Night Hawk Read online

  In the tightening of Aiden’s deep blue eyes. Brendan’s similar eyes, inquisitive yet assessing. Drake, who seemed totally intense, watching her with a dark gaze. And Erik, a tilt of his head as if the verdict might still be out on his opinion.

  “Knock it off, guys.” Clay ran his gaze over his brothers and shared her childhood trauma.

  He looked uncomfortable. Like he didn’t want to rock the boat, and he kept glancing at Aiden as if checking his reaction. Basically he was the middle child of the boys, and her psychology training at Quantico told her that middle kids often acted as peacemakers in adult life, both at work and at home. She could see that behavior in Clay. When a dispute arose on the task force, he’d mediated and kept them moving forward.

  But his demand and explanation for his brothers didn’t sway them at all, or at least didn’t change their appraising looks.

  “I get it,” she said, looking from one solid guy to the next. Many women would be intimidated by them. Shoot, a lot of guys would be, but she was used to working in a man’s world where testosterone flowed as fast as the Willamette River through Portland, and she wasn’t in the least bit afraid. Concerned they’d let her secret slip, yes. Afraid, no.

  “I’d be looking at me the same way,” she continued. “A law enforcement officer who freezes for any reason is a liability. You can’t count on me having your back. But trust me when I say I had no idea I’d react that way. I haven’t seen a snake since the terrifying incident. And after today, I’ll see someone about it so it doesn’t happen again.”

  “You don’t have to justify yourself to us.” Clay curled his hands into fists at his sides as he watched his brothers. “It’s not like we’re perfect or anything. I could start airing our dirty laundry. Who should I start with?”

  He eyed his brothers, and they relaxed a bit. All except Drake. She figured him for the family bad boy, bucking rules and tending toward the wild side.

  “Just like I thought,” Clay said. “Let’s move on.”

  She smiled her thanks at Clay. He’d always been so supportive when they’d worked together. He was a total charmer, but underlying it all was a sincere heart, and she’d had a hard time resisting him. If her father hadn’t died, would they have gotten together?

  Didn’t matter. Her dad had died. When he’d appeared unexpectedly on their op, she was ogling Clay instead of putting her focus where it should’ve been. She’d only looked away for a few seconds, but that was all it had taken.

  Clay sucked in a sharp breath and turned back to his brothers. “Okay. We’ll get started once Sierra has finished all the photos. We’ve divided the building into quadrants. We’ll team up and search every inch of this place.” Clay shared their assignments.

  “Let me guess,” Drake said dryly. “You’re partnering with Toni.”

  One of the brothers snickered, but she didn’t see which one.

  “Let’s get some gloves on so we’re ready to act when Sierra is done,” Clay said.

  “A word alone before we do,” Aiden said.

  Aiden was the eldest, and she expected Clay would readily follow him, but Clay glanced at his watch instead. “I know what you’re planning to say, and you can warn me anytime to not make this personal. I’d like to get this place processed, so let’s move.”

  Clay jerked his head at Toni, telling her to follow him. She forced out a smile for the others and trailed Clay toward the building. Should she mention what had just happened with his brothers, or was it better to keep quiet? Quiet. She would let him take lead in any conversation.

  They passed the roaring generator powering the lights and creating a sharp glow from the basement stairwell.

  “We’ll hold here until Sierra returns.” Clay stopped at the head of the stairwell.

  Of course, he’d taken the quadrant with the storage room. Under normal conditions, she would be glad he’d chosen the place that should have the strongest lead. But, man, she didn’t want to go back down there. Not even if Clay had already hauled the pail out to his Jeep and locked the snake in. Snake or no snake, she couldn’t predict her reaction when they reached the janitor’s closet.

  It took every ounce of her willpower to stand there and wait for Sierra. But Toni was a professional. She wouldn’t bail. At least not yet.

  Sierra soon climbed the stairs and lifted her camera strap from around her neck. “I’ll grab my field kit and get to work in the closet first. You’re clear to move around the building.”

  Clay led her down the stairs, the smoke barely lingering after Griff sucked it out with a big fan. The light revealed faded blue walls with flakes of paint waiting for any movement to go flying into the air. They hit the basement’s concrete floor painted a dark gray and worn in the middle. She forced her feet forward. Step by step. Closer. Closer. Her heart rate kicked up. Thump. Thump. Thump. Pounding like a drum. Her breathing grew shallow in already irritated lungs. Labored.

  A cold chill swept over her. Her hands got clammy.

  Stop it. The snake isn’t even in there. Keep moving. You can do it.

