Page 23 of Avenging Angel

My eyes dart to my side, where Angel sits with pursed lips. “Um. About that. Angel resigned. He’s here in a civilian capacity,” I tell Scott and Owen.

“I haven’t resigned,” Vinny interjects. “I still have a few months left until retirement. My credentials will still work. We’ll run the search from here, and if we find anything, I’ll let you know. I have to be careful, though. The CIA doesn’t spy on American citizens.”

At that, we all laugh—including Angel and Vinny.

“Sounds good,” Owen replies. “And Angel, just so you know, the FBI is always looking for good people. If you need a job, then I’ll put in a good word.”

“I’m going to take some time to figure out what I want to do when I grow up,” Angel quips. “But thank you for the offer, Owen. It’s nice to know I have options.”

After a quick goodbye, I shut down the video chat. “What’s the plan? We can’t hike hundreds of miles of trails in just a few days. October is just around the corner.”

Vinny sets the case he brought with him on the table, opening it up and removing a drone. “This should reduce the time it takes to scour the area. If I were going to kidnap someone, I wouldn’t use the known trails that everyone hikes. I’d stay as far away from them as possible; sticking to animal paths. We should be checking those instead.”

I remember my escape as though it were yesterday, and Vinny’s right. There weren’t any hiking trails as far as I could tell. “I think you’re on to something. When I escaped, I didn’t exit the cave system at the point of entry, and the ground was mostly covered in snow until I reached the lower elevations. The only sign of life was an occasional deer track or paw prints where the foliage wasn’t too dense. I assumed it was because I was miles from where he kept me, but what if that wasn’t the case?”

“In your file, there was a map of the terrain and a satellite image of the location the FBI thought you were being held,” Angel says. “It would confirm Vinny’s theory. The same goes for the local investigations into the disappearances of the other girls.”

“I didn’t have access to the file once the CIA took over, and no one came knocking on my door with questions. The only information I had was what Roger and now Director Finnegan shared with me. They kept tabs on the kidnappings over the years even though they were no longer allowed to investigate. It’s why I started tracking the abductions on my own.”

“As far as the world believed, Sadie was dead. There would have been no reason to look for you. Even the CIA officer who was assigned to look into the string of related events only had access to the file the FBI gave him, which is the one where your frozen body was found.”

Angel walks over to his suitcase by the sofa and removes a file about a quarter of an inch thick. “Here’s everything we have on all the missing girls, thanks to you, Roger, and Grace.”

I move from my chair to the floor and spread out the pictures of Mammoth, the Grand Canyon, Redwood, Grand Teton, Petrified Forest, and Joshua Tree. Then I do the same with the rest until I’m surrounded by case files, most from local authorities who gave up the search much too soon.

“Each campground was large, yet only half full at the time of the kidnappings. That was still almost 100 families on the premises.” I run my finger along the paths that I took, hoping to be the one to find the victim before it was too late. “I often arrived a day or two after the abduction, which is why I went in the opposite direction of the search party. No matter how many times I told the person in charge that the kidnapper would be in the last place they’d look—away from any kind of civilization—I was dismissed as some naïve young woman who didn’t have a clue what I was talking about. Of course, I couldn’t tell them that I knew from experience. Looking back, I should have.”

Angel rests his hand on my shoulder. “All that would have done was paint a target on your back, Daisy. You know for a fact that the man who abducted you waits at least a week before moving his prize. Had you said anything, then word would have gotten out that Sadie was still alive, making you nothing but a loose end. Don’t feel guilt over self-preservation. You’re still here fighting the good fight.”

Vinny adds his two cents. “Logically speaking, most kidnappers don’t stick around and risk getting caught, nor do they hole up in a place without running water, basic amenities, or in freezing temperatures. If I were the one investigating, I likely would have dismissed your claim; following standard protocols such as establishing search grids and setting up roadblocks. The easiest escape route is the one most often used.”

“That’s exactly why he doesn’t use them,” I say as I look down at the files in front of me. “I’m not sure why the CIA took over and then did nothing. With their resources, this could have ended years ago. There has to be something I’m missing.”

Angel studies me for a moment, his forehead creasing. “That’s a good point.”

I gesture to the stack of reports Grace compiled over the years, which are almost as thick as mine that I have stored in a safe at my home. “The CIA is in the business of collecting and analyzing information, not investigating domestic kidnapping charges. If the CIA believed this to be an international human trafficking ring, then shouldn’t that be in the file? And why wouldn’t they work with the FBI to catch these guys instead of assuming control and keeping federal agents in the dark?”

Angel and Vinny both look away, saying nothing.

“What aren’t you telling me?” I ask.

Vinny clears his throat. “Daisy, please take what I’m about to say with a dose of reality because it’s going to taste like swallowing a bitter pill.”

I turn my palm up, giving him the go-ahead.

“The CIA would have only taken over the case if there was an international link. This you already know. But here’s the kicker. The chances are high that the person or people paying for the girls are already known at Langley. Any further investigation by the FBI would only jeopardize any long-term operation currently in the works.”

The lump in my throat feels more like a rock than a pill, but nothing Vinny says comes as a surprise. “Then the likelihood that the CIA Director will cooperate with the FBI is slim to none. We need the FBI to hire the Southern Knights in an official capacity as a contractor to make any arrests. Otherwise, this guy will just continue to get away with it, and we’ll be the ones who end up in jail for obstruction of justice or some erroneous allegation.”

Angel sits down next to me on the floor, close enough that our knees touch. “Not all is lost, Daisy. The FBI only stood down as a courtesy. It’s not set in stone. With the new Director of the CIA, William Ludlow, wanting to be more transparent and cooperative than his predecessors, there’s still hope. Let’s continue to investigate until we’re told not to.”

Vinny chuckles. “Angel, you’ve already been told not to. You risk imprisonment just by being here.”

Angel gives a careless lift of one shoulder. “Doing the right thing is worth it. And since we’re on the subject of doing the right thing, how about we get to work and catch this guy?”

Chapter nine

Angel