Page 74 of Intangible
He had been a good guy to work with. The agent didn’t seem to exhibit any of the superiority complex that Knox had run into in the past, he even bent over backward to access any information Knox had asked for to further the case along. He had immediately pulled up the satellite footage of Memphis and the surrounding area when they had gone missing without question.
“On what you’re doing here,” Knox answered. Dex took another sip of his coffee, watching Knox over the rim of the cup. It was obvious the man wanted something, but instead, he simply cleared his throat.
“How has Miss Kent, or should I say Mrs. Prescott, been? I understand congratulations are in order,” the agent said. He absently stroked Harry’s head where it had come to rest on his lap the moment the man sat down. “She married the man you were working with to find her? Memphis wasn’t it?”
Knox narrowed his eyes at him, he knew this man forgot nothing and knew damn well what Memphis’ name was as well as the role he played in the entire affair. Although he had held up his end of the bargain and kept Memphis’ name out of the official records.
“They were married a week ago.” Knox motioned to the waitress for a refill. Settling in a little more to his seat, he prepared for what was beginning to look like a slow process. “So what brings you to Connecticut, Agent Tanaka? Or am I just on the receiving end of a social call?” he asked.
“Dex, please.” Dex took another sip of his coffee, looking out over the river. To Knox, it looked like the man was trying to organize what he wanted to say in his mind. “I’ve tracked you down to ask for a favor. I need someone with certain… shall we say… abilities that aren’t obstructed by bureaucratic scrutiny.”
“That sounds like a favor a sane man should run from,” Knox responded, watching a Coast Guard training boat pass by on its way to the sound. “Of course, I’ve never been accused of being sane.” With a slight twitch to the corner of Dex’s mouth, he turned toward Knox.
“That’s what I’m counting on,” he answered, taking another swallow of his coffee.
“About a month ago, I was made aware of a young woman who had been abducted off the street. When I looked into it, even though the local police told me she was just a troubled girl who ran away from home on a regular basis, something didn’t quite add up. She would always eventually turn up at home after a short while or stay with a relative until things had simmered down.
“Her father agreed that she was troubled, but that in the past, she had always contacted him to let him know she was okay. I guess a runaway with a conscience, I don’t know.”
“You want me to go hunt for a runaway in D.C., Agent Tanaka?” Knox asked with a scowl. He couldn’t imagine why his abilities would be needed for that.
“Dex. That’s just it. I believe she wasn’t a runaway this time. I started pulling files of known missing runaways in the area. Many of them, of course, wound up in the morgue or hospital or simply showed back up at home. But there is a significant number who simply vanished—enough to raise questions in my mind.”
Dex reached down into the attaché case sitting at his feet, pulling out a small stack of files.
“The local police aren’t very motivated to follow the few vague leads I’ve managed to put together, nor are my superiors. Mr. Monroe, I believe these girls are being kidnapped to be sold. I’ve managed to find a very thin trail that leads to the Houston area. It’s nothing I can point to as proof, just a trail of guesses.”
Knox took one of the folders off of the stack Dex had placed on the table. Flipping it open, he looked into the obstinate eyes of a girl in her teens. She looked like a typical rebellious teenager with her green-tipped hair and dark eyeliner.
He remembered the days of being stuck at fifteen years old. The kids teased anyone who was different from them until you learned to wrap yourself in a bad attitude just to get through the day. He had been much taller than the other kids and rail-thin with a single hippie mother and a dad who had been a one-night stand.
Looking back at the picture attached to the first folder, he thought about how he had been given the chance to grow up. He had made something good of himself with the help of that same hippie mom.
This girl deserved the opportunity to grow up too, with the help of a concerned parent, to be something good. He studied the file for a few minutes more before slowly closing it.
“So, what do you need me to do?” he asked. Dex reached back into his bag, pulling out a set of wristbands in an evidence bag.
“Her father said she never went anywhere without these until she disappeared.” He handed the bag to Knox. “It’s part of why he knew something was very wrong. Her mother gave her the set for Christmas right before she passed away.”
Knox sat silently holding the bag as he stared at the leather bracelets. Fuck, this story just kept getting worse.
“I thought maybe you’d talk to your brother, see if he can find any trace of her.” Knox’s gaze snapped to Dex in surprise. “Yeah, I know he’s your half brother. I also know he has a rare gift for finding people. It pays to pay attention in my business, you never know when a piece of information may prove useful.”
“Do you think she’s still in the country?” Knox asked, looking back down at the picture he still held. If it meant guaranteeing the agent kept his brother’s gift a secret, he would agree to anything.
“I don’t know, but if there is a trafficking ring snatching girls off the streets of D.C., I need to stop it before anyone else is taken.”
Looking at Dex’s determined face, Knox nodded once before closing the folder.
“I’ll leave for Memphis’ home in Minnesota tonight, but there is one condition,” Knox stated, glaring at Dex. With a nod, Dex motioned him to continue. “No one finds out Memphis is involved.”
“I remember and I understand why. You have my word that I will keep his name far away from this. I would not want to jeopardize his life if the wrong people found out about him any more than you would.”
“I will hold you to that,” Knox growled, leaving no doubt that retribution would be swift if he ever found out otherwise. Between the two of them, Memphis had much more to lose if he fell into the wrong hands.
“It should take me a solid day to get there, I’ll let you know as soon as I have anything to report.” Standing up, he gathered up the folders, tucking them under his arm. Shaking Dex’s hand, he grabbed Harry’s leash before heading back down the river.
“Knox,” Dex called out to him before he got too far. “I’ll keep following the few leads I have here. Thank you… sincerely.” Knox nodded again at him then set a brisk pace for home.
