they deferred to her. The man who came with her, the one in the suit, was her bodyguard—Lucy could tell by the way he looked around, the way he stood next to her. Observant. Protective.
“Send those files to me and Noah,” Lucy said. “He’ll get them to the right people.”
“Get what?” Noah said, stepping back in.
“The pictures.”
He nodded. “I’ll have Zach run them.”
“Send the girl to NCMEC,” Lucy said. “She’s young, possibly underage. She might be a runaway or a kidnapping victim.”
“Do you still have contacts there?” Noah asked.
“Yes.”
“You do it, then—your personal connection will get our request to the top of the list.”
Lucy started composing a message to her friend at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
* * *
Lucy stared at Baby Elizabeth through the window of the nursery.
She was beautiful.
“My life is too unpredictable to have a baby,” Siobhan said quietly. “But I would adopt a child in a heartbeat. There are so many young children who need homes. Babies are in high demand, so they get adopted much easier. It’s the older kids, the ones that parents think are too much trouble, or they can’t mold, or they have problems because they lost their entire family.”
Lucy turned from the infant to Siobhan, surprised at the sudden kinship she felt with her. “I feel the same way.”
The difference was that Lucy couldn’t have children—she’d had an emergency hysterectomy when she was eighteen. Growing up, the idea of having children was a given—not something she actively thought about, but one of those Down the road I’ll get married and have kids things. But when she realized that she could never have her own child, it felt like she’d lost something. How can you grieve for something you never had, never could have?
“Mari and Ana have a little brother. He’ll never know his parents; he was a toddler when they died in the mudslide. All he has is his sisters and his grandmother, but she’s much older. It’s a hard life in the valley, but it’s beautiful. A paradise, until the mudslide. They can rebuild, but it’ll take time and people and money. Many have left for other homes. Mari and Ana were their hope, and when they disappeared, some lost hope. I have to find them, for the village, for their family, for a way of life. For that little baby in there. Elizabeth. I just have to.”
Lucy understood the need to solve crimes. Most of the crimes she solved were homicides. Justice for victims who couldn’t speak for themselves because they were dead. There were other victims, though. The victims of sex trafficking. Their families. The lives of those the evil of human slavery touched.
The baby sleeping in the bassinet.
“Noah and I are here,” Lucy said. “I don’t give up easily.”
“When I lost track of them after they disappeared in Monterrey, I almost gave up. In fact, for months I put them out of my head because I would have gone crazy. I exhausted every lead. Kane helped for a while—he doesn’t give up easily, either. But there were no leads.”
“Kane’s a good man.”
“Yeah. Though Kane will do everything in his power to make you think he’s not.”
Lucy raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment. She wasn’t someone who noticed interpersonal relationship issues until they hit her over the head or someone more astute, like Sean, spelled out a situation. The realization that Siobhan had feelings for Kane maybe wasn’t of the hit-on-the-head magnitude, but strong enough that Lucy recognized the tone.
“That’s Kane,” she said lightly.
“Absolutely impossible,” Siobhan muttered. “Thickheaded, stubborn, arrogant mule.” Then she said something in Gaelic. Lucy knew several languages, but Gaelic wasn’t one she’d picked up. She only recognized the cadence.
“There’s Dr. Davidson,” Siobhan suddenly said and strode off down the hall.
Lucy sent Noah a quick text message
that the doctor was available, then followed Siobhan. She wondered where he’d gone off to in the first place, but running the Violent Crimes Squad was time-consuming. Juan had rarely left the office to investigate, though he often supervised major operations. Noah was definitely more hands-on. And if Lucy was going to be honest with herself, she much preferred working with him than with anyone else. There was a comfort and confidence working with a partner who not only knew you, but whom you trusted explicitly.
Perhaps that wasn’t fair. Lucy hadn’t really had the time to get to know the other agents. Nate Dunning had become friends with Sean, and she liked him fine, but since they were both rookies, they couldn’t partner up. Ryan Quiroz used to be a cop and he reminded Lucy of her brother Connor—a bit hotheaded, but rock-solid. But the other agents she’d only worked with on the periphery, and she had the distinct sense that no one particularly wanted to partner with her. The sad thing was she’d thought she’d been making friends before the shit hit the fan in June.
