Vendetta (4 page)

“Tyler—”

“You always need volunteers in cases like this, and I'm volunteering. Besides, we weren't going to get back until tonight anyway. He and I have plans to go zip-lining tomorrow, and in the meantime, my mom promised to spoil him rotten today. Trust me. He won't even miss me.”

She smiled up at him, knowing he should leave her to deal with this on her own. She just didn't know how to accept him giving up today, of all days, for a stranger. “You're sure . . . ?”

“Very sure.”

Nikki let out a sigh. “Thank you.”

His gaze softened as he let go of her hand. “Katie always believed in you and what you did. If she were here today, I know she'd want the very best to be out there looking for Bridget, and she'd be one of the first volunteers out there with you. Just tell me what else I can do.”

“Okay.”

She wanted—needed—him with her today, but she also understood the significance of what today meant. And the importance of him needing a distraction. After Katie's death, she'd seen how work and school had become a natural escape for him. But Nikki also didn't miss the hint of sadness in his eyes. She'd make sure she made up their missed day later.

The sound of an engine rumbled in the distance.

“They're here,” Tyler said.

Two squad cars from the local police department pulled into the driveway in front of the cabin, and four uniformed officers stepped out.

Nikki met them on the porch and made the introductions. “Thank you for responding so quickly. We'll set up a temporary command site here, where we can get you up to speed, but I want a search team out looking for her ASAP.”

Nikki ushered them into the cabin, praying that the pain medicine she'd just taken would take the edge off the headache starting to pulse around her temples as they began coordinating a solid plan.

“For now, I want us to move ahead with the assumption that Bridget left of her own free will,” she said. “We'll leave the ground search of the area to the local authorities since you know the terrain far better than we do, but I want checkpoints set up on all major roads going out of the area in case this turns out to be an abduction.”

Nikki's phone rang beside her on the table.

“I need to take this, but go ahead and finish working out the
details of the search team, so we can get a team out looking for her now.” Nikki answered the call, then walked into the kitchen to dump out the rest of her coffee and get a refill. “Please tell me you have something, Jack.”

“I do, but you're not going to like it,” Jack began. “I was able to track down the love interest.”

“And . . .”

“Sean Logan doesn't exist.”

She leaned against the island and felt her pulse speed up. “What do you mean, he doesn't exist?”

“Logan's a fake Facebook profile. I was able to trace the photos to a Joey Matthews from Buffalo, New York. The profile photo's at least two decades old
and
the guy's deceased.”

Nikki tried to absorb the information. “So our suspect's using a stolen identity.”

“And that's not all,” Jack continued. “Using phone records, I've started tracking down his cell phone movements. I'm pretty sure he was stalking her.”

The pain in her temples radiated down Nikki's jawline as she took in the news. Her missing persons case just became an abduction.

Nikki pocketed her phone while Jack's words swirled around her. She walked across the room to where the men were coordinating the ground search.

“We've got the details lined up and are heading out now,” Sergeant Michaels said, picking up his car keys off the table.

“Good, because I just got off the phone with Jack Spencer, one of my teammates,” she said. “I have some new information about Sean Logan.”

“What did you find out?” Kyle took a step forward.

She studied Kyle's reaction as she gave Jack's update—understanding the roller coaster he was experiencing right now. Far too often, in cases like these, it felt as though they were starting over at square one. Over and over again.

The sergeant hesitated. “And the ground search?”

“I still want you out there immediately,” Nikki said. “My team will keep you updated with what we find.”

“You've got it,” the sergeant said, heading out the door with the other men.

“Wait a minute.” Kyle gripped the back of one of the dining
room chairs as the men left, his knuckles white. “How do you know he's been stalking her?”

“Jack believes he's been using the GPS tracking in the photos she's been posting on Facebook and other social media sites,” Nikki said.

“Tracking her photos?” Chloe walked up to the end of the table, her eyes wide with fear.

Jack's explanation over the phone had been chilling, but Nikki had learned that sugarcoating the truth—and sheltering the family—was never the right answer. Even in a situation like this.

“With some basic knowledge of technology,” she began, “people can take your online photos—the ones you put up on Facebook and Instagram and other places—and pinpoint your location. Whether it's a football game, hanging out at a restaurant . . . or your bedroom.”

