Twenty minutes later, they watched as the crime scene techs started unpacking their gear. The lead tech, Angie Clark, walked their way. “Where do you want us to start?”
Todd trusted Angie, a smart and savvy pro, to conduct a thorough effort to find whatever was there.
“Caleb and I didn’t notice anything on the ground, but I found the backpack in the dumpster. Our Jane Doe was on the ground by the dumpster, which is why I looked inside it.”
“Okay.” She turned and looked at her assistant. “Chavez, you’re in.”
The kid grumbled but dutifully walked toward the dumpster.
“We’ll let you know what we find.” She gestured toward the backpack. “You taking that with you?”
“Yeah. We need to figure out who she is.”
“All right. Make sure you keep gloves on.”
“Yes, Mom.”
Angie rolled her eyes. “Get out of here and let us do our jobs.”
Back at the station, Caleb and Todd went straight to an empty interview room. Todd set the backpack on the table. “Let’s see what’s in this thing.”
Caleb leaned into the table. “If we’re lucky, there will be something that tells us who she is.”
“At least what school she attended. That’ll give us a thread to pull.” A quick perusal in the alley hadn’t shown a name in theusual places. He put on gloves and unzipped the bag. “Ready to make the inventory?”
“Yep.”
He pulled out a couple of spiral-bound notebooks and handed them to Caleb. Next was a pencil bag and a sweatshirt from Disney World. “Someone had enough money to take her on quite the trip.”
“Or she found it at a thrift store.”
“Spoil sport.” He liked imagining her having a grand adventure in Orlando. He fished around and pulled out an unopened water bottle and a handful of Kind bars. “Okay, she had some food.”
“Nothing so far indicates she planned to be gone for a long time.”
“Not yet.” He unzipped the small exterior pocket. “Paydirt. Here’s a school ID.” He looked at the photo of an unsmiling little girl. Her blonde hair was brushed and cut in a straight bob. Her green eyes were serious and focused. “Her name is Eliza Brandenberg.” He frowned at the small piece of plastic. “Should I know that name?”
Caleb reached for the ID, which Todd relinquished. “Doesn’t ring any bells, but it won’t take much to do a search. But not immediately tied to politics or a business family.”
“Why don’t you do that search, while I go to the school. See what I can learn there. Between the two of us, we can find out something about her.”
And maybe begin the process of reconnecting her with her family.
CHAPTER 8
The wind whipped through Bridget’s hair as she stood outside the ER entrance to Bryan Hospital. She pulled a hair tie from her pocket and pulled her hair back into a ponytail. She’d have to hope that looked okay as she tried to calm the butterflies rioting in her stomach.
Her phone buzzed, and she fought to ignore it as Logan gave Dani a thumbs-up from his position behind the tripod.
“We’re good.”
Dani nodded and extended the microphone toward Bridget. “What can you tell me about the girl you’re working with?”
“We have an unidentified Caucasian minor of approximately thirteen-years-old who was brought to this emergency room last night by an off-duty Lincoln police officer. She’s been unconscious since she was brought in, so we are actively looking for her family. She was found in the vicinity of Rosie’s bar and grill. If anyone has any information about her or believes she might be your daughter, please contact the Department of Children and Family Services so we can reunite you with her and obtain any pertinent medical information as soon as possible.”
“Are there any identifying marks on her that would help people determine whether they know her?”
Bridget paused, considering what she had seen. “She has a small birthmark on her neck by her left ear. It looks roughly like the shape of a heart. As I said, if you believe you know who this girl is, please get in contact with us right away. Thank you.”
