“Oh, I tried reaching you, but I didn’t leave a message. I intended to try you again.”

“No worries. Life can get a little overwhelming, but I just wanted to touch base.”

“Do you think those girls are still out there to find or the players involved?” Amanda found herself spewing her greatest concern.

“It’s hard to say. The records date back seventeen years, but—

“Seventeen?” Amanda gasped.

“Yep, and I’d bet whoever’s behind this ring is still active. These types keep doing what they do until they’re stopped.”

“Guess we better stop them then.”

“I like your optimism.” Patty’s smile traveled the line.

“Did you hear about the history of the files—how they were in a bracelet that’s now been connected to a cold case in Georgia?” Amanda thought it best to make sure that Patty was just as informed as she was.

“Yeah, I heard. Also, it’s linked to a murder in Woodbridge a few days later.”

“That’s right.”

“I really believe that Casey-Anne Ritter had been a victim of the ring and that she escaped.” Amanda laid out her reasons: the assumed name and living off the grid.

“Makes sense to me. If I were her and got free, I’d run as far away as I could. It’s sad that it would seem her past caught up to her.”

Sadder still that Ritter had nothing to bargain for her life with as the bracelet her killer was probably after was in possession of the county while Palmer was behind bars. “I’m going to say whoever killed Ritter and Webb were mixed up in the ring.”

“Could be. Not sure how much you know—or if you’ve had a chance to look at the files yet—but there were records of

bank transfers on the data chip.”

“Yes, Jacob—Detective Briggs—told me.”

“Okay, good. Well, I’ve started on obtaining subpoenas, so I have the right to track those to the banking institutions. I can see if the accounts are still active and from there see what I can get. Hoping to get some names.”

“I haven’t accessed the files yet, but I take it there are no names mentioned?”

“Nicknames are assigned to everyone, but that’s normal—even when the files are encrypted and hidden on a chip in a bracelet clasp.”

“They have a lot to lose,” Amanda lamented, sadly considering that included innocent children. “As I said, keep me posted. I’m going to start with trying to see if I can track down more information on Casey-Anne Ritter, whoever she was.”

“Makes sense. Let me know if you need any help.”

“I should be fine on that front.”

“What’s the plan?”

Amanda bristled a bit at the micro-managing. “Jacob said there are pictures. I was considering scrolling through them to see if any resemble Ritter.”

“Just a warning: it’s not easy to look at those type of pictures.” Patty’s voice turned grave. “I’ve been at this for five years now, the longest in this unit actually. It’s definitively not a unit where most officers pitch their tent. Most transfer out after a year.”

“So what keeps you around?”

“The days I actually get to take these creeps down make it worth it. The wins, as you could say.” A lightness was back in her tone.

“I get that.” Amanda was ready to get on with things, but there was something a bit clingy about Patty. She professed to like her job, but she didn’t seem eager to return to work.

“I better get going,” Amanda said. “Lots to do. There are hundreds of pictures from what I understand.”

Tags: Carolyn Arnold Thriller
Source: readsnovelonline.net