Chloe shook her head. “And track you? How?”

“It's simpler than you might think,” Nikki said. “Photos are tagged using mapping and geotags that in turn translate to actual addresses and maps.”

“So a selfie taken on my phone and posted is a way for someone to find exactly where I live?” Mia asked.

“Basically, yes. The only way around that is to turn off your smartphone camera's GPS.”

Kyle combed his fingers through his hair. “Which clearly Bridget didn't do.”

With the advantages of technology had come a number of threats most people never stopped to think about. And the potential results were frightening.

Kyle glanced at Mia and Chloe. “So this guy Sean . . . who is he really?”

“We don't know that yet,” Nikki answered. “He was using a false identity complete with a false name and photos.”

“He seemed so . . . nice. So normal.” Mia sat down beside
Chloe on one of the dining room chairs, her eyes flooded with tears.

“That's what they do,” Nikki said. “It's like a game to them.”

Chloe brushed the tears with the back of her hand, then hiccupped. “Bridget had no idea he was lying to her. She really, really liked him and thought . . . All she wanted to do was meet him in person.”

A choice that very well could cost her her life.

“What we have to assume now is that he took her against her will. My teammates, Special Agents Jack Spencer and Gwen McKenna, are currently at a community event two hours away and are leaving now with our mobile command post that we'll set up here.”

“How could she have done something like this?” Kyle toppled the chair over, sending it crashing against the floor. “How am I supposed to fix this?”

Nikki asked Tyler and the officers to stay with the girls, then turned to Kyle. “Why don't we go outside for a minute and get some fresh air?”

Three months on the job had yet to fully prepare her for the emotional side of what she had to do. She knew what she needed to tell him. Knew that now more than ever he was going to have to keep it together. But as of this moment, normal didn't exist.

Outside, he smacked his hands against the railing. “I'm sorry, I just don't know how to handle this.”

“I understand, but I need you to stay focused. For Bridget's sake.”

“Focused? How? We have no idea where she is. No idea where to begin looking. The only thing we actually do know is that some crazy person manipulated her and now she's missing. We don't even know what direction she went, or if she's even alive for that matter.”

“Which is why we keep doing exactly what we have been
doing. We keep asking questions and looking. We're going to expand the search. Make sure all law enforcement as well as airports and bus stations have been advised she's missing and have her picture. I need you to help me do that. We need to get the word out. The more people who see her photo, the better chance of us finding her.”

Kyle stared out across the empty field where the storm clouds were darkening in the distance. “Every day I go to work and I fix problems. That's what I do. If the company's network is down, I fix it. If something crashes, I fix it. But this . . . I don't know how to fix this.”

Nikki hesitated, wanting to choose her words carefully. But Tyler had been right. If she wanted to connect, there was only one place to go. “I blamed myself when my sister disappeared. Ten years later, I still struggle with that same guilt.”

Kyle turned around and looked at her. “How did you deal with that guilt then, because clearly I'm not doing a good job. It's hard enough trying to raise a teenage girl on my own, but now this. I don't know how to do this.”

“No one is ever prepared for losing someone they love. You feel lost and out of control. And when they're missing, it isn't a problem you can simply fix with some formula.”

“Like computer data.” Kyle rubbed his temples. “What gets me the most is that I was supposed to be the one who kept her safe, but I didn't even know about this boy. How could I have missed that?”

“Because as much as we love and try to protect those around us, sometimes we do miss things. And sometimes there's nothing we can do.”

The words sliced through her. It was something she'd had to learn to live with every time the guilt surfaced.

“Nikki?” Tyler stepped out on the porch. “Sorry to interrupt, but we just got a call from the Gatlinburg Police Department.”

“Gatlinburg?” Kyle asked. “That's almost a two-hour drive from here.”

“Two officers discovered an abandoned car on the outskirts of town. They called it in and found out the car was stolen late last night.”

“Do they think Bridget was in it?”

Nikki didn't miss the expectation in Kyle's voice as he asked the question, but she knew that not every lead was a step in the right direction. All they could do was pray that this one was.

“It's possible.” Tyler handed Kyle the cell phone he held. “I need you to look at this photo. The description of Bridget that was sent out to the local authorities a little while ago included a pink beanie. Do you recognize this?”

