Vanishing Girls (Detective Josie Quinn #1)(76)

“They’re here,” Josie called to Rena, her voice losing all trace of calm. “They’re here!”

Rena sat back in her chair in the kitchen. “I’ll be right back,” Josie told her.

Josie never would have thought she’d feel such joy at seeing Trinity Payne, but she had to work hard not to fall into her arms as she emerged from her Honda. She stood a few feet back from Trinity, trying to smile but already feeling her composure cracking. Her shoulders quaked as all around them FBI agents began to alight from their vehicles and jog over.

“Thank you,” Josie told Trinity.

For once Trinity’s face was devoid of its usual eagle-eyed scrutiny. “You don’t look so good,” she replied.

The passenger-side door of the Honda opened and Noah stepped out. His right shoulder was heavily bandaged and his right arm rested in a sling. He looked pale and exhausted, bags hanging below his eyes. “Detective Quinn,” he said.

“Noah,” Josie choked. She wiped tears away with the backs of her hands. “I’m sorry I shot you.”

He managed a weak smile. “All is forgiven,” he said.

A tall male agent in a charcoal-gray suit stepped up beside Josie. He was easily six foot four, and thin as a rail. He was nearing sixty, his short hair a drab gray. Trinity looked from him to Josie and said, “This is Special Agent Marcus Holcomb. He’ll be heading up this investigation.”

Josie shook his hand. “Let me show you what we’ve got.”





Chapter Sixty-Six





Josie spent two hours on the scene with Holcomb, leading his team to the bunker and giving him her version of events. As she grew more and more exhausted, Holcomb suggested that she let his team transport her to the hospital to be checked out and then to a hotel to get cleaned up, eat something, and get some rest. He put a female agent with her. Josie was grateful for the company. The last thing she wanted was to be alone.

Once at the hotel she thought she wouldn’t be able to sleep, but after a shower and two painkillers she fell into a dreamless slumber. They let her sleep until early the next morning, but then it was time to get back to work. The FBI needed to know everything she knew in as much detail as she could give. The female agent set up an impromptu interview area in the hotel room, recording Josie’s lengthy statement while Holcomb remained at the Gosnells’, overseeing everything.

Josie was told that Rena Garry had been transferred to Geisinger Medical Center under guard. Josie was allowed to contact Carrieann to let her know that she was safe and to arrange for the FBI to take custody of June and Lara Spencer. There had been no change in Luke’s condition. Josie was relieved, but disappointed. She needed Luke now, more than ever.

Noah and Trinity were allowed access to Josie at the hotel. It was Noah who told her that they still had not found Isabelle Coleman. “There are some graves up there,” he said. “Some relatively fresh ones, but none fresh enough to be Coleman.”

Josie shivered. “Gosnell and his father have been at this for decades. Noah, there could be a hundred bodies up there.”

Noah sat down beside her at the foot of her hotel bed. “I know,” he said. “Listen, I didn’t get the chance to tell you, but I’m sorry about Ray.”

She stared at the threads of the carpet beneath her sneakered feet. Maroon, mauve and more shades of pink than she could count. “Ray knew,” she whispered. “He knew they were doing something bad up there, and he didn’t try to stop it.”

“But he was still your husband,” Noah offered.

All she could manage was a stiff nod.

“Josie,” he said. “There are a couple of things. Gosnell had videos—”

“I know,” she said. “He told me.”

She glanced up in time to see Noah’s grimace. “Holcomb wants us to review them with him. We need to ID as many of the men in them as possible. If this goes as far as you think, it’s going to be a delicate operation rounding up all these assholes without tipping them off first.”

“Did Trinity run the story I suggested?”

“Yeah. She had to get her producer and the station to agree, but Holcomb worked that out pretty quickly.”

Josie smiled. “Wonder what he promised her. Trinity doesn’t do anything for nothing.”

Noah shrugged. “She’s not so bad.”

The story that Josie had suggested was that both Gosnell and Chief Harris were alive and well and assisting the FBI in an investigation into a cache of illegal drugs found on Gosnell’s property, including a meth lab being run out of the old house on the back end of the land. Josie had suggested they take footage of the FBI appearing to search Josie’s great-grandparents’ old house. It was far enough away from the bunker that it might keep Gosnell’s regular customers from panicking. The fake story would keep Gosnell’s associates from coming onto the property but also keep them from fleeing. Still, Josie knew there would be a lot of nervous men in Denton and the surrounding counties. Based on what Ray had told her, they knew without watching any tapes that Dusty was involved.

“Did Holcomb get Dusty?” she asked.

“He’s cooperating fully,” Noah said. “I think he’s trying to work out some kind of deal. Holcomb barely said two words and he was rolling over like a goddamn dog in heat, ready to give everything up.”