The Vanishing Season (The Collector #4)(42)

“But we still can’t arrest them?” asks Gala.

“It’s suspicious, certainly, but it’s not proof that they took Brooklyn. Or arranged to have her taken, I should say, as the Smiths verified their whereabouts all day Thursday. They’ll keep us updated.”

Agent Dern delicately clears her throat. “Shall we begin?”

When Gala said she put Ian’s files together into a presentation, she was definitely underselling her work. She also pulled the addresses for each girl’s home and where she was last seen, with the usual routes marked out, included descriptions of the neighborhoods, and noted that each girl lived in a house in a mid-middle-class neighborhood rather than an apartment, mobile home, or mansion. It’s solid work, and I can see Yvonne fairly glowing with pride. Dern and Watts listen intently, their attention fixed equally on Ian and the PowerPoint. Dern also glances at Bran from time to time.

Realistically speaking, Agent Dern is the deciding vote here. Vic is not impartial when it comes to Eddison, and Watts is the one whose investigation could potentially be derailed if we pursue this. “Agent Sterling?”

“Yes, ma’am?”

Vic shakes his head, mouth silently forming ma’am.

“If we proceed in this direction, what would be your first action?”

“Get the full files for the other four girls and see what other commonalities jump out. Obviously, if the same person or people are in multiple cases, that’s a solid jump point, but the more information we have, the tighter we can filter the search to see if there are other victims.”

“Do you think there are other victims?”

“There would almost have to be.”

“Meaning?”

“Erin Bailey disappeared twenty-seven years ago, Faith Eddison twenty-five.” I can feel Bran’s habitual flinch against my knee. “But then Caitlyn went missing twenty-one years ago, Emma fifteen years ago, Andrea seven. If they were the only ones, why such a staggering difference in time between abductions? I’d also want to contact Agent Sachin Karwan.”

“He’s stationed in Omaha now,” Bran murmurs.

“Erin was his little sister’s best friend,” I continue. “If he’s looked into it on his own as an agent, using Bureau resources, he might have more information than what’s in the investigation file we can get from Chicago PD. It might not be enough to find Erin on its own, but it could help in combination with other things we discover.”

Gala, looking somewhat awed and terrified, looks over at Yvonne, who nods encouragingly. She gulps but sits up straight and squares her shoulders. “We can organize the data mining into rounds of searches,” she says, her voice a little squeaky. But she’s a brand new analyst brave enough to speak up in front of two team leaders, the unit chief, and the head of Internal Affairs. Only being a little squeaky is damn impressive. “It’ll be faster and more accurate than trying to create one cohesive algorithm.”

“How do you mean?” asks Watts, sliding Gala a protein bar.

I’m pretty sure Watts uses protein bars to give reassurance and demonstrate affection.

“Agent Sterling already has a national search on the physical descriptions,” she explains. “From there, we can filter it by time of year, keep everything in October and November, and discard the rest. Then we can sort out the middle-class neighborhoods of houses. By that point, the list should be more manageable, and we can start filtering by the details we’re not as sure of, like the fact that so far they’ve all been two-parent homes.”

“Why eliminate apartments or trailers entirely?”

“Apartments are too close together and it’s a lot harder to hide someone,” I answer. “Depending on the way the lease is written, the property owners could potentially give permission for police searches when a life is in imminent danger. Trailer parks, kids tend to form packs of a sort. They look out for each other, and they regard strangers with more hostility than kids with houses and yards and safe areas to play are going to. Even good trailer parks have a bit of us-against-them mentality. Kids would notice if there were people who didn’t belong. It’s also hard to hide someone in a trailer when people are searching for them. Upper-middle-class neighborhoods are often gated or security conscious, frequently with posted cameras. Lower-middle-class are likely to be in declining areas, where kids walk in groups because of their parents’ anxieties.”

Nodding slowly, Dern studies Gala over the top of her rose plastic-framed glasses. “That was very good work, Miss . . .”

“Andries?u,” Gala supplies, blushing.

“Miss Andries?u. Very well done.”

“So what do you think, Sam?” asks Vic. “Kathleen?”

Watts props her chin in her hand and looks at the screen, where the final slide of the presentation has the photos of all six girls in a two-by-three grid. It looks like the casting call for Heartwarming Blonde Girl in Hallmark Christmas Movie #6. “Our team has been down an analyst,” she says eventually, “but Rick’s back today from medical leave. He’s on half-days for the first month as he’s still recovering, so if we can steal a couple of analysts from the pool for him to direct, he can take over the Brooklyn-specific searching. Gala, Yvonne, and Eliza can head the research into the possible links, and as soon as we get proof it’s all connected, we reunite the cases.”