Not a match. The dead girl wasn’t her sister. Naomi was ashamed at the faint sense of disappointment she’d felt upon hearing the dead girl wasn’t Kate.
Of course, she didn’t want Kate to be dead. As she’d told Sawyer, her sister was the only family she had left. But she also didn’t want her sister to suffer. And logically Naomi knew the longer it took for them to find Kate, the less likely they’d succeed.
And the more her sister would suffer unspeakable sexual abuse.
It was impossible to imagine never knowing where Kate was. If her sister was alive or dead. Stuck in some horrible situation or had gotten free but had decided for some reason not to return home.
The myriad of emotions made her head hurt more than usual. She pushed the pain away to focus on Sawyer. “If the girl you found isn’t Kate or Louisa, then who is she?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know. I haven’t heard about another missing girl from the area, but it could very well be that the girl is missing from out of state. North Carolina or Georgia.” He shrugged. “Could be from anywhere, honestly, if East Ridge is indeed some sort of hub for sex traffickers.”
She abruptly straightened in her seat. “Shouldn’t the FBI be involved? If these girls are being trafficked across state lines, the crime would be prosecuted at a federal level, right?”
“Yes, it would. I need to discuss this with my boss. The detective on the case should already be in contact with the local FBI office here in Chattanooga considering you and your sister are both from Georgia. There are only a couple of lower level agents working here in town, the special agent in charge works out of the Knoxville office.”
“Maybe I should go to the local FBI office to talk with them directly,” she said, more to herself than to Sawyer.
“It’s too late today, but I can take you there tomorrow,” he offered.
Tomorrow was Friday, and she knew the office wasn’t likely open on the weekend. “Okay, that sounds good.” She fell silent as their server brought their meals. Her appetite had vanished, but she’d need to eat to keep up her strength.
When she realized Sawyer was waiting for her to pray, she clasped her hands together in her lap and bent her head. “Lord, we thank You for this food we are about to eat. And we ask You to show us the way to rescuing Kate and Louisa. Amen.”
To her surprise, Sawyer echoed, “Amen.”
She was humbled that he’d participated in her prayer and found her appetite had returned. She gratefully took a bite of her thick and tasty clam chowder.
“We need to find Melvin Curtis or the guy on the sketch,” Sawyer said softly.
She glanced up at him. “Do you think one of them is the gunman?”
“Yeah, I do. It’s the only thing that makes sense.” He took a large bite of his burger.
“I seem to be their target.” She stared out the window of the restaurant. They’d kidnapped her once, and she hated to admit how scary it would be to have them succeed in grabbing her a second time.
“No.” Sawyer’s tone was curt. “Don’t even think of setting yourself up as bait to draw them out.”
She pushed aside her fear. “I’m sure it would work fine if you and several police officers were hiding nearby, ready to take them down.”
“No way, Naomi.” Sawyer’s expression turned grim. “Setting something up would be more complicated than that. These guys aren’t stupid. They wouldn’t just come after you while you were sitting out in the open, that would be too obvious. And trying to set up something while you’re on the move at night would be incredibly risky.”
He had a point, but she was far from satisfied. “If not that, then what?” she asked in frustration. “There must be something we can do to catch them.”
Sawyer didn’t answer. She tried not to snap at him, but her patience was wearing thin.
Her sister was still missing. Naomi believed in God but knew that faith alone wasn’t going to get them through this.
God helps those who help themselves.
“What did you say?” Sawyer asked.
She glanced up in surprise. Had she said those words out loud? Flustered, she waved a hand. “God helps those who help themselves. Although the actual phrase from the Bible in the book of Psalms is: The Lord is with me; he is my helper.”
Sawyer stared at her for a long moment. “I’ve never heard that phrase before.”
She eyed him thoughtfully. “I know you’ve mentioned not believing in God, but it seems as if you’ve been exposed to some religion.”
“More like exposed to evil,” Sawyer said bluntly. “That foster home I mentioned? I lived there with six other kids with a man who called himself the Preacher. Only he was the exact opposite of what most people consider God to be like.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” She frowned and took another sip of her soup. “But if you actually read the Bible, you’d learn that God is kind, compassionate, and forgiving.”
