Dead in a Week (Forensic Instincts 7)

Terri frowned. “He’s off the grid. It’ll take me a few days to track him down.”

“We don’t have a few days.”

“Aidan,” Marc interjected. “Let me handle this one. I’ll call Ryan. He has a guy who’s done this for Forensic Instincts before. He’ll make it happen.”

“Good.” Aidan gave his brother the thumbs-up. “Then I’ll text the photocopied pages directly to Ryan as soon as you give me the word that he’s able to come through on a dime.”

“I’ll call him right after this videoconference is over.”

“So things in the States are covered,” Philip interceded. “Let’s get to the European assignment. Marc and I need to

know which physical direction we should be heading in to locate Lauren. Any insights, Terri?”

“Of course.” Terri glanced down at some printed pages on her desk. “Knowing the starting point and the time of the kidnapping, I hacked into the Munich camera system and was able to follow the route of the van to A10 southbound.”

“Not a surprise,” Philip said. “They headed southeast—away from the densely populated areas of Germany. The good news is that they took toll roads, which means there’ll be monetary records of their passage. Not to mention they have to have crossed country lines, at least from Germany to Austria.”

“And probably from there into Croatia,” Marc said. “A country with great isolated areas with low populations, plus law enforcement that’s not as capable. I.e., they’re poorly paid and easier to bribe.”

“Precisely,” Terri said. “I plan on accessing the transport records Philip mentioned. That will tell us where they were when. Given the size, model, and number of passengers in the van, I can estimate the driving range on one tank of fuel to be five hundred kilometers to six hundred kilometers.”

Terri clicked her mouse and her face was replaced by a Google map of Europe. “The donut shape in yellow indicates how far the van could travel on one tank of fuel, hence the likely refueling area. Given the route they took, I’ve blacked out Germany, France, and Switzerland and grayed out Italy, Poland, and the surrounding countries that are unlikely given the route taken. Unfortunately, given that I agree with your assessment that Croatia is their ultimate destination, their most probable refueling area would be Zagreb.”

“Shit,” Marc said. “Zagreb is the capital of Croatia. So much for omitting densely populated areas.”

“Nevertheless, I suggest you go there as your starting point.”

“You’re correct.” Philip nodded. “It sucks, but it is what it is.”

“I’ll text this map to you both,” Terri said. “That way you’ll have it for easy reference. I’ll also text you a detailed map of Zagreb, with local gas stations highlighted. Try the ones that are off the beaten path but not too far from the highway.”

“Done,” Philip replied.

Aidan jumped in right there. “I have a strong contact in the Croatian police. Danijel Horvat. He’s a chief police inspector stationed in Zagreb. He’s the head of the Organized Crime Division. He also served on a Europol Organized Crime Task Force. He’s smart and well-connected, and I can always count on his discretion. I’ll call and bring him up to speed. He’ll be ready for Marc and Philip’s arrival, and he’ll be a vital ally.”

None of the team members looked surprised, although Marc did look impressed. He knew that Aidan had contacts everywhere and in every area of expertise. Still, his brother’s reach was even wider than he’d realized.

“Having inside help from high-level law enforcement is a great start,” Marc said. “Now we need to figure out what additional resources we need to find Lauren.”

“None of the dossiers Simone sent me are going to be useful,” Aidan stated. “Excellent people, but not for what we’re dealing with now. We’re crawling into isolated areas of Croatia. We need a small, targeted number of specific assets.” He turned to Philip. “Ideas?”

“Yes,” Philip responded without hesitation. “Even though most Croatians speak English, we can’t count on that being the case in some of the remote stops we’ll be making. So unless Marc speaks fluent Croatian, we’re going to need one or more people who do, to translate emails, cell phone calls, texts, and any wire-tapping we have to do.”

“Nope.” Marc shook his head. “Mandarin, French, and Spanish, yes. Croatian and Serb, no.”

“None of us fits that category.” Aidan’s gaze shifted to Simone. “Can you help us with this?”

Simone was already scanning her dossiers. “Since Croatian is spoken by over ninety-six percent of the country, I’m focusing on that. I’m also looking for a woman, just in case it’s necessary to have them interact with people. Marc and Philip come across as threatening. A woman will be less so. You’ll get a lot farther with a softer touch.” A hint of a smile. “And I’ll make sure she’s not model material so Philip won’t hit on her.”

Philip merely arched a brow.

Simone paused, glancing at her findings. “I have two possible candidates. Aidan, I assume you need this asset to start right away. For how long do you need her and how much are we willing to pay?”

In response, Aidan asked, “Terri, what’s our financial situation on this?”

A rare grin curved Terri’s lips. “Money is no object. I hit the jackpot on Wheel of Fortune.”

“Oorah!” Aidan punched the air with his fist. A quick glance at Marc, and he said, “Frogman, that term means charge. A Marine thing, nothing you’d understand.”