The Trapped Girl (Tracy Crosswhite #4)(102)

“Her aunt would have had access to certified copies of birth certificates,” Tracy told Nolasco as she made her case in his office. She handed him a birth certificate for Lynn Hoff. Hoff had been born in San Bernardino. Her birth date was the same year as Andrea Strickland. “We know Andrea used a certified copy of Lynn Hoff’s birth certificate to obtain her Washington State driver’s license, and that allowed her to open the bank accounts. This is how she got it.”

“So who’s Lynn Hoff?” Nolasco asked.

“I don’t know and it doesn’t matter. Andrea and her aunt weren’t going to steal Lynn Hoff’s identity or her finances; they were just borrowing her identity to get the driver’s license, hide the money, and ultimately disappear. Lynn Hoff would have never known.”

“Is there a record of someone putting in a request for Lynn Hoff’s birth certificate?”

“That’s my point; the aunt wouldn’t have to put in a request; she’s one of the people who the request would have ordinarily gone through. She found a certificate of a woman born the same year as Andrea. She certified it. And if she did that, she’s also likely the person who helped Andrea off the mountain. She has to have been the person—there is no one else.”

“Sounds too easy.”

“Exactly. You told me not to complicate things, that sometimes these things aren’t as difficult as I make them,” she said, stroking his ego. “This is a simple theory, but it makes sense and it answers several questions.”

“Assuming you’re right, and Andrea Strickland is alive, it’s not our case. That’s Pierce County’s case. Send them the information to pursue it.”

“It gives us a link to Devin Chambers, which is our case.”

“I don’t see how.”

Tracy knew this is where the argument would sink or swim. She’d thought about it most of the night. It wasn’t perfect, but it was plausible. “The aunt helps her create the identity and go into hiding. We have to assume she also helped her to hide the money. Even if she didn’t, we know that Devin Chambers used the money to pay for her surgery and for the motel. She paid cash, though she was broke. She thought Andrea was dead. If Andrea was alive, and monitoring the accounts, she would have seen the transactions and realized Devin Chambers was accessing her money. The problem is, Andrea doesn’t know where Devin Chambers is, so she anonymously hires a private investigator to find her.”

“So why does she kill her? Why doesn’t she just take the money and hide it again?”

“Because if she did, Devin Chambers would have known she was still alive, and Devin Chambers was sleeping with Graham Strickland.”

“So you think she killed Devin Chambers?”

“Andrea’s counselor said it was possible that Andrea could be prone to violence if she became desperate. Devin Chambers, who she thought to be her friend, was sleeping with her husband, planning her death, and had access to the one thing Andrea Strickland had left—her trust fund. It’s a lead worth exploring,” Tracy said. “It’s worth having a conversation with the aunt about it. If Andrea is alive, the aunt is the person most likely to know where she is hiding. Look, Captain, think of it this way.” This was the argument Tracy thought might be most persuasive with Nolasco. After a recent hand slapping by OPA regarding questionable investigative techniques he and his partner, Floyd Hattie, had used during their careers working homicides, Nolasco still remained on thin ice. “Portland isn’t interested in these two cases and the DA won’t want to spend the money to prosecute Strickland if he’s convicted of killing Chen. We both know the brass and the bean counters look at the bottom line. So, we could have two open files on our docket through no fault of our own. This might allow us to solve both at the same time—where is Andrea Strickland and who killed Devin Chambers?”

Nolasco sat in silence, thinking about what she’d said. “How does Megan Chen fit into this scenario?”

“I don’t know,” Tracy said. “Maybe she does, maybe she doesn’t. As you said, that’s Portland’s problem at the moment.”

Nolasco rocked in his chair. After several moments he said, “Let me make a few phone calls. This is something I’m going to have to run up the flagpole.”

“One last thing,” she said.

“What?”

“The money has been moved. Andrea Strickland won’t be far behind it.”



Nolasco’s answer came late that afternoon in the form of an e-mail. It was the proverbial good news, bad news.

You have authorization to interview Andrea Strickland’s aunt regarding her knowledge concerning the certified birth certificate for Lynn Hoff. Pierce County desires to remain fully involved. Contact Stan Fields and coordinate travel and interview.

Tracy groaned. Traveling with Stan Fields was punishment enough.

Still, not even the thought of spending time with Fields could dampen her excitement—the feeling she got when she believed she was getting close to answers on one of her investigations. She immediately went online and booked a direct flight leaving Seattle the following morning at 5:55 a.m. and arriving at the Ontario, California, airport at 8:30 a.m. They’d have to rent a car, but they could be at Penny Orr’s apartment before 10:00 a.m.

She called Orr. “We may have a development in Andrea’s case,” she said, deliberately vague. “Will you be home tomorrow around ten to talk?”