Page 69 of Twice Missing
"Hey, uh, Noah. How long you got left?" McKenzie asked, his voice tight with tension.
"A few more minutes."
"You're going to need to cut it short. Someone's coming," McKenzie warned.
Noah's heart leapt into his throat. "Delay them."
"Delay?" McKenzie hissed incredulously.
"Tell them about that time you saw Nessie or you won the Highland log throwing competition."
"I didn't do either!"
"Lie, McKenzie. Lie!"
Noah turned back to the phone, his voice urgent. "Hey, bud, we need to speed this up."
"You know I can work magic, but even magic takes time," Rishi replied, the strain evident in his voice.
They were on the third phone, data still extracting, when Noah realized who McKenzie was speaking with — Oates. McKenzie was doing his best to stall, regaling Oates with increasingly outlandish tales, but the detective's patience was clearly wearing thin.
"Rishi?" Noah pleaded, panic rising in his chest.
"Nearly," came the tense reply.
"Shit."
With no choice left, Noah yanked the cord, disconnecting the phone before he knew if the data transfer was complete. He hastily ended the call with Rishi and shoved the phones back into their evidence bags just as Oates entered the room.
"Detective," Oates said, his tone sharp with suspicion.
Noah turned, forcing a calm expression onto his face as he held up the three bags. "Well, it's going to take some time to find out if these are stolen and what connection they might have to Kayla Bravebird or Emily Carter. The sooner you can get a judge to give us a warrant, the sooner we can see what they might hold."
Oates' gaze darted from Noah to the computer that was still on. "So what were you using the computer for?"
Noah's mind raced. "Oh. That. Yeah, to run a serial check, but then I recalled I couldn't access the site we use." He sighed, feigning frustration. "I'm so used to my system back at State."
Oates scrutinized him, clearly trying to see through the flimsy lie. After a moment that felt like an eternity, he held out his hand. "I'll return those."
Noah handed over the evidence bags, his heart pounding. "Appreciate it. Have you made any further headway with Marcus, the fire, and Jessica Moon?"
"No," Oates replied, his tone clipped. "But when I do, you'll be the first to know."
The way he spoke made it clear to Noah that this wouldn't be the case. It was just another example of how missing and murdered indigenous women cases were so often pushed aside, left to gather dust while families waited in vain for answers.
28
It was a simple matter of killing two birds with one stone.
While they waited for Rishi to get back to them on anything notable found on the phones, Noah headed for Massena. St. Regis Mohawk Reservation had health services, but the only hospital close to them was the RRH Massena Hospital. Jessica Moon had been rushed there along with her brother. Noah hoped they could pry out of Jessica more details surrounding her captivity, and anything that Marcus might have let slip in conversation while chatting to Jacob about the last time he saw Kayla.
Massena was a small town, population just over twelve thousand. As they drove in, Noah and McKenzie took in the sights. The town sat along the county's northern border, just south of the St. Lawrence River and the Three Nations Crossing of the Canada-United States border. It fell under the jurisdiction of St. Lawrence County State Police, one of the five counties that Noah’s branch covered.
The landscape was a mix of small-town charm and industrial practicality. Snow-covered streets were lined with a combination of quaint local businesses and more modern chain stores. In the distance, the massive aluminum plant that had long been the economic backbone of the community loomed against the gray winter sky.
As they drove through the town, Noah couldn't help but notice the mix of old and new. Historic buildings, remnants of Massena's industrial past, stood alongside more recent developments. The streets were relatively quiet, with only a handful of people braving the cold winter day to go about their business.
"It's interesting how close the reservation is to the border," McKenzie mused, breaking the silence. "The report said that Kayla's aunt Selena Lightfeather originally came from Akwesasne Reserve over the border in Canada."
