Logan took Monty, Bethany, and Todd with him into the pool hall. They held their guns in front of them since they had no idea what they would find.
The lights in the building were off. Monty was behind Logan, ready with his flashlight to help them find their way.
When they reached the door, Logan turned to look at his team. He nodded, silently letting them know he was ready to move in. Logan pushed the door open and stepped inside. He felt for the light switch next to the door and flipped it up. The lights came on, and they found themselves alone with just a pool table and some chairs. Two of them were out of place, but other than that, everything looked normal.
Logan pointed at Monty and made a gesture telling Bethany and Todd to stay where they were. There was a back room that held equipment. He and Monty walked quietly to that door, then Logan opened it slowly. He felt for another light switch, but there wasn’t one.
He held his hand out for the flashlight. “Cover me,” he told Monty.
With Monty behind him, he swung the flashlight around the room. At first he found only chairs and pool equipment. But when he moved the light to his left, he found something else.
A body.
“Who is it?” Monty asked.
“I don’t know. I’ve never seen him before.” He moved closer to the man. He felt for a pulse, but it was too late. He was gone. Shot. He had on an undershirt but no outer shirt. Logan patted him down, looking for some kind of identification, but he couldn’t locate any.
Logan backed out of the room. He told Bethany and Todd what they’d found, then took Monty’s phone out of his pocket and dialed Terry’s phone number. When Terry answered, he brought him up-to-date. Told him they hadn’t found Alex and Kaely, nor Ben and Julie.
“I think Gorman’s detectives may be involved,” he told Terry.
“What do you mean you think they’re involved?”
“I’m about as sure as I can be, but I can’t prove it.”
“Until you can, I’m not accusing Chief Gorman’s people. Washington is on the way. They’ll get to the bottom of things.”
Logan acknowledged Terry’s words, but he wasn’t so sure Washington would get there in time. Maybe he wasn’t supposed to be looking for Alex and Kaely, but he was going to do it anyway. He couldn’t just stand by and let them die.
He ended the call but kept the phone in his hand.
“Follow me,” he said to Monty. “I want to look at something.”
As he started toward the pool hall’s entrance, Bethany stopped him. “You need to see this,” she said.
“We’re certain Alex and Kaely were here,” Todd said.
Logan frowned at him. “How can you be sure?”
“Kaely’s phone is on the pool table, and I found this on the floor.” Todd opened his gloved hand.
Logan looked. “Alex’s other earring.”
“There’s something else,” Todd said.
“I hope it’s a note telling us where she is.”
“No. I wish it was.”
He pointed at a spot near the chair. It was blood. Logan’s heart sank.
“And that’s not all.” Todd pulled something from beneath the pool table—a bloody vest with a hole in it.
“It’s Alex’s,” Logan said.
“Or Kaely’s,” Bethany added.
No one said a word as realization set in. One of their agents had been shot. Might be dead.
“Whoever it was, she was protected by the vest,” Todd said. “That means they’re probably alive.”
“Right,” Logan replied. He couldn’t show his team how frightened he was. He pulled up all the courage and faith he had inside. He would find his agents, and they would be alive. Period. He couldn’t accept any other outcome.
“The guy in the back was shot,” Logan said, “but there’s hardly any blood. I think he was killed somewhere else and then moved here.” He pointed toward the front door. “Follow me, but stay behind me.”
Logan stepped outside and looked around. When he was certain it was safe, he motioned for Monty to join him. Once he did, Logan pointed the flashlight onto the street.
“What are you looking for?” Monty asked.
“The snow has covered most of what looks like a large vehicle’s tracks, but some are still here.” He stared at them for a moment before saying, “I think I know how they got them out of here.”
“How?”
“The guards at the gate here and at the Marine base told me everyone who left after Kaely and Alex disappeared. One was a laundry van driver who entered the academy grounds to pick up dirty laundry. I think he’s the dead man. That’s why his shirt is gone. It probably had the insignia of the company on it. He was killed, and someone took his place. Also stole his ID, not only in case a guard asked for it but also to throw us off when we found his body. A mail truck left here too, but it’s smaller, and the same mail carrier comes every day. The guards know him. But the laundry van driver? If he—probably Ben—looked okay and had identification, the guards would let him through.”
He sighed. “The UNSUB had to know we’d figure that out. By now they’ve either dumped the van or hidden it. We need help, Monty. We’ve got to find Alex and Kaely and bring them home.”
