Page 86 of State of the Union (First Family 3)

“Sure thing. The only downside is it can take months to do a full search of all the databases. You have to get in line.”

“Months, huh?” Gonzo said. “And in the meantime, we’ve got a rapist-murderer getting away with it.”

“You keep working the case while you wait,” Best said.

“I guess so,” Gonzo said.

“Is the LT around?” Best asked.

“You must not have heard that she’s having surgery for a fractured hip,” Freddie said.

“Oh shit, really?”

“Yeah, she fell on ice in the parking lot yesterday and thought it was just bruised. Today, she found out otherwise.”

“Well, damn, that’s unfortunate. I wanted to talk to her about the Deasly case. When will she be back?”

“We’re not really sure,” Cruz said. “In the meantime, Sergeant Gonzales is in command.”

“A word, Sergeant?”

“Of course,” Gonzo said. “Be right back.”

“Detective McBride, can you join us?”

Jeannie got up to go with them.

Chapter Sixteen

Once they were in Sam’s office with the door closed, Jesse glanced at Jeannie. “This is turning into a very big deal.”

“How so?” she asked.

“We’ve linked Daniella Brown and her boyfriend, Xavier Iker, to a human trafficking ring that’s been on our radar for a year. We believe that the babies and children found with Carisma were going to be trafficked and that others before them already were.”

Jeannie took a seat, seeming shocked. “How many are we talking?”

“Possibly hundreds,” Best said.

“Oh my God,” Jeannie whispered.

“You cracked open one hell of a hornet’s nest, Detective,” Best said. “Congratulations on a very significant accomplishment.”

“What happens now?” Jeannie asked.

“We’re following the trail, hoping to recover as many of the children as we can, but that’ll take some time.”

“How did Carisma fit into it?” Gonzo asked.

“Brown thought of Carisma as her own child. The others were commodities.”

“I feel like I’m going to be sick,” Jeannie said. “All that time that went by from when she was first abducted…”

“This is on Stahl,” Gonzo said.

“It’s on all of us,” Jeannie replied sharply. “We all failed those kids.”

“We’re putting together a task force of federal, state and local officers,” Jesse said, “to find as many of them as we can and reunite them with their families. Iker’s computer has been a treasure trove of information.”