Chapter 22

TWENTY-TWO

Rattlesnake Creek

Beth's mind was moving in a thousand directions at once. She ran both hands through her hair and stood, needing to step away from the computer screen for five minutes. She'd been following threads of information on the dark web since arriving at the office, and the moment she believed she had a lead it vanished. The work was time-consuming and frustrating. More so was the death in custody of the man who had been arrested at the motel. He had been found in the exercise yard at County with a shank in his heart. The information had come as a shock to her. She understood the pedophile ring was widespread, with more people involved than she could possibly imagine, but for them to have acted so swiftly in removing a possible threat astonished her.

She filled a cup with coffee, added the fixings, and walked over to the window. From here she could see down Main and wondered where Styles had gotten to. He'd been gone for over an hour and usually when he took Bear for a walk he was back in fifteen minutes or so. He'd impressed her in the way he'd supported her after the incident at the motel. Her conscience was completely clear. She'd discharged her weapon in the course of duty and by the rules: the first and second being the immediate threat to life, and she'd followed procedure by aiming at central mass, and the third, she had no choice but to incapacitate with a head shot. Although, the sheriff had believed her to be incompetent by risking Styles' life by making that shot, Carter and Jo Wells had commended her. Her accuracy with firearms was on the record. She believed their reports and Wolfe's would go well with the director. Her only worry was that the assessment she'd expected earlier regarding her competence to continue in the FBI had never eventuated. Mainly because Styles had made favorable reports about her and made no secret that he appreciated her working with him.

She caught sight of Styles walking along the sidewalk carrying a heavy bag. Bear loped along beside him, tail wagging. That dog was always happy. He had accepted her into his family without reservation and made it his duty to guard and protect her. She'd had absolutely nothing to do with a Belgian Malinois before and had listened to Styles' intriguing account of how they'd been thrown together. The dogs being loyal to their owners, Bear was found clinging to life, beside his fatally wounded handler during a mission. Styles had carried Bear miles to get him treatment and retired from service soon after. His request to allow Bear to retire with him had been accepted and they'd been inseparable ever since. She recalled Styles telling her about his marriage breakdown. Going through what he endured, at least he had Bear. She straightened and turned away from the window. She wished she'd had a Bear in her life as a child—maybe she'd be normal.

Beth went back to her desk and continued to dig deep into Shoebridge's files. He'd been proficient in his file cleanup but not perfect, and it was the imperfections she could exploit. She pulled a line of data from the stream and followed it. To her surprise, it opened up a page of data. She swallowed hard. She'd stumbled into a fraction of the kingpin's files. There were lists of auction dates, activities that came close to troop movements. She'd no idea how far-reaching this organization had spread. She checked the data again, following tiny fragments. Everything she found screamed out it was centered in the US. It spread across the globe, but the main players were in every state. She downloaded the data to her thumb drive and went back to make sure no one could trace her movements and leaned back in her chair. Her heart pounded. No wonder they wanted her dead. They'd discovered her name and by now they'd know her capabilities in cybercrime. For them, she'd just become enemy number one.

The door opened and Bear bounded inside and nudged her leg. "Hello, Bear. Where have you been? Your nose is like ice."

"We went to see Cash and his new assistant by the name of Amber Lane. Just out of college but as smart as a whip." Styles held up the bag. "I dropped by TJ's and picked up some takeout. As you've had your head stuck in the computer all day, I figured you'd appreciate a bite to eat."

Smiling, Beth picked up her coffee cup and followed him to the kitchenette. "I would, thank you. One thing before we start rehashing the case again: have you heard anything on the grapevine about me? I mean, there was supposed to be another review of my competence and now I'm involved in a shooting. Should I be packing my bags?"

"Heavens no." Styles dropped the bag on the counter and stared at her. "I spoke to the director when we got to the hotel. I gave him a verbal report and he'd received reports on our debriefing. I explained the situation and I commended you on your action under extreme stress. He was very impressed. I also told him I need you here on this case."

Swallowing hard, Beth looked at him. "What did he say?"

"Well, actually he said I could keep you here as long as I wanted and that you'd obviously found your niche in life." Styles unpacked the bag, spreading the food along the counter. He glanced at her. "I hope that's what you wanted?"

Inhaling the aroma of hot food, Beth smiled. "I've never been happier than working with you and Bear."

"That's good because I love having you around, Beth." Styles flashed her a white grin. "I've forgotten what it's like to be lonely."

Contented, Beth returned his smile. "Me too." She sighed, wanting to continue the conversation on how much he loved having her around, but that would have to wait for another time. Over a long dinner at TJ's maybe? She flicked him a glance. "Now, what other news do you have? You've been gone forever, so something must be brewing in town."

When he explained about the missing girl, Beth's heart missed a beat. "So I gather they have a full search underway? Do you know when she was last seen?"

"Yeah, when she left school. It's been twenty-four hours." Styles frowned. "There's no sign of her anywhere. She's vanished without a trace."