Page 7 of All He Sees
Nicky: I'm doing well. Thank you! I'll let you know if I'm available to meet up in the next couple of weeks, but no promises. Work’s been busy.
Matt: Hey, no pressure, like I said. I just like knowing we can meet up again soon :)
He was saying no pressure, but Nicky couldn’t help but feel like she would be obligated to meet up with Matt eventually, even if work didn’t permit it. She wondered how long she could tell him she was busy before he started to expect more from her. Then it could be Fernando all over again. Nicky cringed when she remembered her short fling with her co-worker. She still regretted it. Romance, in general, was just not Nicky’s strong suit.
Not wanting to think about it anymore, Nicky put her phone away and looked out the plane window at the airport. Matt was a sweet guy, and of course they had history. But romance was the last thing Nicky needed right now. They hadn't taken off yet, but soon, they'd be in the air.
"Everything all right?" Ken asked. He had the files on his lap and was just opening them. He didn't look up as he asked her.
"Everything's fine," Nicky said. She gave Ken a weak smile. "I'm just worried about these girls."
"Yeah, me too," he said, flipping open the files. Nicky grabbed her file from her bag and opened it too. This was what she needed to focus on--not texts from anyone, even an important person from her past.
The plane rumbled beneath them as it began to take off. They sat in silence as the plane ascended, but Nicky was grateful for it--once they were in the air, she could relax a little. Once the windows showed nothing but blue, cloudless skies, Nicky felt herself relax. She focused on the files, flipping through the details of the case.
The most recent victim, Mira Phillips, was a twenty-one-year-old girl who was allegedly taken from her home. A neighbor--an elderly woman named Beverly--claimed to have heard the capture, although there was a note in the file that stated the source was questionable. Nicky made a mental note that she'd check in with Beverly and decide for herself. Mira didn't show up to work, and so she was reported missing.
She could be anywhere, really. But her striking resemblance to the previous missing girls couldn't be ignored. Whoever was taking them... he had a type.
Nicky leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes briefly. She had to admit, the flight was starting to get to her--the dull roar of the engines was a little too much. She opened her eyes, turned to Ken, and tentatively spoke.
“I can only imagine what this guy wants with these girls,” she said. “The fact that they all look similar is a… disturbing red flag to me.”
Ken sighed. "I don't even want to think about it," he said. "And that's why we have to stop this person."
"I know," Nicky said. "We have to find them, and we will. What do you make of all this?"
"I don't know yet." Ken had a firm expression as he read. "All the girls are around the same age--Clara was nineteen when she went missing, Erica was twenty-one, and Mira was also twenty-one. Seems like he's targeting young girls in general, but not particularly specific ages."
"Just young," Nicky noted. She thought on it. "Young, freckled... athletic-looking, judging by the pictures." She dug into Clara's file a bit more. Clara had been a star athlete at her high school--she was on the swim team.
She opened up Erica's file, flipping through the pages. Erica had been a basketball player at her high school.
Finally, she opened up Mira's file.
Track star.
"They're all athletes," Nicky noted.
"Athletes who look the same," Ken agreed.
"That has to be significant."
"I agree," Ken said. "I think that's why he's picking them. They're all trained to be physically fit, and these girls are all gorgeous enough to be models."
"Mira was a model, actually," Nicky said, pointing to a headshot in the file.
"Okay, but still," Ken said. "It's all about training. These girls know how to handle themselves. They're strong, and I bet they know how to defend themselves."
"I think you're right," Nicky agreed. "He wants strong girls, who are also attractive."
"So he can keep them," Ken said. "It's not just a snatch-and-grab. He wants to keep them."
They didn't have any bodies, so that was a real possibility. "It could be human trafficking," Nicky noted.
"It's possible," Ken said. "He could be doing anything with them. Even if it's not that, it's still kidnapping, which is bad enough. And we can't let him get away with it."
"No, we can't," Nicky agreed. "I've dealt with human trafficking cases in the past, and it's...not pretty."
