Page 31 of Her Final Hours (High Peaks Murder, Mystery and Crime Thrillers #3)
Beside him sat Jane Doe, her eyes wide with fear and confusion.
She had endured a harrowing experience, only to almost fall victim to an abduction at the hospital.
Noah’s priority was to keep her safe until they could untangle the web of danger surrounding her identity that had now made her a target.
Alicia’s home appeared through the curtain of snowflakes, a beacon of warmth and respite amidst the wintry chaos not far from Scarface Mountain. Noah pulled into the driveway and parked, the engine’s hum fading into the hushed stillness of the few houses that dotted Averyville Lane.
He sat there for a moment. “Alicia is a kind woman. She’ll take care of you tonight, and then you’ll see Dr. Athena Blake tomorrow. I know you have been through a lot, and this must all seem scary and uncomfortable, but I want you to know that no harm will come to you.”
She looked at him, skepticism in her gaze.
Although he’d been told she was heavily medicated the night of the attempted abduction, he had to wonder how much she recalled and if that colored her view of those around her.
As he escorted the girl toward the front door, their boots crunching snow beneath them, Noah couldn’t help but appreciate Alicia’s friendship and her reputation as a game warden.
Her resourcefulness and keen instincts would ensure the girl’s safety for the night.
But even Alicia’s prowess couldn’t alleviate another nagging concern.
The storm was growing worse, and the biting cold threatened to intensify.
Alicia greeted them at the door, already up to speed on the situation. Her eyes widened with empathy as she took in the girl’s fragile state. “Hey,” she said with a soft voice. “Come on, step out of the cold,” she said gently, ushering them into the warmth of her parents’ former home.
Noah watched as she led the girl over to a recliner chair, took her jacket, and had her take her boots off.
“Do you like cocoa?” She got no response then she realized how absurd the question was.
The girl had no clue. She set her down and told her she would return with a hot drink.
Alicia crossed the room, and they stepped into the kitchen.
Noah glanced out at the girl who was taking in her surroundings.
“I appreciate this, Alicia.”
“Not a problem.”
“Again, it’s just for the night. After what happened at the hospital, we’re not taking any chances. Savannah has stationed some plainclothes state troopers outside for extra security. Just let them know if you hear or see anything,” he said, handing her a radio.
Alicia gave a reassuring smile, her determination shining through. “I won’t let anything happen to her. You can count on me.”
With that, Noah turned to leave, his thoughts consumed with the unfolding investigation and the weight of unresolved questions from the past. Outside, the wind howled, the storm’s fury mirroring his inner turmoil.
“Noah.”
“Yeah?” he said, his hand on the door handle.
“After this is over, I was wondering if…”
Before she could get out the words, his phone rang. He took it out and glanced at the caller ID. It was Callie. Noah lifted a finger. “Sorry, hold that thought; I’ve got to take this.”
“Sure. No worries.”
Alicia stepped away, going back over to the girl.
In the corner of the room, he saw her M4 rifle, issued by Fish and Game.
Her Glock 22 was attached to her hip. After some of the stories he’d heard from game wardens about encountering trigger-happy poachers, he didn’t have a question in his mind that she wasn’t up for the job.
“Callie.”
“Good news. We got the results back from the DNA genealogy analysis. You won’t believe what we’ve found,” she said. Anxiety clenched in his chest. Her words hit him like an avalanche. “It appears we’ve found out who our girl is.”
“Her parents’ DNA was in GEDMatch?”
“Not exactly. Her grandparents are.”
“And…?” He could hear the hesitation in her voice. “Callie?”
“Her grandmother is Esther Scott.”
Noah’s brow furrowed as he looked back at the girl. Alicia looked over at him. He turned away, grappling with what that meant. “Payton Scott’s mother?”
“Yes.”
He knew Payton had a brother. No other siblings. “Hold on a second; you’re telling me that Jane Doe is Payton Scott’s daughter?”
“It appears so. There’s no match of her being Payton’s brother’s daughter.”
Payton Scott. Her name echoed in his mind, a haunting reminder.
“Are you sure?”
