“It was a big story on cable news for months about a year ago. A toddler fell and died from a head trauma while his mother was spaced out on heroin.”
“Right,” Roland said. “It’s coming back to me. It wasn’t our case but the mother had the whole town searching for the kid when she claimed he’d been kidnapped.
“A wealthy family, if I remember correctly. One of those ranchers whose cows scratch their backs on oil rigs. But back to the missing women. I take it you think this is a case for the FBI to look into?”
“I do. One of the missing women is from Shreveport, Louisiana, crosses state lines, so it meets our guidelines.”
Roland scratched his chin. “You’ll be pleased that the powers that be agree with you. It helped that the local Texas law authorities contacted the Bureau last night and requested their help. They are concerned they may have a serial killer on their hands even though only the one body has been found.”
“How soon will we be sending an investigative team to the area?”
“I’d guess an assessment team will be in the field within the next forty-eight hours—maybe sooner. Jackson Clark in the Dallas field office will head up the investigation.”
A tinge of relief only slightly eased her apprehension. “They’ll need a profiler as well as several agents in order to move quickly.”
“Are you volunteering to join Jackson’s team?”
She nodded. “It makes sense. I went to school at University of Texas, UT, in Austin. I know my way around the area.”
“I can put in your request with Jackson. He’s aware of your success on the Swamp Strangler case. I’m sure he’s impressed enough to consider you.”
She’d only met Jackson Clark once when she’d attended a weeklong seminar he’d conducted in Quantico. He was a giant of a man, intimidating, demanding—a brilliant investigator. He was not known for being easily impressed.
There was no one she’d rather see handle this case.
Roland rolled his chair closer to the desk and drummed the eraser end of a pencil against a closed folder. “The only problem I see is that you seem to be taking this case personally, Sydney. If that has anything to do with the woman you couldn’t save from the Swamp Strangler, you have to let that go and move on.”
“It’s not that.” She couldn’t lie. It was only a matter of time before the truth would come out and she’d risk losing her job if she didn’t level with Roland. “It’s even more personal,” she admitted.
Roland spread his hands palms down on the table. “Keep talking.”
“My sister, Rachel, is missing.” The words tore at her heart and her control. She blinked back a tear and stared at the toes of her black pumps.
“I’m so sorry to hear that. Is Rachel the sister who’s an attorney in Houston?”
“Yes. She’s my only sister.” Her only family.
“When did you find out?”
“A few minutes after nine this morning. Connie Ledger, her best friend and a coworker, called when Rachel didn’t show up for work this morning and couldn’t be reached by phone. Connie tried Rachel’s number several times but her attempts resulted in a ‘call cannot be completed’ message.”
Roland’s brows arched. “So basically, you’re saying she didn’t make it into work this morning. There could be a lot of explanations for that.”
“And I wouldn’t be here if that were the case. Rachel took a week’s vacation that started ten days ago on a Friday afternoon. Apparently, no one has heard from her since then.”
Roland straightened, his chin jutting as if he was just clueing in to the fact that this was serious. “And you don’t know where she was vacationing or whom she was with?”
“I know where she was supposed to be. She called me the Friday she left and said she was going to a spa resort near Austin for some R & R.”
“Alone?”
“Yes, but that’s not particularly unusual for Rachel. She’s very independent. Her law firm had just successfully wrapped up a case that she’d worked long hours on for weeks before and during the trial. She sounded exhilarated, but exhausted.”
“I assume you’ve contacted the resort.”
“Yes. Rachel never showed up, nor did she cancel. They tried to reach her to no avail. When I call her number it just says ‘party unavailable.’”
Roland pulled his lips tight across his teeth. “Is she in a relationship?”
“Not currently. She broke up with her boyfriend of four years a little over a month ago. As far as I know, she hasn’t dated anyone since then.”
“I’m sure you’ve talked to her ex.”
“I called Carl this morning. So far, he hasn’t called me back, but Connie reached him earlier. He wasn’t aware Rachel was missing, but offered to meet Connie at Rachel’s apartment to check things out.”
“Did he?”
“No. Connie called the police department instead and an officer met her there. The apartment manager let them in. There was nothing amiss.”
Roland leaned in close, propped his elbows and waited for Sydney to meet his scrutinizing gaze. “I know how alarming this is, but try not to jump to any frightening conclusions before you have all the facts.”
“I’m not assuming anything. I’m not ruling out anything, either. Taking a vacation alone is very much like Rachel. Not returning to work on time is completely foreign to her modus operandi. She is very serious about her work. She’s serious about everything.”
He nodded. “Got it. You’ve got reason to worry. But I’ll have to level with Jackson. It can get sticky working a case you’re personally involved in.”
“I understand, but as part of the investigation team or on my own, I have to get to Texas as soon as possible. I’m prepared to take an emergency leave if necessary and I’ve booked a flight to Houston that leaves here at one.”
“I wouldn’t expect you to do anything less.” He stood and stepped around the corner of his desk. “Even if you’re not officially part of the Bureau’s investigation, I expect you to keep me posted. Call if there’s anything we can do to help.”
“Believe me, I will.”
And with or without Roland’s permission, she’d call on Lane Foster. Best tech geek in the business. If it was in cyberspace, he could find it. She already had a list of requests for him, some she could have done herself if she’d had the time.
Sydney stood and Roland held out his arms for a sympathetic hug that was appreciated though awkward. Roland was normally the strictly business kind of boss.
She gave a final nod, then hurried from the
