CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
JAKE
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Ilean back in my chairand blow out my breath.Thomas, Liam, Josh and I have spent hours in the boardroom combing through the information from the FBI and brainstorming.
I decide to share my final one.
“Caylee works for the orthodontist in the area as his assistant.Louisa Brown was a patient,” I say, and Josh lifts his gaze from his tablet, studying me.
I tap my pen on the notepad I’ve been scribbling on casually despite the built-up coil inside.
It can’t just be a coincidence.
The more I think about it, the more I can piece together some puzzle pieces and make them fit.But that’s not how these things work.Especially when you only have small amounts of information.
We don’t know anything about Brad.
But after learning more about these cases, I knew I had to speak up.
“Did she see something?”
“Wait, she ran off the day we saw her.”Liam quickly connects the dots.“Shit...I thought she was eager to get away from you.”
“Thanks, man.”I roll my eyes.
Thomas laughs.
“But yeah, it was the same time, roughly, as when Louisa Rockfield went missing.”
Josh slides his device away an inch.“Keep talking.”
“I think we should investigate Caylee’s boss.He was allegedly at the clinic when she disappeared, but if no one has been questioned, we can’t know for sure.”
Not that he would have been the one picking the kid off the streets.But it’s also not a good enough reason to not look into him further.
These people are smart and resourceful.
A high-earning dentist would be.
“Jesus.Let me crosscheck this.”Thomas starts banging on his keyboard.“What’s his name?”
“Doctor Thornton.Brad Thornton,” I reply and almost groan out loud when Cole walks past the door and comes to a screaming halt.
He heard his sister’s boss’s name.
“What’s going on?”Cole shoulders through the doorframe and casts his eyes around the room.They darken as they pass me.
I look to Josh for direction.This project is highly classified, and only a few people have been briefed.Behind his blank expression, I can see the clogs ticking.
“A girl went missing near your sister’s workplace this week,” Josh finally shares.
