Page 75 of Her Final Hours
She then placed a comforting hand on his arm. She knew the pain and confusion he was experiencing and wished she could offer more than just words of support. “You’ll get her back, Noah,” she said. He nodded, appreciating the words, even if his mind remained uncertain. He looked out at the whiteout conditions, the storm raging outside. The severity of it all amplified his determination to bring an end to this.
Changing gears, Noah focused on the task at hand. “Are you good with a rifle from a long distance?” he asked.
Alicia met his gaze. “I’m a game warden. What do youthink?” she replied, confidence seeping into her voice. She knew that her skills would be put to the test.
Noah nodded approvingly. “Good. I may need your expertise. But first, let’s wake the girl. It’s time to leave.”
Together they returned to the spare room where the girl was still sleeping, unaware of the turmoil unfolding. Alicia crouched and gently shook her shoulder, urging her to wake. The girl stirred, her eyes fluttering open; the confusion was evident in her expression.
“Hey, it’s time to go. You’re going to Dr. Blake’s home today.”
The girl blinked and glanced at Noah waiting in the doorway. There was a mixture of fear and trust in her eyes. “Why do I have to leave?” she asked softly.
Noah took a second to choose his words carefully. He knew every decision he made from here on out would impact their chance of success. “You’ll be protected there,” he replied, his words holding compassion yet at the same time, a sense of betrayal. Her life mattered as much as Mia’s. The thought of turning her over and walking away, trusting these animals to follow through on their end, had plagued him since leaving that morning. He’d wanted to do a different exchange. Something that would place the abductor at risk. Something that would draw him out but one wrong word, and it could mean the end of Mia. He didn’t think he could come back from that.
Alicia extended her hand. “You trust me, yes?” she asked. The girl nodded. “Then you can trust him. He’s going to do everything he can to keep you safe.”
The girl studied his face, searching for sincerity. After a brief pause, she got out of bed. Alicia’s words cut through him. Negotiating with criminals never ended well. Noah felt like he was about to lead a lamb to the slaughter.
27
Thursday, March 22, 8:21 a.m.
“He lied!” McKenzie said after tossing a file folder on the desk in front of Callie. He sank into a rolling chair and took a large bite of an apple.
Callie’s brow furrowed. She removed the file and set it to one side.
Her mind was occupied by research she’d been conducting surrounding the evidence, witness statements, and hypnosis information gathered after Payton’s abduction.
“Did you not hear what I said?”
“Can’t you see I’m busy?”
“Looks to me like Rishi is doing all the work. But, hey, that’s always the way, right, Rishi? Outsourcing overseas to your country is old school. Not us. We’re inclusive in this office. We’ve got to raise those diversity numbers. Actually, did you see the new recruiting brochures, Thorne? On the front cover, there is one Indian gal, one black guy, one Asian, and one white woman;heck, what’s next? Rainbow-style police uniforms?” He chuckled.
Rishi glanced over his shoulder at him, unamused, as he removed his glasses.
“You are aware I was born in America,” Rishi said.
“You’re shitting me. With that accent?”
“New Jersey,” Rishi replied.
“Ah, yeah, I can see that. I heard they have some good Indian restaurants. So, what… you didn’t want to follow in your daddy’s footsteps?”
Rishi scowled. “He was an accountant.”
“For an Indian restaurant?”
“No, for Goldman Sachs.”
Callie rolled her eyes; racism wasn’t McKenzie’s issue, ignorance was.
After returning from the abysmal meeting with Caleb Mitchell, she’d retreated into Rishi Gupta’s office, a NASA-style abode full of flickering screens. He had been running an NCIC offline search in and out of state on the vehicle information gleaned from the past. So far, they’d had little luck, so she was wading through several reports and following up with witnesses by phone. She figured it would be easier than enduring another awkward meeting with the Scotsman.
He took another large and annoying bite of his apple. “Sutherland not in yet?”
“No. He’s dropping the girl off this morning.”
