by Laura Scott
Sawyer was touched by his confession and had done everything in his power to make Joe proud. Including letting go of his anger toward the Preacher.
Naomi abruptly turned and buried her face in the hollow of his shoulder. Sobs racked her body, tears dampening his shirt. He held her close, wishing there was more he could do. Ignoring the desire to kiss her, he continued offering comfort and support until she’d pulled herself together.
She sniffled and pushed away, swiping at her face. “Sorry for blubbering.”
“No reason to apologize,” he assured her.
She shrugged and sniffed again. “I’m sure you have to get back to work, but will you call me when you hear something?”
“Yes, but keep your phone on, okay?”
She grimaced. “I will. And I’ll stay here, if that helps.”
“I only have another ninety minutes to go. I’ll swing by once I’m off duty.”
“I’d appreciate that, thanks.” Her expression was still ragged, but he admired her attempt to remain strong.
He pressed a chaste kiss to the top of her head and stood. “Hang in there, okay? I’ll be in touch soon.”
“I will.” She followed him to the door. He could feel her gaze on him as he slid behind the wheel of the squad.
Leaving her in the motel room wasn’t easy, and it occurred to him that he wouldn’t be able to stand having her spend the night here in the motel while he was sleeping twenty minutes outside of town in his cabin.
Yeah, he was in trouble. Big, big trouble.
And worst of all, he had no desire to be rescued.
As he merged into traffic, he heard another call come through the radio. It was the dispatcher calling him specifically.
“Dispatch, this is unit seven responding.”
“A fax came through with your name on it, Officer Murphy,” the dispatcher informed him.
He was glad to hear Naomi’s dentist had worked so fast. “Do me a favor and send a copy to Detective Turner and to the medical examiner’s office. The records belong to Kate Palmer, a missing sixteen-year-old girl from Dalton, Georgia. I need them compared to our unknown female.”
“I’ll take care of it,” the dispatcher assured him.
“Ten-four.” He hoped Naomi would get good news sooner rather than later.
The last hour of his shift passed in what felt like slow motion. He’d pulled over another speeder, but even that hadn’t helped make the time go by faster. Finally, it was close enough to four o’clock that he could return to the precinct.
The first thing he did was find Detective Turner. The guy was sitting at his desk, which irked Sawyer for some reason. “Detective? Did you get the dental records I sent?”
“Yeah.” Dewayne Turner sighed. “Thanks for getting them. I’m working as fast as I can.”
He was? Could have fooled him. Sawyer strove for patience. “I can help. Naomi Palmer has been searching for her sister, Kate. I can find out if her dental records are a match to the victim found earlier today.”
“That really isn’t your job,” Turner pointed out. Although Sawyer noticed he didn’t sound irritated by his butting into the case. “I haven’t heard anything from the ME’s office yet.”
Sawyer decided to tread softly. “Would you mind if I made a few phone calls?”
“I can’t stop you. I’m going through Louisa’s phone records.” Turner turned his gaze back to his computer. Phone records? Sawyer wanted to point out that doing that task was fruitless, but he held his tongue.
For now, he’d focus on giving their young female victim a name.
Sawyer returned to one of the general-use cubicles and picked up the phone. He dialed the ME’s office, relieved when someone quickly answered.
“This is Officer Murphy checking in on the ID for the unknown female victim found earlier today.”
“Uh, yes, officer. I see you sent dental records to compare to the victim. Unfortunately, the medical examiner hasn’t gotten to them yet. He’s still working on cause of death.”
Cause of death was important, but Sawyer doubted the ME would be able to say anything with certainty, considering the condition of the body. Yet the ME no doubt had a methodical approach to his work, one Sawyer didn’t want to mess around with.
“Any idea when he’ll have a chance to make the comparison? I have the sister of a missing teenager here, waiting to hear the news one way or the other.”
“Hopefully by the end of the day.”
It was better than he’d expected. “Thanks. If you don’t mind, I’ll check back later then.”
“Fine with me.”
Sawyer set his phone aside and sat back in his chair. He tried to understand what was going on with Turner. The guy had gotten the gold shield instead of Sawyer due to scoring two points higher on the detective’s exam and having nearly five years of seniority. Was it possible Turner wasn’t capable of doing the job? The guy seemed to be getting lost in the details instead of focusing on the big picture. It wasn’t as if dead bodies of young girls showed up on a regular basis. This was the first in the past eighteen months.
Something this serious usually took precedence over everything else. So why wasn’t Turner putting in a bigger effort to find out what happened? The guy hadn’t even bothered to talk to Naomi directly but had taken the information Sawyer had provided as if that was good enough.
Sawyer considered going to the lieutenant with his concerns but knew his boss would only reiterate his earlier order not to let this case become personal. And maybe he was. Louisa’s mother deserved his best work.
As did Naomi.
After drawing his hands over his face to combat a wave of exhaustion, he left the police station. Outside, he hesitated. Rather than using his squad, he crossed over to where he’d left his personal vehicle, a gray SUV. Using the squad to go back and forth to work was one of the few perks their boss readily allowed.