Siobhan introduced Lucy to the doctor. “Any news?”
Dr. Davidson said, “Elizabeth is healthy. She was small, but all organs are functioning properly. She weighed in this morning at five pounds, six ounces.
“I also got her blood work back, and she’s healthy in every test we run. Her mother must have eaten well and likely took prenatal vitamins. The only thing I’m a bit concerned about is a slight wheeze, though her lungs seem clear. We’re watching it, in case it’s an allergy or develops into a bronchial infection, but all the tests are normal.”
“That’s great news,” Siobhan said.
“CPS wants to know when they can place her into foster care. There are several homes approved for newborns.”
“No,” Siobhan said emphatically. “Laurel, I told you, I know her mother. The FBI is here, we’re going to find her.”
“Be that as it may,” the doctor said, “I can’t keep her here indefinitely. Maybe twenty-four hours longer.”
Noah approached them. “Doctor, I’m FBI Supervisory Special Agent Noah Armstrong. Before you release the child, please call me—my boss is working on putting the child into protective custody.”
“Really?” Siobhan said, eyes wide and optimistic. “You can do that?”
Noah glanced at her with a frown. “Doctor, may I speak with you privately?”
They walked down the hall. Siobhan turned to Lucy. “That was really rude.”
“Trust him,” Lucy said. “He has the infant’s best interest at heart. Let’s look at her again.”
Lucy led Siobhan back down the hall to the nursery, where they could watch the babies through the window. A nurse was rocking Elizabeth and feeding her. “It’s just, why can’t he tell me?” Siobhan said.
“It’s a complex legal matter,” Lucy said, “and there could be other factors. We don’t know, but Noah understands the situation.”
“He didn’t seem to at the hotel.”
“He’s doing everything he needs to do, and more.”
Siobhan sighed and sat down in a plastic chair. Lucy sat next to her. “You’re right, I know you are. Where are they? What’s really going on here? Because this whole thing is so unfamiliar.”
“We’ll find the truth.”
Noah came back down the hall without the doctor. “Siobhan, I understand you’re frustrated and worried. We’re not letting anything happen to that baby. The doctor agreed to increase security for the next forty-eight hours, and I’m hoping by that time we’ll have a custody arrangement that will keep the infant safe until her mother can be located. Lucy and I have an appointment with the assistant sheriff in Webb County. I’ll be happy to drop you off at your hotel.”
“Thank you,” she said, “but I think I’ll stay here for just a little longer.”
“I thought so. I also cleared it that you can have access to Elizabeth in the neonatal unit, under supervision. Not that I don’t trust you, but no one is allowed to be alone with the baby except the nurses assigned to this floor and her doctor.”
“You did that for me?”
“Not just for you.”
Noah and Lucy walked out. “That was nice of you,” Lucy said.
“I need her occupied. Siobhan is driven and intense and while her insight has been valuable, she’s focused on the wrong thing.”
“Why were there multiple pregnant women in that house and where did they go?”
“Exactly. And I tracked down that reporter who gave her the info on the girls in the first place. I’d rather she wasn’t around when we talk to him.” Noah pulled out of the hospital parking lot. “Check your email, read the report from Zach. He has property records, license plates—I didn’t have time to review it. I had a talk with Agent Lopez, the SSA running the Laredo office.” The FBI’s Laredo office was a Resident Agency under the San Antonio umbrella. “They’re swamped right now, but set us up to talk with the assistant sheriff, who may have information on a related case.”
“How so?”
“Woman, suspected illegal, gave birth at the hospital, then disappeared with the baby—even though she was granted temporary residency. It may have nothing to do with this … but Lopez said there were other suspicious things about the case. He only knew about it through interdepartment communications, not because he worked it.”
Lucy looked through Zach’s reports. Thin, but at least they had a direction. “All the vehicles are registered to a business,” she said. “Except the truck. Odd.”
“Odd what?”
“The house is also registered to a business.”
“Shit.”
“What does it mean?”
“It’s going to be a shell game.”
Lucy had no idea what Noah meant, but it didn’t sound good.
CHAPTER SIX
“Thank you for staying after your shift to meet with us,” Noah said to Assistant Sheriff Adam Villines.
