Kingston Kidnappings (What Happens In Vegas Book 3) by Matt Lincoln (great book club books .txt) 📗

“What’s wrong?” Wallace asked, clearly noting that something was off by Nelson’s demeanor.

“It’s about the children,” Nelson frowned. “They underwent some medical examinations as part of the standard procedure in the case of missing children. Thankfully, there were no signs of sexual or severe physical abuse, but upon close examination, something peculiar was found on one of the children’s ears.” Nelson held his phone out to Wallace, and I could see his eyes go wide with shock as he looked at whatever was on the photo. I stepped forward instinctively, curiosity taking over.

“Is that an earring?” I asked. The thing was so tiny it was difficult to make out the fine details.

“Yes,” Nelson replied gravely. “Do you recognize the design?” I wasn’t sure what he was talking about until he swiped to the next image to reveal a close-up shot of the earring. When he did, I almost gasped in shock. It was the same damned flower symbol we’d run into during the sex trafficking case in Japan nearly four months ago.

“No way,” Junior groaned as he leaned forward to get a glance at what was on the phone.

“I’m afraid so,” Nelson nodded. “That’s not all. There was something electronic inside of them.” He moved to the next picture. “The police aren’t sure what the purpose of the earrings was, though they suspect they might have functioned as bugs or even tracking devices at some point.”

“Let me see,” Fiona mumbled as she stepped forward to examine the image. She shook her head. “I can’t tell with just pictures. I’d have to examine it closer. Did they remove all the earrings?”

“I think so,” Nelson nodded. “Why?”

“Shoot,” Fiona groaned. “Removing them might have damaged them. If they were sending out some kind of audio or tracking signal, it might be impossible to trace now if certain components have been damaged.”

“We need to move quickly, then,” Wallace nodded. “Hills and Patel, head down to the police station. Patel can interview the children to see if they know anything about the earrings. Hills, bring the devices back here as quickly as you can so that Gardner can analyze them. In the meantime, Chapman and Castillo can head down to the hair salon. We need to find out if the supplier is someone who works at or frequents that establishment as soon as possible. Let’s go.”

We sprang into action then as all four of us quickly left the office and headed down to the parking lot. Once there, we split off into two different cars and headed off in separate directions as we each went to complete our tasks.

“You’re going to get yourself killed driving like that,” Patel admonished as I pulled into the police station just nine minutes after leaving the office.

“We don’t have time to waste,” I responded. “I need to get those earrings back to Fiona so she can figure out what they are.”

I stepped out of the car and moved hastily toward the entrance of the police station. A bell mounted above the door rang as I entered, and I looked around impatiently for someone to help us.

“Agent Patel and Agent Hills?” a young, fresh-faced officer in a crisply pressed uniform asked as he poked his head out of a side room.

“That’s us,” I answered.

“Great,” the young officer replied with a smile. “We were waiting for you. The kids are in a conference room at the end of the hall, and we have a small interrogation room set up for you if you need somewhere private to speak with them. The earrings are over in the evidence locker. I just need you to fill out some paperwork, and you’ll be good to go.”

“Thank you,” Patel nodded. “If you could get Agent Hills started with that paperwork and then show me to the conference room, then.”

“Not a problem,” the officer smiled cheerfully as he led us through a different set of doors and into a small office. He gestured at me to sit down before handing me a small stack of papers. “Just get those filled out while I show Agent Patel to the room, and I’ll be right back with the earrings.”

I rolled my eyes as soon as they walked away. I’d always hated all the dull clerical work and pointless bureaucratic crap that came with working in law enforcement. Here we were, trying to return missing kids to their families, and I was getting held up because I had to fill out some dumb papers. I filled them out without really reading them, adding dates and signatures where necessary. It was all just a formality to ensure that the perpetrators wouldn’t be able to call for a mistrial because of one misplaced piece of evidence. I finished just as the officer returned.

“Wow, finished already?” he asked as he handed me a cardboard box wrapped inside a thick plastic bag. “Great. Here’s the evidence. If you need anything else, don’t hesitate to contact us.”

“Sure,” I replied simply before walking briskly past him. His chipper attitude seemed so discordant to the situation at hand that it was making me feel uneasy. I knew he was just a young officer trying to be friendly, but I wasn’t in the mood for friendly chatter right now, and I felt relieved as I finally left the station with the box securely under one arm.

I realized as I started the car that Patel wouldn’t have a way back since we drove here together, but I would worry about that later. Right now, I needed to get these earrings to Fiona as soon as I could. The drive back took longer than it should have, all thanks to some idiot in front of me who spent half the drive staring at his phone as he drove. By the time I managed to pass him, I was furious. A small part of me wished I was still a cop just so I could have the pleasure of arresting him