But after the intruder had shown up last night, Sawyer decided against using the same squad he’d been driving the past few days. The only way he could imagine being found was by the squad’s license plate number.
Using his personal SUV should help provide anonymity while he was on the road.
Unfortunately, the intruder already knew where he lived. Which made going back to the cabin a bad idea.
Or a good one, if he could find a way to set a trap.
He mulled over that idea as he returned to the motel. He stopped in the lobby long enough to get a second room, right next to Naomi’s. They weren’t connecting rooms, but it was better than nothing.
He entered his room first, checking the place out. The added bonus to having his own SUV was that he carried a change of clothing. His boss didn’t like his officers being in uniform while off duty. He grabbed his bag and quickly changed before going over to knock lightly on Naomi’s door.
“Any news?” she asked expectantly.
“Not yet.” Her face fell. “The medical examiner has your sister’s dental records. We will hopefully hear something in the next hour or so.”
“Okay, thanks.” Her attempt to smile was pathetic. “I haven’t been able to think of anything else,” she added in an apologetic tone. “I feel like I’m frozen in time. That I can’t move forward without knowing if that poor girl is Kate.”
“I understand.” He held up his room key. “I’m right next door if you need anything.”
“Really?” Her expression brightened. “You’re staying here too?”
He nodded. “Figured it was the least I could do.”
“Oh, Sawyer.” To his horror, her blue eyes filled with tears. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“Hey, don’t cry.” He awkwardly patted her back, feeling a bit at a loss. It was one thing for her to cry over her sister, but to cry because he’d done something she viewed as nice? He didn’t like that. “It’s my job to help find your sister. And to keep you safe.”
“I’m sorry.” She turned away and grabbed a tissue. S
he blew her nose, then added, “It’s been a rough day.”
“I know.” It was a bit early to eat dinner, but he thought it would be good for her to get out of the motel room. “Let’s find someplace to eat.”
Naomi hesitated, then nodded. “Okay, let me get my phone.”
“There’s a family restaurant across the street,” he said as she removed her phone from the charger.
“I know, I ate there for lunch.” She glanced at him. “I don’t mind going back.”
“Okay.” He preferred staying close to the motel. “We can walk, if you don’t mind.”
The restaurant wasn’t busy. He and Naomi were given a booth in the corner, and he sat where he could keep an eye on the door.
“I’m not that hungry,” Naomi said, glancing briefly at the menu.
“Try to eat something.” He didn’t want to call the ME’s office again until the hour was close to five o’clock. No sense in being a pest. “Keep up your strength.”
She wrinkled her nose. “I’ll try the soup, then.”
“How’s your headache?”
“Better, thanks.”
Once they’d ordered their meals, Naomi asked, “Is the medical examiner going to call you?”
“I’m supposed to check back at five.” He didn’t mention anything about his frustration with the detective. “They have my number as well.”
She stared down at her water for a long moment. “I keep going back and forth. If Kate is gone, I’d rather know now than be in limbo for years. But I don’t want to lose her, Sawyer.” She lifted her gaze to his. “She’s all the family I have left.”
It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her about his foster family, about how they’d lost touch after escaping the Preacher. His attention was diverted to his ringing phone.
“Murphy,” he answered. Naomi froze, her gaze boring into his.
“This is the ME’s office. Dr. Watterson wanted me to tell you the dental records you sent through earlier are not a match.”
“The dental records are not a match? Okay, thank you.” His shoulders sagged in relief. The unknown female victim wasn’t Kate. Or Louisa.
Which meant they had a third missing girl on their hands. Another victim of sex trafficking? Highly likely.
And their only suspects, Melvin Curtis and Naomi’s leering man, still haven’t been found.
Chapter Eleven
Not a match. The dead girl wasn’t her sister. Naomi was ashamed at the faint sense of disappointment she’d felt upon hearing the dead girl wasn’t Kate.
Of course, she didn’t want Kate to be dead. As she’d told Sawyer, her sister was the only family she had left. But she also didn’t want her sister to suffer. And logically Naomi knew the longer it took for them to find Kate, the less likely they’d succeed.
And the more her sister would suffer unspeakable sexual abuse.
It was impossible to imagine never knowing where Kate was. If her sister was alive or dead. Stuck in some horrible situation or had gotten free but had decided for some reason not to return home.
The myriad of emotions made her head hurt more than usual. She pushed the pain away to focus on Sawyer. “If the girl you found isn’t Kate or Louisa, then who is she?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know. I haven’t heard about another missing girl from the area, but it could very well be that the girl is missing from out of state. North Carolina or Georgia.” He shrugged. “Could be from anywhere, honestly, if East Ridge is indeed some sort of hub for sex traffickers.”
She abruptly straightened in her seat. “Shouldn’t the FBI be involved? If these girls are being trafficked across state lines, the crime would be prosecuted at a federal level, right?”
“Yes, it would. I need to discuss this with my boss. The detective on the case should already be in contact with the local FBI office here in Chattanooga considering you and your sister are both from Georgia. There are only a couple of lower level agents working here in town, the special agent in charge works out of the Knoxville office.”
