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He removed his phone from his pocket. “The lists are private to protect donors and recipients. They can both sign agreements if they want their names divulged and then decide if they want to meet. It would not be easy to gain access. I’ll have to obtain a subpoena.”
While he phoned a judge, her mind sprinted with possibilities. MWC had preyed on people wanting to adopt or find a child to fill a void. If this was a couple working together, that might be their motive. They could have lost a child. She’d considered this at first, but hadn’t found anything to support it. Time to analyze the theory from a different angle.
She booted up her own laptop, accessed the state death records, entered the date December 20, then narrowed the search to children between the ages of five and seven. While the program ran, a possible scenario formed in her head. Names appeared on the database and she found a half dozen kids who’d tragically died through accidents or illness.
Working on the fact that Becky had been left in Gainesville, she decided to first focus on children who’d died in the north Georgia area. That cut the list to one.
Piper Gooding.The poor girl had drowned.
She opened another tab and searched for any news reports on the death. She clicked on the first hit:Dawsonville Girl Drowns at Local Landmark.
Local girl, six-year-old Piper Gooding, tragically dies after falling through the ice at a frozen pond. Mother, Gayle Gooding, also injured trying to rescue her.
Ellie lost her breath as she read the names. The image of the tiny graves at White Lilies Cemetery bombarded her. The woman kneeling by the small grave, grieving, looking up at her husband and yelling that he killed their daughter… The caretaker had mentioned the gravestone belonged to a family named Gooding.
Ellie stood, pumped. Something like hope zinged through her. She thought about the puzzle Lara had been putting together and the pieces Jasper had scattered on the floor in a rage and felt as if she’d found the missing piece. A wave of sadness washed over her for Piper’s parents. Yet she couldn’t ignore the commonality. She shuffled the clues around in her mind.
She raced through to the main station bullpen, where Heath Landrum was hunched in front of his computer. He looked up as she strode towards him.
“Sorry, boss. I was about to reply to your text. No Jordan Jones in the group—I was checking if she was a friend of one of the members but nothing so far.”
“What about a Gayle Gooding?”
Landrum’s eyes widened. “That name sounds familiar…” He typed rapidly for a few seconds. “Yeah, thought so—she’s one of the lurkers. A member of the group who never posts or reacts to other’s posts. Looks like her profile’s private though.”
“See what you can piece together,” Ellie said, and rushed back to the conference room. Derrick had finished his call to the judge and was looking at her expectantly.
“How would a child become an organ donor?” Ellie asked.
“Parents would have to give permission,” Derrick said. “What are you thinking?”
“Listen to this.” Ellie read from the article. “The terrible accident happened at Cattail Cove on December twentieth. Six-year-old Piper Gooding fell into the pond, which was thought frozen over, and when her mother Gayle raced to save her, she too fell into the icy water. Piper’s father, Dr.Silas Gooding, pulled both mother and daughter from the water, but Piper was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital. Mrs.Gooding suffered serious injuries, and has been placed in a drug-induced coma to give her brain time to heal.”
“Jesus,” Derrick muttered.
“Find out if Piper was the organ donor for Kaylee, Becky and Ava.” Ellie’s heart gave a pang, and she ran a search in DMV records for Gayle Gooding. The photo was three years old, and the woman’s brown hair was shorter, her face slightly fuller, but it could be the woman in the sketch.
Next, she phoned Shondra. “I’m sending you a photo of a woman who lost a child two years ago. Her name is Gayle Gooding. Ask Lara if she’s seen her near the house or near Ava.”
“Hang on,” Shondra said.
Tense seconds passed, then Shondra returned. “Lara said that’s the woman she saw at the pumpkin patch. And Emily Nettles is here. She said Gayle saw her for grief counseling, but she stopped therapy a year ago.”
A cold sweat broke out on Ellie’s neck. A year ago—right when Kaylee was abducted. “Thanks, I’ll keep you posted.”
While Derrick answered a phone call from his partner, she searched for an address for the Goodings. She found a listing for a house in Dawsonville and a phone number.
She jangled her keys as Derrick ended the call. “They’re working on gathering that information,” he said.
They had no time to waste. With news airing about Becky being found, her kidnapper could be panicking and might be planning to move Kaylee and Ava. “Let’s go. I have an address for the Goodings.”
One Hundred Thirty-Four
Dawsonville, Georgia
Ellie rolled her aching shoulders. With the inclement weather, the drive to Dawnsonville seemed to take forever. From her map, she knew the area where the Goodings lived consisted of acres of farmland. She phoned Cord and explained their theory. “Will you meet us there in case we need to search the property?”
“I’m on my way,” Cord agreed.
