Her boss frowned. “We still don’t have an exact list of everything missing from the most recent target let alone the Coatneys two weeks prior to that.”
“No. At first, I thought this was about murder and a grab at millions. The Duvalls’ personal bank accounts have been drained. And they lost ten million in Bitcoin. That’s not easy to do unless the Duvalls just handed over the keys to their crypto accounts.”
“Or were persuaded by being tortured then killed.”
“Or that. Yeah.” The killer enjoyed blood-letting a little too much.
“I know we’re still waiting on information to come back from the banks and exchanges.” The Coatneys’ standing finances remained a mystery. Grimshaw checked her notes. “But we do know the first victims are floating zeros. All the accounts we’ve subpoenaed are empty. CMAs, reserves, Bitcoin, zip.”
Jane nodded. “My bet is we’ll eventually find the same with the Coatneys and the Strands. The killer tortured the passwords out ofthe family during the robberies. But after talking with Lisa upstairs, I think our thieves are after more than just money.”
“What exactly?”
“I don’t know. Private data our victims had that might or might not relate to the Collective.” She’d already explained yesterday what she’d found in the notebook that she’d handed off to one of their experts for analysis. “I’m looking into it.”
“I haven’t heard anything about a Collective in any of the other cases we have open. We know the Duvalls had a government contract, but the Coatneys didn’t. The Strands might. They were in tech as well. Run that down.”
“I’m already on it.”
“With as much as the three dead families held, we’re talking millions of dollars we might need to track down.”
“I know. Forensics is working on it. I wish we didn’t have to wait on the subpoenas.” They’d already been issued, but the institutions being questioned needed time to gather data. Jane would much rather question subjects than banks. All the money talk gave her a headache.
Grimshaw too, apparently, as she rubbed her eyes. “We’re still no closer to finding the missing pets?”
“No.” Jane frowned. “You know what’s also weird? Karen Duvall had nearly half a million in jewelry that remained untouched. I really hope I’m wrong about the killer being after more than money.”
Grimshaw scowled. “With our luck, he’s stolen sensitive data that’s vital to national security. Who knows how bad this is going to get?”
“Well, the notebook I found at the Strand house mentions the Collective and connects all three families. That’s where I’m focusing the investigation.”
“Good. Learn all you can and keep me updated. I’ll let Haversham know. We’re getting a lot of questions from above.”
Jane swallowed her frustration. She loved solving crimes, butthese big cases brought too much attention, which led to too many detectives muddying up the crime scenes.
Grimshaw studied her. “Get out of here. Don’t worry. I’ll keep them off your back as long as I can. But Jane, get us something to work with. I agree that this killer isn’t going to stop until we stop him. The poor victims he brutalized are a testament to that. Find him. And fast.”
“I’ll do my best.” Jane left and stopped at her desk to pull her service weapon. She tucked it into her waist holster and grabbed her jacket and wallet. Not wanting to take a purse, she put the wallet in her pocket.No Birken for me.
Jenn, seated at her desk, leaned over and smiled. “Hey, thanks for that info your CI gave me. We managed to track down a suspect last seen with one of my vics. The suspect’s affiliated.”
A gang. No surprise there.
“Good. You’re rounding him up?”
“Yep. Just as soon as I nail down a few more details, we’re hitting them hard.” Jenn paused. “I hope we find the girl’s sister alive.”
And not too mentally or spiritually damaged. “Your girl Lisa made my brain nearly explode with all the crypto talk.”
Jenn grinned. “She’s good like that. Get her talking aboutLove at First Sightand it’s a much better conversation.”
“What?”
“Never mind. Go read a book or something, nerd.”
“I hate to break it to you, but reading a book isn’t something to be ashamed of.”
“Ha. Whatever.”
