Page 25 of Wired Justice

Chapter Fourteen

Jake crashedthrough the deep underbrush and ferns that were covering a rough lava and dirt landscape, following Sophie’s headlong flight into the jungle. “Sophie!”

“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.