Page 46 of Deception

“I don’t imagine you got much sleep last night, so take a nap if you want to.”

“I wish. I can’t turn off my brain. Why did they stophere? Where’s the girl? Where were they going? Why would someone shoot her?” She turned to him. “You ever have that problem?”

“All the time.”

Her phone dinged with a message. “We must be back in cell phone range.” She checked her phone. Not a message but a voicemail from Allyson. Madison punched the playback button and put it on speaker.

“Call me when you get this. Interesting information on your Lindsey Tremont.”

“Maybe we’re finally getting somewhere,” Clayton said.

“I hope so. How long will we have reception?”

“Mount Locust is just ahead. There’s good reception at the maintenance building. I’ll pull in there.”

A few minutes later, Clayton pulled off the Trace and drove around to a low white building and parked. Madison hit redial and put the call on speaker. “What do you have?” she asked when the analyst answered.

“I emailed you the report. Didn’t you get it?”

“I’m on the road.” She didn’t want to try to read it on her phone. “What’s in it?”

“Lindsey Tremont grew up in Mobile, Alabama. Mother died from cancer, but the father is still living. And her DOB is the date you gave me.”

Madison’s heart almost stopped. That couldn’t be a coincidence. It was impossible to comprehend all that meant, and she pushed the information to the back of her mind. “Anything else?”

“I’m getting there, just setting the backdrop. Lindsey Tremont was a social worker until four years ago, when she died—killed in a car crash.”

“What?” Madison glanced at Clayton. He looked as puzzled as she felt. “Do you have a photo of her?” She wanted to make sure they were talking about the same person.

“It’s in the report.”

“Allyson, I don’t have the report.” She tried not to sound impatient. “Can you text it to me?”

“Give me a second. One thing you should know—about a month before she died, Tremont was the key player in bringing down a big human trafficking ring in the panhandle of Florida, and there was a contract on her life.”

Another piece to the puzzle. Within seconds her phone dinged, and she hit the home button and clicked on the photo in the analyst’s text. It was their patient, all right.

“I didn’t know you had a twin,” Allyson said.

“Neither did I,” she replied dryly and showed Clayton the photo. Anyone who knew Madison would assume it was her—like he had. “And Lindsey Tremont isn’t dead, at least she wasn’t a couple of hours ago.”

“So, what’s the story?”

“I’m not sure. When I am, I’ll fill you in.” Madison ended the call and slumped against the seat again. “Why can’t anything be simple?”

“You don’t really expect that, do you?” Clayton asked.

She liked the undercurrent of amusement in his voice. In fact, Madison could like everything about him.Get your mind back in the game.She straightened up. “No.”

“This is one of two things—either our Lindsey Tremont is in the WITSEC program and someone found her, or—”

“She was transporting a victim and she had a new bull’s-eye on her back.” Was Bri a victim of human trafficking? And did the person who shot Lindsey have Bri now?

Madison massaged her temples. It was easy to believe Lindsey was in the witness security program if she helped to shut down a human trafficking ring. She could see her changing her name, but why not change her looks as well? And why get involved in helping victims of human trafficking again?

Clayton pulled back onto the Trace. “Hopefully she’ll be up to telling us what’s going on when we get to the hospital.”

26

---