“Maybe I should go to the local FBI office to talk with them directly,” she said, more to herself than to Sawyer.
“It’s too late today, but I can take you there tomorrow,” he offered.
Tomorrow was Friday, and she knew the office wasn’t likely open on the weekend. “Okay, that sounds good.” She fell silent as their server brought their meals. Her appetite had vanished, but she’d need to eat to keep up her strength.
When she realized Sawyer was waiting for her to pray, she clasped her hands together in her lap and bent her head. “Lord, we thank You for this food we are about to eat. And we ask You to show us the way to rescuing Kate and Louisa. Amen.”
To her surprise, Sawyer echoed, “Amen.”
She was humbled that he’d participated in her prayer and found her appetite had returned. She gratefully took a bite of her thick and tasty clam chowder.
“We need to find Melvin Curtis or the guy on the sketch,” Sawyer said softly.
She glanced up at him. “Do you think one of them is the gunman?”
“Yeah, I do. It’s the only thing that makes sense.” He took a large bite of his burger.
“I seem to be their target.” She stared out the window of the restaurant. They’d kidnapped her once, and she hated to admit how scary it would be to have them succeed in grabbing her a second time.
“No.” Sawyer’s tone was curt. “Don’t even think of setting yourself up as bait to draw them out.”
She pushed aside her fear. “I’m sure it would work fine if you and several police officers were hiding nearby, ready to take them down.”
“No way, Naomi.” Sawyer’s expression turned grim. “Setting something up would be more complicated than that. These guys aren’t stupid. They wouldn’t just come after you while you were sitting out in the open, that would be too obvious. And trying to set up something while you’re on the move at night would be incredibly risky.”
He had a point, but she was far from satisfied. “If not that, then what?” she asked in frustration. “There must be something we can do to catch them.”
Sawyer didn’t answer. She tried not to snap at him, but her patience was wearing thin.
Her sister was still missing. Naomi believed in God but knew that faith alone wasn’t going to get them through this.
God helps those who help themselves.
“What did you say?” Sawyer asked.
She glanced up in surprise. Had she said those words out loud? Flustered, she waved a hand. “God helps those who help themselves. Although the actual phrase from the Bible in the book of Psalms is: The Lord is with me; he is my helper.”
Sawyer stared at her for a long moment. “I’ve never heard that phrase before.”
She eyed him thoughtfully. “I know you’ve mentioned not believing in God, but it seems as if you’ve been exposed to some religion.”
“More like exposed to evil,” Sawyer said bluntly. “That foster home I mentioned? I lived there with six other kids with a man who called himself the Preacher. Only he was the exact opposite of what most people consider God to be like.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” She frowned and took another sip of her soup. “But if you actually read the Bible, you’d learn that God is kind, compassionate, and forgiving.”
“Forgiving?” He didn’t look convinced. “I doubt that.”
“Remember, God sent Jesus to die for our sins.” This was the second time he’d referred to some sins being too much for God to forgive. “And none of us are innocent.”
He didn’t say anything more but concentrated on his food. Still, she felt as if she may have gained some ground with him. It hurt that Sawyer didn’t believe he was good enough.
“Sawyer?”
He glanced up at her. “Yeah?”
“I’m sorry you had such a terrible experience with someone pretending to do God’s work, but I want you to know you’re the nicest guy I’ve ever met.”
&
nbsp; He glanced away, and she thought she noticed a dark flush creep into his cheeks. “You must not meet very many guys,” he said lightly. “Or you’re comparing me to the likes of Melvin Curtis and leering man.”
“That’s not true. I dated a guy named Tony Baldwin. He pressured me for more than I was comfortable with, then issued an ultimatum. Sleep with him or lose him. I walked away.”
Sawyer scowled. “He sounds like a jerk.”
She smiled. “He is, but you aren’t. That’s what I’m trying to say. Give yourself a break, Sawyer. No one is perfect, and God loves us anyway.”
“I’ll try.” It wasn’t a strong conviction, but it wasn’t a refusal either. She decided to believe Sawyer was taking a step in the right direction.
When they finished eating, Sawyer waved their server over to pay the bill. She pulled out some money, but he frowned and shook his head.
“My treat, Naomi. Save your money for the motel room and other necessities.”
More proof that Sawyer was a far better man than Tony Baldwin. Even while they were dating, Tony would sometimes ask her to pay, claiming he was short on cash. Yet she’d find out later that, after dropping her off at home, he’d gone to the bar with his friends.
Whatever. Tony wasn’t worth a minute of time. She was better off without him.
“Thank you for dinner.” She glanced over her shoulder as Sawyer held the door for her.
Clouds had gathered overhead while they’d eaten, bringing the threat of a thunderstorm. When Sawyer turned toward the motel, she put a hand on his arm to stop him.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, but I’d like to see the area where the girl’s body was found.”
He frowned. “That’s not a good idea. It’s still a crime scene.”
“We won’t do anything to harm evidence, but I keep thinking of the possibility that Kate managed to escape her captors. She could be held somewhere near the location of the dead girl.”