“Forgiving?” He didn’t look convinced. “I doubt that.”
“Remember, God sent Jesus to die for our sins.” This was the second time he’d referred to some sins being too much for God to forgive. “And none of us are innocent.”
He didn’t say anything more but concentrated on his food. Still, she felt as if she may have gained some ground with him. It hurt that Sawyer didn’t believe he was good enough.
“Sawyer?”
He glanced up at her. “Yeah?”
“I’m sorry you had such a terrible experience with someone pretending to do God’s work, but I want you to know you’re the nicest guy I’ve ever met.”
He glanced away, and she thought she noticed a dark flush creep into his cheeks. “You must not meet very many guys,” he said lightly. “Or you’re comparing me to the likes of Melvin Curtis and leering man.”
“That’s not true. I dated a guy named Tony Baldwin. He pressured me for more than I was comfortable with, then issued an ultimatum. Sleep with him or lose him. I walked away.”
Sawyer scowled. “He sounds like a jerk.”
She smiled. “He is, but you aren’t. That’s what I’m trying to say. Give yourself a break, Sawyer. No one is perfect, and God loves us anyway.”
“I’ll try.” It wasn’t a strong conviction, but it wasn’t a refusal either. She decided to believe Sawyer was taking a step in the right direction.
When they finished eating, Sawyer waved their server over to pay the bill. She pulled out some money, but he frowned and shook his head.
“My treat, Naomi. Save your money for the motel room and other necessities.”
More proof that Sawyer was a far better man than Tony Baldwin. Even while they were dating, Tony would sometimes ask her to pay, claiming he was short on cash. Yet she’d find out later that, after dropping her off at home, he’d gone to the bar with his friends.
Whatever. Tony wasn’t worth a minute of time. She was better off without him.
“Thank you for dinner.” She glanced over her shoulder as Sawyer held the door for her.
Clouds had gathered overhead while they’d eaten, bringing the threat of a thunderstorm. When Sawyer turned toward the motel, she put a hand on his arm to stop him.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, but I’d like to see the area where the girl’s body was found.”
He frowned. “That’s not a good idea. It’s still a crime scene.”
“We won’t do anything to harm evidence, but I keep thinking of the possibility that Kate managed to escape her captors. She could be held somewhere near the location of the dead girl.”
“There’s no evidence the girl was running away.” He glanced off in the distance. “In fact, the techs are thinking her body may have been dumped there.”
Her stomach lurched. “But you don’t know for sure, right?”
“Nothing has been confirmed.”
“Then what’s the harm in going over there? I just want to see the area for myself.”
“I don’t think it will help,” he warned.
“Please, Sawyer.” She held his gaze, willing him to go along with her plan. “I need to do something. It’s too early to sit in the motel room for the rest of the night.”
He blew out a frustrated breath. “Okay, fine. I’ll take you there. But don’t blame me if you have nightmares.”
“My nightmares are centered on being run off the road and kidnapped.” And of Kate being held captive, but she decided against mentioning that.
He winced and rested his hand in the small of her back. “I’m sorry, I know how traumatic that must have been. I’ve had nightmares about the time we spent with the Preacher too. Trust me when I say they get less frequent over time.”
“Nightmares about the Preacher?” She frowned. “Was he abusive in some way?”
“A bit.” He quickly changed the subject. “Okay, I’ll take you past the crime scene, but we’re not going close. We’ll take my SUV, it’s parked at the motel.”
She wanted to press for more but let it go. “Thanks.” She walked toward a gray SUV. “What happened to the squad?”
“Left it at the precinct. My personal vehicle will give us more anonymity.”
She understood he was talking about the way the intruder had found them at his cabin. His private space, which should have been a safe haven rather than a place where he’d been shot at. “I hate knowing you’ve been dragged into this with me.”
“I volunteered to be a part of this to help you, Naomi. And I’d do it again.” Pulling the key fob from his pocket, he unlocked the vehicle.