  Her feet didn’t listen, and her footsteps faltered.

  Please. I don’t like this. You know I like to be in control. In charge. Not needing anyone.

  The only person in her adult life she’d been indebted to was her father, who’d taught her to be self-sufficient. To live her faith by helping others for sure. But asking for help? Never. And now she was beholden to Clay for his rescue from the snake and fire, and she didn’t like it. Not one bit.

  He turned, his gaze landing on her face and holding, his eyes filling with compassion.

  And that look. He thought she was weak. Needed help. And she did.

  Oh, God, why? What’s going on? Why are You letting this happen?

  “Let’s split up. I’ll talk to Sierra, and you head toward the back to search for leads.” He offered her a flashlight.

  She grabbed it like a lifeline, clutching the cool metal and letting the raised switch press into the tender flesh of her palm to distract her from the open closet door, where big Klieg lights illuminated the room.

  She got her feet moving, hurried past the closet and around a corner to an area shrouded in darkness. Flicking on the flashlight, she took several cleansing breaths and let the stress evaporate with each exhale of air. She concentrated on the area where the hallway opened into a small room with an arched doorway.

  She flashed the light beam over the space, finding the same painted floor, but the walls were made of rust-red bricks. Shelves lined three of the walls, holding various sized paint cans, but the brick on the walls had crumbled to the floor, a mound of bricks and dust at the base of the studs.

  She stepped closer and shone her light into the void. She took a good look, gasped, and stepped back. Her heart galloped into top speed.

  “Clay!” she yelled. “Come here. You have to see this.”

  Toni. Clay spun at her call.

  She was panicked again and needed him.

  He clicked on the headlamp he’d gotten from Sierra and charged down the hall. Toni stood in a small room staring into the open void in a wall. The back side of the wall was intact, but the brick wall in front had tumbled to the floor.

  “What is it?” he asked.

  She pointed at the mound of bricks.

  He took a long look and blinked a few times. He had to be certain of what he was seeing.

  “Man. Never expected this.” He shook his head but kept his gaze glued to the human skeleton. Mostly bones but with patches of flesh and clothing clinging to them. He couldn’t tell the person’s gender, but the frame was small, the shirt feminine. So likely a woman, but they needed a forensic anthropologist like Dr. Kelsey Dunbar at the Veritas Center to verify.

  “You think this is what we were supposed to discover when we came here?” This was a strong lead, but Toni’s tone was wooden, her expression tight.

  “Maybe.” He gave it some thought. “But why start the fire or put the snake in the closet? Or for that
matter, why send us to the closet at all and not direct us here instead?”

  “Maybe it wasn’t about telling us anything.” She considered the options. “Maybe the killer was worried we’d find this place and the body in our search, so he wanted to take us out before we did.”

  “Could be.”

  “We’re looking at murder here. Guess we’ll have to call in the local authorities after all.”

  “I’ll take care of that.” Clay dug out his phone. “Blake knows Trent and should be able to persuade him to let the forensic anthropologist from the Veritas Center handle the recovery.”

  “You think he’ll be able to do that?”

  “Blake’s a pretty hard guy to say no to, so yeah. He’ll get it done.” Clay forced out a smile. “In the meantime, can you cordon off the area? I can grab a roll of tape from Sierra.”

  “No,” she said firmly. “I can get it.”

  “You sure?” He tried not to sound skeptical, but she’d looked terrified when they’d passed the closet, which was why he’d sent her to the room in the first place.

  Her irritated expression told him she wanted to snap at him, but she took several slow breaths. “Please don’t baby me.”

  “Not babying, just concerned for you is all.”

  She sighed. “Don’t be.”

  “I get it. You like to be in control. Goes against your personality when you aren’t.”

  She shook her head, lips pursed.

  “What?”

  “You have me pegged, don’t you?”

  “Not any more than you do me.”

  She tilted her head and watched him for a long moment. “Do you think we might’ve gotten together if my dad hadn’t died?”

  Right. She’d said exactly what he’d been thinking for a year but was too chicken to ask. “I would’ve asked you out, that’s for sure. What would’ve happened after that…” He shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  “Clay,” Drake’s voice traveled down the hallway. “You back there?”

  “Better see what he wants.” Clay spun and heard Toni following as he headed back down the hallway.

  Drake stood on this side of the closet, the light spilling out behind his body and making him look other-worldly.

  “You gotta see what Erik and I found.” Drake’s tone was filled with more excitement than was normal for the guy.

  Clay didn’t want to leave this area if it was some lame lead. “Can’t you just tell me about it?”