“The hat? Yes . . . Bridget has one just like that. Was it in the car?”

“Yes.”

“It could be a coincidence—”

“No.” Tyler shook his head. “She was there.”

“With traffic, Gatlinburg's a good two hours away.” Nikki glanced at her watch. “We don't have that kind of time.”

“One of the officers just told me that the highway patrol's aviation unit has a helicopter in the area,” Tyler said. “They can get you there in thirty minutes.”

Kyle stepped in front of her. “I want to go with you. If she's there, I need to be there . . . please.”

Nikki had waited in her parents' living room that afternoon. Waited while the police spoke to each of them. Waited for them to come back with news of Sarah's safe return. But they never had. And even all these years later the waiting had never gotten any easier.

“I can't make any promises, but I'll see what I can do.”

Forty-five minutes later, Nikki stood with Tyler beside the 2001 silver Ford Focus on the outskirts of Gatlinburg where local law enforcement had discovered the abandoned vehicle. After the Tennessee Highway Patrol had flown them in, Sergeant James from the nearby precinct had driven them to the scene.

Beyond the rail lining the winding road, green tree-lined mountains rose up in the distance. Like the Obed River area, the Smoky Mountains were one of her favorite places to get away to. Outdoor enthusiasts like herself could enjoy hiking, sightseeing, fishing, and camping. Gatlinburg was known as one of the main entrances into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Officer Walker handed her an evidence bag. “This is the hat. It was found jammed between the two backseats.”

“Any signs of a struggle?” Nikki asked.

“None.”

“What about the car's owner?”

Officer Walker glanced at her notes. “His name's Frank Turner. He called this morning and reported it missing from his driveway.”

“Anything else inside the car?” Nikki asked.

“Just trash from a fast-food restaurant, and the owner said he hates fast food.” Officer Walker set her hands on her hips. “We're doing a background check on the man just in case, but I don't think we're going to find anything there.”

Nikki nodded. “See if you can track down the restaurant where he bought breakfast and find video surveillance with the car. We need to identify the driver.”

“Will do. We brought a fingerprint kit to the scene and have already dusted for prints. It will take awhile before we get any results, but we'll submit them to our records division as well as AFIS and see if we can come up with any matches. Who knows? Maybe we'll get lucky.”

“I hope so.” But by then it might be too late for Bridget.

Nikki took a step back from the car, thankful that Kyle had decided to wait with Chloe and Mia until their parents arrived. Because for all they knew, they could be simply on another wild-goose chase. But something told her it was far more than that. Bridget was out here. Somewhere. And they needed to find her.

Nikki walked across the gravel road, stopping beside Tyler. “Go over this with me. Why would he abandon the car? There are no flat tires, no obvious signs of car trouble.”

“If he had Bridget when he stopped here,” Tyler said, “which we are assuming he did, he might have been worried about the police blocks and the fact that this car was stolen.”

“So he did what?” she asked. “Tried to walk out of here?”

“It's possible. Maybe he lives nearby. Or has a friend nearby.”

This wasn't the first time she'd come to Tyler with a problem. He knew how to look at things out of the box. Which was what she needed right now, because predators didn't follow the rules. Which meant she couldn't simply look at the obvious.

“Here's what I don't understand. Everything he's done so far seems to have been methodical and planned. From stalking Bridget, to setting up and starting an online relationship, to planning a place and time for them to meet.”

“True.”

“But after doing all of that, why end up panicking and dumping the car?”

Tyler folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the rail. “Maybe you need to consider then that this
was
part of his plan.”

“Okay.” She worked through her theory as they spoke. “He uses technology to stalk Bridget. He would have anticipated the fact that once Kyle and the girls realized she hadn't simply gone out for a walk that they would contact the local police. And taking that a step further, he'd have known that the local
police—and even the state authorities—would get involved in the situation.”

“Which would mean roadblocks, photos on the local news, and a possible AMBER Alert.”

“Exactly,” she said.

“It makes sense that Bridget didn't suspect this guy was a fraud, but it didn't take Jack long to completely blow the guy's cover.”

“All he needed was time to get away.” Which was exactly what he'd done. “There could have been another car.”