She slid into the passenger seat, knowing God had sent Sawyer to help her.
Hopefully, she could help Sawyer in return.
At least she understood now why he didn’t have a relationship with God. Maybe that was part of her purpose here.
Along with helping to find Kate.
As Sawyer navigated the city streets, she searched for any sign of the black Buick, the driver, and leering man. A horrible thought hit, and she turned toward him. “What if the news of the girl’s body being found here causes the kidnappers to leave the state?”
“That’s a possibility,” he agreed. “Although I doubt the media knows many details about the situation. Especially since law enforcement doesn’t know very much, including the girl’s identity.”
“But if the kidnappers knew they’d dumped a body there, wouldn’t they be running scared?” She swept her gaze over the area, taking note of how remote the location was from the residential part of town. “They could be long gone, which means we’ll never catch them.”
“Try not to think the worst,” Sawyer said reassuringly. “These guys haven’t acted logically since kidnapping you. They should have left right away once you escaped, but they didn’t. They recklessly took a shot at you, then came to my cabin to do the same.”
She wasn’t convinced. “You mentioned this seemed personal.” Another terrible thought struck her. “What if Kate’s father, Garret Ivy, didn’t try to reconnect with her? What if he took her someplace? What if you were right and he really is somehow involved in this?”
“He took off when Kate was only five, right?” Sawyer glanced at her. “What would make him come back after all this time?”
“Maybe he knew our mother passed away. And that was enough to make him return to reunite with Kate. Only she didn’t want to go, so he forced her.”
“If that’s the case, there’s no reason to hurt her.”
“I don’t know about that.” Her memory of Kate’s father was that of a drunk with grease-stained fingers. “Garret never had enough money, except he managed to drink to excess more often than not.”
She forced herself to consider the possibility that Garret Ivy could have gotten involved with criminals over the past eleven years. She hadn’t been creeped out by him when she was young, but things could change. Maybe now he was teamed up with a group of men who preyed on young women?
What if Garret helped drag his own daughter into a sex-trafficking ring?
And was determined to silence Naomi because she would be able to recognize him?
Naomi had gone pale, and it didn’t take much effort on his part to realize she was once more thinking the worst.
“We don’t have any evidence that the kidnappers have connections with Garret Ivy,” he said, voicing her obvious concern.
“You were the one who mentioned these attempts on me seemed personal,” Naomi pointed out. “And you mentioned Garret being a suspect earlier.”
“I know.” He had to admit that despite the lack of proof, the possible connection made sense. Catching a glimpse of yellow crime scene tape up ahead, he slowed down and searched for a place to pull over.
“Is that it?” She peered through the windshield. “I thought she was found closer to the road.”
“No, twenty yards off the road, in the woods.” Why had he given in to her wish to come here? It was a bad idea.
“Can we walk over there?”
“No. For many reasons, as I said, we can’t contaminate the crime scene. Besides, the officers who responded to the scene did a sweep of the area without finding anything significant. There’s nothing out there for you to see.”
“It’s relatively close to East Ridge.”
“But not within the city limits.”
She shot him a frustrated look. “I saw the black Buick in East Ridge, which means they’re familiar with the area. And they could also be staying in the area. Maybe we should walk around outside the yellow tape area, see if we can find something?”
Find something? He suppressed a sigh. “Naomi, all the officers on patrol are looking for Melvin Curtis and the leering man, they have the sketch you helped create. If they’re hanging out here, we’ll find them.”
“Yeah, except it’s already been two days without anything.” She turned away from him to look out at the crime scene. “I don’t know, Sawyer. It feels like the location of this poor girl’s body should be significant.”
“I hear you.” He understood her frustration. “And once we have the men in custody, we’ll know more.” At least, he certainly hoped so.
He merged back into traffic, looking for a spot to get off the highway to turn around. Being in East Ridge bothered him, although there was no logical reason for him to feel that way.
Yet his priority was to keep Naomi safe, and that meant getting her back to the motel.
“Would you mind stopping at the gas station up ahead?” Naomi glanced at him, her expression embarrassed. “I’m sorry, but I need to use the restroom.”