“The genealogist was positive. Twenty-five percent, on average, is the amount of shared DNA between us and our grandparents based on how DNA is inherited. The range of shared DNA with grandparents can be roughly anywhere from 1300 to 2300. Higher or lower. Hers clocked in at 1860. I also phoned Esther to find out if she’d ever done one of those DNA tests, and she said she had through Ancestry.
She then uploaded that raw DNA data file to GEDmatch and Family Tree DNA to see if Payton was out there. Back then, she never got any results.”
Noah was astonished. He turned and looked back at the girl, trying to see the resemblance. Of course, she would be a mix of her mother and father. Even though they didn’t have a name for her, they now knew who she was connected to. It was a huge breakthrough .
Callie continued, “I figure we couldn’t find her in any system because she’s been kept out of the system on purpose.”
“But Payton went missing twenty-five years ago. Let’s say the girl is sixteen; Payton must have lived long enough to have her,” he said.
“Or more. Noah. Payton could still be alive. Do you remember that ’90s case from California of a woman taken when she was eleven, only to be found eighteen years later? She had two children with the man that took her captive.”
A spark of hope rose in him. The chances of survival after an abduction were astronomically slim, but it wasn’t out of the question. Where was she if she had been kept alive all this time?”
Callie continued. “I assume that whoever took Payton was responsible for the abductions of the other women; that’s why her daughter has their names on her. Why they are on her body is unknown, but it would make sense, right?” Callie asked.
“Yeah. I mean. Possibly.” His mind was ticking over, gradually speeding up at the possibility of finding Payton and maybe the others.
“Oh, and not to throw too much at you, but… we’ve made progress on the Eduardo Felipe situation.
The owner of those missing goods — the one that went with one of our deputies today — identified them at the Fish and Game Club.
So, Patrick was telling the truth regarding the van being used.
And as for Eduardo, he’s all but closed up shop.
His defense attorney showed up this evening.
I’ve been trying to get him to convince Eduardo to cooperate based on our intel on his potential involvement in the abduction of our girl from the hospital. One guess who his defender is.”
“What?”
“The attorney.”
His mind was still distracted, staring at the girl.
It was like seeing her through new eyes, or at least seeing Payton in her.
Noah put Callie on speaker for a moment, brought up the internet on his phone, and swiped to a photo that had been used back in the day, the most up-to-date school photo, as a form of comparison.
Payton would have been almost the same age as the girl when she went missing.
“Noah?”
“Yeah. Sorry.” He shook his head. “You were saying…?”
“Eduardo Felipe’s defense attorney. It’s Doug Grayson.”
“Lena’s father?”
“I told him there won’t be a lot of wiggle room for the D.A. unless he can get Eduardo to cooperate.”
“What did he say to that?”
“He would take it under advisement.”
“What an asshole.” He shook his head. “I can’t believe he took him on as a client.”
Callie scoffed. “Or that Eduardo had the money to pay for his services. From what I hear, the Grayson firm doesn’t come cheap.”
“No. It doesn’t. And where does a man who has spent his time in lockup for the better of eight years come up with that kind of cash?”
Noah recalled conversations with his ex-wife Lena and the first time he met Doug, on a golf course.
He’d wanted a private conversation with him.
Throughout 19 holes, he’d interrogated Noah harder than most detectives would a criminal, all to find out his intentions with Lena.
“Do you have any sexual diseases? Do you have any debt?” The questions went on before he talked about how he expected his daughter to be proposed to — at least it was hinted at — do it in a nice place, make it memorable.
He was very protective or, as Lena would have said at the time — controlling.
“Yeah, I figured the court would appoint one,” Callie said .
The courts were required to provide one if someone couldn’t afford a criminal defense attorney.
“We need to dig a little deeper into Eduardo’s background and also see what we can find out about his connection to the Fish and Game Hunting Club.”
“You think the club is involved?”
“In possession of stolen property can’t be overlooked. Eduardo must have some ties to them. Also, we still need to look into taxi driver Caleb Mitchell.”
“All right. McKenzie is in bright and early tomorrow. We’ll have him in our shadow. You with the girl right now?”
“Just dropped her off. Heading home now.”
“Gotcha. See you tomorrow.”