“But you have trade routes. After Helene, now it is prime for them to move in. Strange people, eighteen wheelers, large companies coming in to ‘help’ them, you name it, are in and out of the area at any given time. Most law enforcement agencies are still dealing with the aftermath of so many missing and the areasdevastated from the storm. It’s easy for them right now to build their spot in this area undetected. Especially with fear tactics. You guys are maybe twenty to thirty minutes from interstate forty, a huge traffic road they could easily get lost on.”
“Well shit,” Lt. Brown grumbled.
“She wasn’t killed here. She probably hasn’t been reported missing yet since she seems pretty fresh. The parents probably think she’s at a friend’s house and don’t know that she’s missing.”
“Well, aren’t you a lovely know-it-all!” Brewer seethed through clenched lips as he crushed his coffee cup in his hand.
“Watch it, Brewer. You’re already on thin ice,” Lt. Brown warned the man as he stepped forward.
CHAPTER
TWELVE
Jayson moved to stand in front of Lana, who had stood up as Brewer stepped her way as he crushed his coffee cup. “I would heed the Lt.’s warning, Brewer. I will beat your ass over messing with Lana.”
“You’re getting soft, Kenwood. Willing to hit a coworker for a piece of ass.”
“Jayson, ignore him. He’s in his feelings because he can’t get a rise out of me. Something tells me these missing girls aren’t his top priority. To him, if they got snatched, that’s their fault.” Lana stared Brewer down as his face got red with anger.
“You have a real smart mouth on you, girl,” Brewer growled angrily.
“Enough. You’re done, Brewer. Go the fuck home. I will deal with you later,” Lt. Brown warned the man, stepping in front of him.
“Or what, Lou?” Brewer dared to ask the man.
“Or you’re fired. Chief’s already breathing down my neck over you and your bullshit, this case, and a shit ton of other crap where you’re the fucking star of.”
“This is bullshit!” Brewer threw his cup at Jayson and stormed off.
Jayson wanted to react to the perceived threat that Brewer aimed Lana’s way. He knew him standing in front of her wasn’t the reason for Brewer being angry as hell.
Jayson knew how Brewer was and couldn’t stand the man. Even in high school, Brewer thought he was better than everyone else.
Jayson had to knock Brewer on his ass several times back when they were kids because he picked on the weaker ones. Jayson had always hated that bully shit.
Brewer tried to go after Jayson’s oldest brother, Ryan once, and got put on his tail by him as well. The Kenwood boys were raised to protect those weaker than them.
It was why they all served in the military like their father had. All three boys, Ryan, Jayson, and their baby brother served in the Army.
Brewer was a bully who thought women were weak. What set Brewer off today was Lana not giving him what he wanted.
She didn’t back down from him and had exposed him for what he really was to his male coworkers. Now, he was sent away like the child he usually acted like, which only seemed to make him angrier.
Jayson looked over at his Lt., who was watching Brewers angry retreat. Part of him was relieved that Brewer was gone, but the other half was worried about what he would do in his absence.
“Do you think they are making a play here?” Jayson asked, releasing the pent-up air from his lungs.
“It wouldn’t make sense, though,” Lt. Brown argued, using a hand to scratch his forehead.
“If the branding on this girl is the same as the ones I’ve seen in the past, then yes, and I agree with you to a point, Lt,” Lana answered both men matter-of-factly.
“You said earlier they were mostly a west coast issue?” Jayson went back to examine the body.
While Jayson listened to Lana explain her reasoning for what she believed they were dealing with the Soriano Army, he continued to examine the body and the way she was displayed. Once he was done taking several photos for the M.E. who had yet to arrive, with the camera the forensics team gave him, Jayson went about looking for the branding that the medical examiner had found on the other three bodies to see if this one was connected.
He didn’t know if he wanted this to be connected or if he wanted this to be a freak coincidence that she was found in the exact same manner as the other girls that they had found.
He didn’t think his town could handle the idea of a serial killer or a human trafficker here. Either way, they were all in for a nightmare either way they went.