“Sure.” It wouldn’t hurt to add fuel to his tank as there was less than a quarter remaining. The gas station she’d pointed out was as good a place as any. He frowned when he noticed a small sign indicating they were entering East Ridge.
The gas station and convenience store wasn’t anywhere close to the one where Naomi had seen Melvin Curtis. Still, he kept a sharp eye out for anything unusual as he drove into the small lot and pulled up in front of the closest fuel pump.
“Thanks again,” she said, pushing her door open. As he pumped gas, Naomi disappeared inside the building. He fought the urge to call her back, insisting she wait for him.
A flash of lightning lit up the sky, followed by the rolling sound of thunder. Glancing up at the swirling clouds overhead, he suspected a deluge of rain wasn’t far behind.
The dark storm clouds masked the descent of the sun over the western ridge of the Smoky Mountains, making the hour seem later than it was. He turned to watch the doorway for Naomi, frowning when he didn’t see her.
Was she still in the bathroom? Or was she shopping for something she’d forgotten to pack? He told himself there was no reason to be concerned, he’d just go inside to meet up with her. When he finished topping off his tank, he replaced the pump and stuck the receipt in his pocket.
Before he could head inside, his phone rang. Glancing at the screen, his frown cleared when he saw Naomi’s number. “What’s up? You get lost in the store?”
No response.
Had she pocket dialed him? No, it wouldn’t be easy to do that with a disposable phone.
His blood ran cold, and every one of his senses flashed in warning.
Something was wrong.
He swept his gaze over the area, but it wasn’t easy to see in the dim light. Had someone grabbed her? Melvin Curtis? Or leering man?
He slid his phone into his pocket, then removed his weapon from his belt holster. Holding his gun at the ready, he edged along his SUV, looking toward the rear of the gas station.
There was a cluster of trees along the back of the gas station. The wind picked up, causing the branches to sway back and forth.
But then he caught a glimpse of pale skin between the rustling leaves.
Naomi!
Without hesitating, he ran silently toward the cluster of trees. He wasn’t wearing his uniform, so he couldn’t radio for backup. And he wasn’t willing to use his phone, breaking the only connection he might have to her.
Pressing his back up against the side of the building, he paused and waited for more movement. The seconds went by with excruciating slowness, until he thought he’d go crazy if he had to wait much longer.
There! A tree branch snapped into place, and he thought he heard a muffled thud.
He eased into the brush, his gaze pinned on the area where he’d seen movement. Quickening his pace, he burst through the foliage and stumbled into the other side of the cluster of trees, horrified to find Naomi being held at gunpoint by a burly man who resembled the grainy driver’s license photo of Melvin Curtis.
“Police!” Sawyer shouted loudly, hoping someone nearby would call 911. “Drop your weapon and put your hands where I can see them!”
Melvin didn’t move. Another flash of lightning brightened the sky, revealing the burly man’s evil eyes. For a moment he could have sworn Melvin was the Preacher.
“Stay back or I’ll kill her.”
On the heels of Melvin’s threat came more rolling thunder. Sawyer kept his gun trained on Melvin when Naomi abruptly broke free, diving toward the ground to her left.
Incensed, Melvin moved the barrel of his gun toward her. Without hesitation, Sawyer shot twice, hitting the guy in the upper part of his chest. Melvin’s eyes widened in shock as he stumbled backward from the impact of the bullets.
The clouds overhead opened up, dumping a barrage of rain. Visibility was awful, and he lost sight of Naomi.
“Naomi!” His shout was muffled by the rain.
“Here! I’m here.” She lunged to her feet and came rushing toward him.
“Get behind me,” he ordered. He stared at Melvin Curtis lying on the ground. The idiot still had his gun in hand. “Melvin Curtis, drop your weapon!”
The man didn’t let go of the gun.
Sawyer feared the guy would die before they had a chance to question him. “Drop the gun!”
The weapon finally fell from Melvin’s lifeless fingers. Sawyer rushed forward but instinctively knew it was too late. His aim had been true.
Melvin Curtis was dead.