At first sight, the building appeared abandoned.
She pulled her flashlight and strode through the rooms, each one as empty and neglected as the other. Other than the faded sign in the weeds, there was no indication a business had everoperated here, much less recently. She checked the address on the sticky note Mabel had given her. She had the correct address.
Her pulse hammered as she realized this place might have never been an adoption agency.
Had Mabel known? Had she been aware the agency had given a false address or that it might be a front for a child abduction/adoption ring?
EIGHTY-SIX
Midnight Ridge
Cord and the search team combed the trail surrounding Midnight Ridge but found no signs of Lou Lou. He kept worrying about Ellie but doubted the madman who’d left those crow feathers at her house wouldn’t attack her during the day.
The bastard was most likely hiding out at the moment, avoiding the ridge for fear of being caught.
Cord hacked away more weeds as he searched the ravine, following Benji, who kept his nose to the ground. They’d found bodies all over the trail before, both on rescue and recovery missions, but with every section he searched, his anxiety mounted. The wind was ripping through the trees, tearing off twigs and limbs, the thinner trees bowing in the wind. A few snowflakes started to fall, fluttering from the sky and collecting on the tree branches.
There was no way a small child could survive these elements alone, especially without food, water or shelter. He used his radio to contact Milo. “Weather’s about to take a nasty turn. Have someone check every AT shelter in the area along with the old mines.” If Lou Lou’s abductor had been in a hurry, he couldbe hiding out in one of them or he might have left Lou Lou there while he took care of her mother.”
He shuddered at the thought of what the monster would do to Dana Jo, anger churning in his gut at the image of the man hurting a young girl or an innocent little child. He hadn’t always been on the right side of the law, but he lived by a code: protect women and children.
On their last case, Ellie learned that he’d helped cover up a crime when the Bramble girls were abused, and he’d helped them bury their father’s body. The girls had also been teenagers and old man Bramble had deserved to die. He had no remorse for what he’d done.
Although he hadn’t been up front with Ellie about his part in burying the man, she’d uncovered the truth. He’d expected to lose her over it, but she hadn’t abandoned him.
Would she leave him if she knew he had more blood on his hands?
EIGHTY-SEVEN
Bright Horizons
Ellie decided not to call the counseling center to warn Mabel she needed to talk again. She didn’t want to give her a heads-up that she’d discovered the adoption agency might be a front for illegal adoptions.
She needed the element of surprise on her side in order to get an honest reaction. Had Mabel known? Was she involved in the abductions?
She phoned Derrick on the drive back. “Anything happening up there?”
“No sign of the little girl or killer. Course it would help if we knew what he looked like.”
“I know,” Ellie agreed.
“The Believers are holding another vigil, this time for both children,” Derrick said.
Derrick’s grim voice resurrected the dread in her stomach that they were running out of time. “Hopefully their prayers will be answered. Listen, I talked to Mabel, a therapist who does prenatal and parenting counseling. She’s associated with Sanctuary House, where Minnie was living, and she counseledDana Jo Glasser, Nina Gillis and Jordan Orwell. There they discussed single parenting and whether to choose adoption.”
“But Dana Jo didn’t commit to adoption. She kept her daughter.”
“Yes, and if she remembers her attacker’s face, she could ID him.” Ellie pulled into the parking lot for Bright Horizons and parked. “Mabel gave me the address for the adoption agency where she refers clients. I just stopped there but the building was abandoned.”
Derrick made a low sound in his throat. “Was there a forwarding address?”
“No, in fact I don’t think the agency was ever housed there. The place hasn’t been used in probably a decade. You suggested we might be dealing with an illegal adoption ring and this could be their front.”
“True. Do you think Mabel knew or did the agency give Mabel a fake address?”
Ellie climbed from her Jeep, pulling her hood up as snowflakes fell in a white haze. “That’s what I’m about to find out. I’m going to question her now.”
“What’s the name of the agency?”
