"Zach said you still have intel resources."
"What do you need?”
He told me the full story and gave me a description of the assailant’s vehicle.
"You’re chasing the wrong thing," I said. "The white SUV is a dead end. It's probably stolen. If the cops find it, and the kidnappers are smart, they’ll have torched it. No trace DNA. From what you describe, these guys sound like pros.”
"So what do I do? I'm not a cop. I've watched a lot of cop shows, but I've never investigated a kidnapping."
"Leave it to the authorities.”
"They're not exactly on my side. They’re fixated on me, and they're not looking for anybody else. If this girl turns up dead somewhere, they’re gonna come looking for me. They’ve got enough circumstantial evidence to make my life miserable.”
“Have the kidnappers made any ransom demands? Have they given proof of life?”
“I’m out of the loop,” Eric said. “I don’t know what’s going on, but as far as I know, there hasn’t been a peep from the kidnappers.”
I exhaled and said, “Look, I need you to be straight with me. Did you have any involvement?”
“No. I swear.”
“If I help you, and it comes back to bite me...”
“It won’t.”
“Do you have the missing girl’s cellphone number?”
“No.”
“What about her old man’s?”
“No.”
“Tell me her name, and I’ll figure it out. In the meantime, do yourself a favor and stay out of trouble.”
“I’m trying, brother. I’m trying.”
I took the next few days to rest, recover, and clear my head. I looked into Eric’s dilemma and provided some intel.
Jack returned from his adventure, and we traded stories. His stories were better than mine.
The IT guys recovered the data from Stephanie’s laptop. Someone leaked it to the press, and Paris broke the story. The FDA launched a full investigation.
It was a few days later when the sheriff called. "Are you two nitwits feeling ready for duty?"
"Always," I said.
"Good. You’re not gonna believe what happened now.”