“It’s not late—my wife will tell you we eat promptly at six every night, but by the time the kids get back from practice and clean up and whoever is supposed to be cooking actually cooks—we rotate between the kids—it’s closer to eight. Which is fine with me, because my seven-to-five shift rarely ends at five. And it’s Monday. Which means Isabelle is cooking, so help me.”
He motioned for them to sit across from his desk, then he closed the door and sat in his seat. “Tim Lopez from your Laredo office gave me a heads-up, says you’re sharp. I’ll admit, I’m not a fan of the feds. We get a lot of that here, between the DEA and ICE and FBI, pushing in, causing more problems than they solve. Tim and I are both local boys, I trust him. He says you’re okay, you’re okay. But what I want to know is why isn’t Tim investigating this case, why bring in someone from DC?”
“I’m working out of the San Antonio office indefinitely while SSA Casilla is on leave,” Noah said. “I spoke with Agent Lopez earlier, he’ll be assisting, though Agent Kincaid and I are running this investigation. As you know, the Laredo Resident Agency is a small office, they don’t have the time or resources with their current cases to take the lead. I’m keeping Lopez in the loop, however.”
Villines nodded his approval.
Noah continued. “Ms. Walsh spoke to you this weekend?”
“I’ve already had two visits from Ms. Walsh. Tenacious. I know all about the missing girls—she said they were her friends—and what she thinks she knows about the case. To be honest with you, we’re not seeing any foul play here. Not on the surface. We can assist in finding the infant’s mother, but because the baby was left in the county next door, I don’t have any jurisdiction to dig around. I made a call to the sheriff, she says she’ll look into it.”
“Not on the surface?” Noah repeated.
Villines nodded. “If Ms. Walsh wasn’t so dead positive that the baby belongs to one of her friends because of that locket, I would have thought it was left by a poor, young girl overwhelmed by the idea of motherhood. Devout, leaving it at the church. Figured it would be cared for. Or an immigrant who was
concerned about her status, maybe unwed, scared. And then the note.”
“What note?”
Villines opened a file, showed Noah. Lucy glanced over. The photograph of a bloodied white T-shirt seemed odd. Lucy tilted her head and saw the message.
Trust no one.
“This is why the priest brought the infant to the Laredo hospital, he knew it was a different jurisdiction.”
“Do you know a Deputy Jackson?” Noah asked.
Villines grunted. “I’m not going to talk shit about another cop. Let’s just say he wouldn’t be working under me.”
Noah said, “Three months ago, a young pregnant woman was dropped off at a hospital here in Laredo. The staff suspected she was illegal, but the baby was in duress and they delivered it by emergency C-section.”
When had Noah learned about that situation?
“Correct. It’s a common situation—we’re a border town. The woman would have died across the border, as well as the baby. Desperate times, Agent Armstrong.”
“Dr. Davidson treated that woman as well.”
That must have been why Noah wanted to talk to the doctor without Siobhan. Lucy wished he would have clued her in earlier.
“And you think these cases are connected?” Villines asked.
Noah shrugged. “The mother and baby disappeared.”
“They were given temporary residency—thanks to the hospital staff who know the ropes—but walked away from a shelter two days after they were discharged,” Villines said. “It happens.”
“Dr. Davidson said you have the mother’s prints and belongings.”
“There wasn’t much—she packed up and left—but yes, I ran her to make sure she had no criminal record, a requirement of the shelter. It’s a church-run group for unmarried women with young children. She was clean, but I didn’t add her to the criminal database when she disappeared. She wasn’t accused of a crime.”
“I want to run her prints against all databases,” Noah said. “I’m getting a warrant for the house where we suspect Baby Elizabeth’s mother was staying before she left the baby at the church. I’m going to print the place.” Noah leaned forward, put out his left index finger as he counted. “One abandoned baby at a church.” Put out another finger. “One pregnant woman Ms. Walsh saw inside the house.” He put out a third finger. “One young girl carrying an infant leaving the house yesterday evening.” And his pinkie finger. “And three months ago a mother and infant disappear even though they were given food, shelter, medical care.” He leaned back. “Dr. Davidson said the woman didn’t speak much, that she’d clearly received prenatal care, and she filled out the birth certificate with false information. She had no identification on her.”