“Of course. I promise to contact you as soon as we learn more.”
Beth Ann thanked her and Ellie hung up. A second later, Deputy Landrum texted:
Each of the other girls had DUIs. Arresting officers were different though. And there’s no record that they were represented by Benton’s senior partner.
Dammit, that was a dead end. Ellie wanted to punch a wall. When the hell were they going to catch a break?
FIFTY-TWO
Mountain Brew
Derrick’s phone buzzed as he was studying his notes from the morning briefing meeting with Ellie. It was his partner at the Bureau, so he connected. “Bennett, thanks for calling me back.”
“No problem. I’ve been doing some background work and there is chatter about a possible baby-theft ring in Georgia.”
Derrick gritted his teeth and saw Tilly enter the café. She went to the counter to order coffee and he waved.
In spite of stringent security, vigilant training of employees, and a handful of undercover agents, human traffickers took advantage of Atlanta International Airport. “What ages are being targeted?”
“There’s one group focusing on teens for sex trafficking.”
Derrick shook his head. “Don’t think that’s connected to this case. Our teenage mothers were murdered. In the Benton case, the child is a toddler and is missing.”
“Right. We’re also investigating a possible child abduction ring selling the children into private adoptions.”
Derrick’s pulse jumped. “That might make sense.” Selling infants or children was often done for monetary purposes. Somepeople were desperate enough for a family to pay anything for a child. It was possible the people on the receiving end knew what was happening, but also possible they were unaware the child had been abducted.
The crow feathers didn’t fit the scenario of a man looking to make money though.
“Look into that,” Derrick said, although he sensed it was a long shot. They had to explore every avenue.
Each day that ticked by without a lead decreased chances Iris would ever be found.
He hung up as Tilly walked over. “Ready to head back?” he asked.
She nodded. “We can talk in the car.”
He gathered his notes and they walked out to the car together. On the drive to Crooked Creek, Derrick called Ellie, and he and Tilly filled her in on what they’d learned in Mystic.
“My partner is diving into the child abduction/adoption ring. If there’s a connection to Minnie and Iris, he’ll find it.”
“I hope so,” Ellie said. “Cord is looking into an ornithologist and an artist who uses feathers in his work. And earlier the witness who saw Minnie’s murder was found dead. He was shot in the back.”
“You think our unsub killed him to keep him from identifying him?”
“That’s exactly what I think.”
“Any evidence?”
“I left the ERT to process the scene and Dr. Whitefeather will keep us updated after the autopsy.” She made a low sound in her throat. “Although I think we’re dealing with one unsub, he didn’t leave crow feathers around Roman.”
“Interesting,” Derrick said. “But his motive was different there.”
“My thinking, too.” Ellie sighed. “Deputy Landrum did find one commonality between the girls. At one point, each of them was charged with a DUI. The senior partner at Benton’s law firm represented Minnie.”
“So Mr. Benton knew about the charge?”
“Yes. Benton didn’t just sweep it under the rug though. Minnie did community service. Guess he was trying to teach her a lesson. She also had to attend AA. Although court appointed, she may have wanted to stop drinking for her baby.” Ellie paused and Derrick heard her tapping her fingernails along the rim of her coffee mug. It was a nervous habit she had when she was thinking. “I’ll go to that AA meeting Minnie attended and see what I can find out.”
