Page 15 of Deliverance

Izzy nodded.

“There’s a chance I could hack the new cameras Nathaniel Drake puts up if he denies us access,” Liam volunteered. “If he uses a closed system, that would be more difficult but not impossible if we can get onsite.”

“Let’s see how the meeting goes first,” I said. “I don’t want us taking risks if we can avoid them right now. Kingfisher will use any opportunity to strike.”

“Speaking of the rail yard…” Maya said, turning to Grace. “Do you remember anything about the night you were shot?”

Grace grimaced and shook her head. “The last thing I remember is thinking I heard a noise coming from behind a train car at the outskirts of the party, then sharp pain in my stomach. There are vague snippets of voices and the ambulance ride but nothing helpful.”

“Maybe she stumbled into a trafficking operation?” Izzy tapped her stylus against her chin.

“It’s possible,” I murmured. “But Judge Jefferson was involved in the trafficking as well, so he would have known it was a hotbed for college parties on Friday nights.”

“I don’t think so,” Danny disagreed. “What college kid tells their parents about parties?”

“That’s a good point,” I said.

It was a leap, but something told me the judge knew more about what his son was up to than we thought.

“The rail yards are the key here,” I continued. “How long has the trafficking been going on through the rail yard, though? And how come we never noticed it?”

“I know we’re beating ourselves up over missing it.” Izzy looked pointedly at me. “But it’s not like any of us have been leading quiet lives. We’ve been stretched thin since we started. We know now, and we’re going to do something about it.”

Her words were intended to be comforting. I knew that, but they did nothing to ease the heavy swirl of guilt in my stomach. How many women had passed through this city, terrified out of their minds, on their way to horrific destinations, and I had no idea? This was exactly the kind of thing I had created the Archers to protect against, and Kingfisher had infiltrated my city right under my nose.

Liam frowned. “I’ll have to look at the files on the judge’s computer. That will at least tell us how long they’ve been involved.”

“The judge and the director were involved, yes, but Kingfisher is the real mastermind here,” I said.

“Let’s reopen the Stephen Miller case,” I instructed. “Look at it through the lens that he was working for Kingfisher. If he supplied the girls, we may be able to figure out where he was keeping them.”

“Sebastian and I are going to work on tracking the truck from that night,” Liam said. “Traffic camera footage is spotty in some places, but maybe we’ll get lucky.”

We were going to need a lot more than luck to take down Kingfisher, but it was a start.

“I know we don’t want to involve my dad,” Maya said, “But maybe he can help by increasing patrols or something?”

I cocked my head. It wasn’t a bad idea, actually. “See if he can up patrols, for sure.”

Maya nodded. “I can also have him prepare a press briefing talking about the crackdown on human trafficking through the city.”

I bit my lip. I didn’t want to put a target on Detective Patel’s back. This was going to be a fine balance of going after Kingfisher and protecting the people I loved.

“He’s going to do it, regardless.” Maya read me a little too well. “This way, we control the narrative.”

“Public scrutiny may make Kingfisher back off for now,” Izzy agreed. “It could give us time to catch up to him.”

“Fine.” I gave in. “But make sure he understands the threat and that he and his men are extra careful.”

I looked at Grace; her face was pale and her eyes were heavy lidded. I couldn’t lose anyone in this fight. I wasn’t sure I would survive it.

“I think that’s good for now,” I said. “Alexander and I are meeting with Drake the day after tomorrow, so I’ll keep you all updated. Liam, check the judge’s hard drive and see if you can locate the truck that transported the girls. Izzy, I need a list of everything in HQ. You’re still meeting me tomorrow at the site?”

Matt had called this morning as I was getting ready to go to the hospital and said the remnants of HQ would be ready to go through tomorrow.

Izzy nodded. “I’ll have the list by the time we meet.”

“Maya, talk to your dad and explain the plan to him. Warn him to be careful and at the first sign of trouble, he should pull back.”