“Wait.” Ben had been mulling over the partner, Tate Jenner. “See if you can find anything else on Tate Jenner and his wife, Lena. With all that’s happened seemingly connecting Brenda to what Scott was doing, let’s see if the same was being done with Jenner’s wife.” Then he gave his colleague a quick update on the news from Ginger York, the blonde from LAX.
“Thanks for the update,” Max said. “I’ll call when I have something.”
The call ended. This was all good information, but none of it was good news. Brenda was in way, way over her head here. So was Detective Shelton for that matter. His investigation was going nowhere because he was trusting Cummings to coordinate between local PD and places like Interpol.
Bottom line, Scott Devers had screwed up royally. Either that or he’d built a multilayered cover to hide what he was really doing. Had Tate been killed to take him out of play…so all was forfeited to Scott? That scenario was suddenly gaining momentum for Ben. Once he had something more to go on, he would move in that direction.
He rapped on the detective’s door before entering his office. Brenda was just signing the necessary paperwork. Good timing.
“We’ll get the Amber Alert going,” Shelton assured her. “As soon as we hear anything at all you’ll know.”
Ben made a curious face. “I haven’t seen your friend Agent Cummings around today. Should we be worried he’s disappeared as well?”
Shelton got to his feet, following Brenda’s lead. “Got no idea. The feds do what the feds do. You should know that.”
No question. “We all set?” Ben looked to Brenda.
She nodded. “I really need to go home right now.”
“Of course.” As they reached the door, Ben paused and glanced back at Shelton. “We’re counting on you to help us find Janey.”
Shelton nodded. “I’m on it.”
“Maybe,” Ben suggested, “you should check in with Agent Cummings’s superior. There’s something about him.” Ben shook his head. “I’m not sure he’s got your back, Shelton.”
The detective said nothing. When it all came out, he wouldn’t be able to say Ben hadn’t warned him.
The worst part about this case, Ben concluded, as they made their way out of the building, was the fact that so far they had found no one at all they dared to trust. Evidently Scott Devers was correct in warning his wife not to trust anyone.
Outside he went through the usual routine before they climbed into the car. It was tedious but unfortunately necessary.
“Did your colleague give you any news?” Brenda asked as they drove away from the police department.
“When we get to your house we’ll go over the details in the email Max sent me.”
“Then,” she said, staring at his profile, “I’m going out to find my daughter and I’m not going to stop until I do.”
“We’ll do it together,” he agreed.
He wouldn’t sleep again until he found her.
Chapter Eighteen
Devers Residence
White Street
Huntsville, 5:30 p.m.
The Amber Alert had been issued. The idea that her child was the missing child involved ripped her insides to shreds.
As difficult as it was, Brenda had to focus. To that end, she sat on a stool at the island and reviewed with Ben the information his colleague had sent. She had reached that place—the one where numbness and an overwhelming sense of disbelief had taken over. Her emotions were still there but they were impotent against the other…the unfeeling emptiness.
“Should we call Detective Shelton about what your friend found on Cummings?” At this point she was so far past expecting good news that she felt on the verge of a breakdown. She needed to find her child. This was her fault… She was the one who sent her away with Mallory. She should have kept her right here with her.
Her lips trembled, and she fought to hang on to the last vestiges of her composure.
All she wanted in this world was her child back. Safe and happy…the way she’d been the other night playing Barbie dolls.