“We will,” Monty said. “They’re smart. If Alex found a way to tell us she was here, she’s got something else up her sleeve.”
“I hope so.”
“You taught me that when things look their worst, we have to put the situation in God’s hands. And we need to have faith. Didn’t He say if we call on Him, He’ll answer us? That He will deliver us? Then we need to pray and believe that God’s the One who’s a step ahead. We need to take Him at His word that He’ll deliver Alex and Kaely.”
Logan wanted to ask Monty how he could believe that after losing his grandmother the way he did, but he couldn’t.
“Look, Logan, I don’t understand why my grandmother died,” Monty said as if reading Logan’s mind, “but I do know she was a believer, and she was excited about seeing heaven. She wanted to go. And she wanted to protect me. I have a peace about that. It’s what’s getting me through this.”
“I didn’t know your grandmother was a Christian. I assumed she was Buddhist . . . or something.”
“No. That’s why I finally gave in. With both of you talking about God, I never stood a chance.” Monty smiled.
“Well, I’m glad. And you’re right about putting Alex and Kaely in God’s hands. We need His direction. Even though I think I know how our UNSUB got them out of here, I don’t have a clue how to find them now.” He paused for a moment before saying, “Let’s go. The rest of us need to do what we do best. See if we can help the agents from the WFO find Alex and Kaely.”
He went back inside and told Bethany and Todd they were all going to wait in the SUV until agents arrived to secure the scene. Once they were in the car, Logan called Terry again and told him about the vest, the earrings, and his suspicions about the laundry van. “I don’t think they’ll find the van,” he said. “It’s probably hidden somewhere. But I think the UNSUB—or one of his accomplices—killed the driver. Alex and Kaely were probably carried out of here in laundry bags. Even if a guard at the gate had checked the back of the van, he would only have seen those bags.”
He took a deep breath, not really wanting to say the words that came next. “Our agents wouldn’t have stayed still and silent if the van was searched. The UNSUB couldn’t take a chance that they would call out for help, so I think he probably drugged them. My guess is he used the same stuff on the guard in the Jefferson dorm.”
The women could have been silenced another way, but he couldn’t say it out loud. Two things gave him hope that they were alive. One was that this UNSUB liked putting on a show. He’d want to kill them in some kind of dramatic way. The other was that if they were dead, why take a chance smuggling their bodies off the property? He would have just left them behind.
“That’s good investigative work,” Terry said.
“Spent a lot of time in the field before joining the BAU. I guess it never goes away.”
“Well, I think you’re being humble. It’s good information. I’ll find out who our dead guy is and put out a BOLO for the van. I know what you said, but we have to try. In this weather, maybe they haven’t gotten too far.”
“Any idea when Washington will be here?”
“As soon as they can. Their vehicles can handle the snow, but they have to take it slow and steady. It’s getting worse out there.” Terry’s deep sigh showed his frustration. “You all get together and see if you can send me an updated profile that could help us. It sounds as if you’re finally getting a handle on him.”
“Maybe, but if we’d had something better, sooner, maybe Alex and Kaely would still be here.”
“You’ve done the best job you could with what you’ve had. You know better than to internalize this.”
Logan appreciated Terry’s encouragement, especially after their previous conversation, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that they’d all missed something important. Something that would have kept Alex and Kaely safe. “Terry, I think you might want to locate Donald Reinhardt. He fits the profile we have so far, and he walked out of here this morning when we found the dead guard. I shouldn’t have let him leave, but I had no legal way of holding him.”
“Done. Look, I know we believe the UNSUB is focused on Alex and Kaely, but you need to be extra careful. Don’t take any unnecessary chances, okay?”
“Okay. That reminds me. We’re having some problems with the phones. I’m using Monty’s now.”
“I noticed you’ve been showing up as Monty’s number.” He paused for a moment. “Look, just keep using this phone. I’ll contact CIRG and see if they have any way to fix the problem. You call the Evidence Response Team.”
“Okay. Thanks. I’ll keep in touch.”
After making the call, Logan put Monty’s phone back in his pocket. He still wanted his regular phone, but Terry was right. They all needed to be even more careful now. The wrong move could put Alex and Kaely in further danger.
As the four of them waited in the warm SUV for ERT, Logan prayed silently for his two missing agents. God, You promised to deliver us when we called out to You. I’m calling out. Please protect Alex and Kaely. Keep them safe.
Monty was right. He had to put them in God’s hands and trust Him. With no way to figure out where they were, there was nothing they could do anyway. God was their only hope.