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“The physical evidence left at the crime scene suggests that the unsub has done this before,” Brook said as she turned to face them. “Until proven otherwise, we’ll be working off this profile.”
Sylvie was finally able to concentrate enough to send her message to Arden. If anything changed regarding the background information of the two missing persons, Bit would keep Arden in the loop. She kept her phone in hand, figuring the briefing was about to wrap up. It was going to be a long day, and she wanted to eat something hearty to last her. She appreciated the donuts, but she needed something that would stick to her ribs.
“Again, I’d like to stress to the three of you that you do not need to be here.” Brook was addressing Riggs, Dominic, and Jace. Erica shifted uneasily under the weight of such a harsh tone. Brook wasn’t one to cut anyone slack. “While your knowledge of the area would make the upcoming search easier on my team, we do have other resources.”
“Which would cost time and money,” Riggs interjected as he stood from his chair. “We’re here to volunteer our time to the case. We’ll see to it that your team is guided to abandoned structures that could potentially be a part of this investigation. Brook, may I speak to you in private?”
Sylvie’s phone vibrated in her hand, and she all but forced herself to look at the lighted display. The tension eased from her shoulders when she glimpsed Arden’s reply. He would monitor the software program they were using for any updates and proceed from there.
“Little T?”
“I know,” Sylvie said, acknowledging the concern in Bit’s voice. They’d already spoken about the fact that her father had been trying to reach her, and Bit had given her his thoughts on the subject. “I should just answer and get it over with, but I’m not ready, Bit. If the appeal that he filed finally gained some ground, his name is going to be plastered all over the news. I’m just not ready to deal with it.”
“Want me to dig around some?” Bit offered as he took one of the chocolate donuts from the box. “I’ll be discreet.”
“I appreciate the offer, but I’ll call my father when we’re back in the city,” Sylvie said with a half-smile of reassurance. Bit adjusted his knit hat higher up on his forehead. He tended to do so when he couldn’t come up with the right words for any given situation. “In the meantime, maybe I shouldn’t be the only one avoiding phone calls.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Bit replied defensively before taking a very large bite of his chocolate donut.
“Uh-huh.” Sylvie’s chair didn’t have wheels. She had to practically lift the wooden seat so that the legs wouldn’t squeak on the hardwood floor. “Bit, we talked about this last week. Sometimes our timing in life is just off, and other times we are presented with opportunities that we shouldn’t ignore. As your best friend, I’m telling you that you shouldn’t overlook what is right in front of you.”
Bit had recently met a young woman named Zoey Collins who shared his love of gaming. Sylvie hadn’t needed to be told the reason that he’d ignored all the signs the young woman had thrown his way. Only Sylvie had seen the way he would smile whenever Zoey texted about some random character or level in a video game. He truly enjoyed her company, and he shouldn’t be robbed of that just because of his feelings for Sylvie.
“Looks like it’s going to be you and me.” The interruption had been made by Riggs, who had made his way over to the table. He’d apparently spoken to Brook about whatever topic needed to be discussed in private. Sylvie focused her attention on Brook, who nodded her consent at the change in plans. “Jace can’t get started until around ten o’clock today, so Erica is going to be his partner. Brook thought it would be better for the two of us to head out in the next thirty minutes.”
“That will give me enough time to grab a bite to eat. I also need to pack the luminol that one of the forensic techs gave me last night,” Sylvie explained as she gave Bit a fist pump. “Thanks for the satellite phone, Bit. I’ll check in every hour.”
“If you see a grizzly bear, take a picture.”
Riggs gave Bit a rather perplexed look, but Sylvie waved a dismissive hand toward the deputy. Bit already had his headphones on and was bobbing his head to the music while finishing whatever code he’d been working on for his latest program to try and tie Luna Breen to the other two women.
“I’ll explain that grizzlies don’t usually stray this far east later,” Sylvie said with a smile. She turned her attention to her colleague, who just so happened to be walking their way after a brief discussion with Brook. “Theo, are you eating breakfast before we go?”
Theo was very conscious about his health, but he also ate everything in moderation. He’d enjoyed a glazed donut, along with his protein shake. Given that they were about to be outdoors and hiking over rough terrain, he’d make sure to eat something that would give him energy for many hours.
“I’m going to walk over to the diner and grab some oatmeal and a bowl of fruit. I’ll eat while we go over the old maps that Riggs brought with him. Brooks wants a copy of them before we head out. Want me to double the order? Triple?”
“I’ve already eaten, thanks,” Riggs replied when the last question had been aimed at him. Sylvie had already nodded her response. “I’ll spread the maps out on the table so that Sylvie can take pictures and forward them to Brook.”
Theo made his way over to Erica and the others to make the same breakfast offer. Sylvie was interested about one thing, so she stopped Riggs before he could leave and collect the maps.
“I’m curious, Riggs. I thought for sure the sheriff would be joining in on this briefing,” Sylvie said as she tucked her cell phone into the back pocket of her jeans. “Brook mentioned leaving Sheriff Jackson a message last night. Any particular reason that he’s not here?”
While the location hadn’t fallen under the jurisdiction of Sheriff Otto Jackson, surely someone in his position would want to be kept personally up to date due to the vicious nature of the crime scene. From Riggs’ hesitation on answering her question, all he’d managed to do was encourage Sylvie to run a background check on the man.
“We’re short-staffed, so the sheriff had to take a shift on patrol today.” Riggs shrugged, as if it was a common occurrence. “I’ll go grab those maps out of my backpack and meet you downstairs.”
Sylvie waited for Riggs to exit the room before turning around and motioning for Bit to remove his headphones. He pulled one ear off to the side.
“Run a background check on Sheriff Otto Jackson,” Sylvie instructed in a low voice. “If something pops, let Brook know immediately. Since I’ll be available by satellite phone only, don’t relay anything to me that shouldn’t be said in front of Riggs. Okay?”
“Got it, Little T.”
Sylvie turned to find Erica still on her cell phone, though the woman had quickly averted her gaze as she said something to whoever was on the other end of the line. She’d probably overheard the request, and Sylvie wasn’t appreciating the odd behavior several of the parties involved were displaying this morning. She made her way over to Brook, who had been monitoring Dominic and Jace’s departure with interest.
“I know that look.” Sylvie shifted so that she also had sight of the door. “What are you thinking, and why am I with Riggs instead of Jace?”
“Apparently, Jace owns the bait and tackle shop here in Moonshine Valley. Whoever was going to open the store this morning had car trouble on the way into town. It’ll be a couple of hours before Jace can get away.” Brook twisted the worry ring on her right hand, which wasn’t unusual. She had a tendency to do so when she was mulling over facts of a case. “I don’t have a good read on the unsub yet, but something tells me that he’d want to be close to this case. Nothing stands out in any of their background checks, but be careful when you’re up in those mountains.”