  “Better you see it.”

  “Does it trump human remains? Because Toni just found them down the hall.” He jerked a thumb over his shoulder.

  He looked over Clay’s shoulder. “Seriously?”

  “Seriously,” Toni said. “In the wall. Skeletonized, so the body’s been there for a while.”

  “Man.” Drake shoved his hand into his hair and met Clay’s gaze. “That’s rough, but before you call in law enforcement, you really need to come with me.”

  Clay peered back at Toni. “I know you’ll want to join us. I’ll get Sierra to cordon off the area.”

  Toni nodded, and he stepped into the janitor’s closet. “I need you to tape off the area down the hall to our left. We found human remains.”

  She gave a sharp nod and clamped her hands on her hips, her gloved fingers wrinkling her white Tyvek suit. Her stoic response came from frequently working crime scenes where she’d seen things turn dark and difficult in mere moments.

  “We’re heading upstairs with Drake,” Clay continued. “He found something but won’t tell us what. Wants us to see it.”

  “You’re calling in the locals on the body, right?” She dug in her field kit for a roll of yellow crime scene tape.

  “I’ll call Blake after I see what Drake found. Figure he can convince the local sheriff to let Kelsey recover the remains.”

  “Good thinking.” Sierra picked at the end of the tape to release it. “I’ll get the area secured and take photos. Then get back in here to see what I can find before we have to turn things over to the authorities.”

  “I’ll ask Blake to put in a good word for you too. Hopefully, all the evidence can be processed at Veritas.”

  “Or not. The sheriff has used Sam at Blackwell in the past. He’ll probably call her. Gives him greater control over the forensics.”

  “Either way,” Clay said. “I hope to have access to reports.”

  Sierra eyed him. “You know once this is an official crime scene, I can’t share details unless we have the sheriff’s permission.”

  “Then I’ll work on that too.”

  Drake poked his head in the room. “You coming or what?”

  “Just a sec.” Clay turned back to his sister. “I’ll let you know what Blake has to say and what Drake is jonesing to show us.”

  Sierra gave a firm nod, and he followed Drake and Toni down the hall. She was immediately in front of him, illuminated by the headlamp. He had to work hard to keep his gaze from her hips. Her very feminine walk was in total odds with her tough demeanor and sturdy build. Still, she had plenty of curves to turn heads, something he’d noticed far too many times on the task force.

  Drake led them over worn concrete, through thick cobwebs, and up two flights of stairs. On the second floor, he stood back by the first room. “Have a look.”

  Clay followed Toni inside. As he entered, he noted a heavy-duty hasp and dangling padlock on the exterior. Someone definitely wanted to keep people out of or even in this room. He took a quick look at the space, and his feet came to a stop just inside the doorway.

  Four sets of bunk beds with ratty mattresses and rumpled bed linens filled the room, but otherwise the space was spotless, suggesting the room wasn’t occupied by squatters or homeless people. And no drug paraphernalia, so not likely addicts. Plus, the windows were covered with blackout drapes. Not something these groups might do.

  So who?

  Was this related to the notes they’d received? Was Hibbard using this building?

  He shot Toni a look. “Seems like a perfect set up for human trafficking.”

  “Agreed.” She held his gaze, her eyes dark with concern. “But we’re a long way from the I-5 corridor.”

  She was right. Most trafficked victims were transported up and down the corridor, many of them participating in the West Coast Circuit, where there was a ton of money to be made. Originating in Canada, the highway ran through the state and all the way to Mexico. It was one of the reasons Portland was often named number one in the country for juvenile trafficking and why Hibbard worked out of there. The task force had never found any leads to indicate a significant problem in this area.

  So, could this be a case of trafficking? Or was it more about prostitution?

  “The coast is nearby,” he said as he continued to think this through. “Maybe we couldn’t pin anything on Hibbard because he set up shop here instead. Maybe he’s no longer running vehicles on I-5 but boats along the coast.”

  “Maybe you should hold off discussing this until you see the other rooms,” Drake said from the doorway.

  Rooms? Plural? Clay’s gut clenched. “There’s more?”

  Drake gave a solemn nod.

  “Lead the way.” His stomach churning, Clay followed Drake down the hallway and into another room. Toni’s footsteps sounded behind them. A four-poster queen-size bed with a gauzy lilac canopy and a shiny purple comforter and matching sheets took up half the room. Blackout drapes covered these windows too, but this room also held a sitting area, rug, and mirror tiles on the ceiling.

  Clay’s heart sank. “Are there more of these rooms?”

  Drake nodded. “Every classroom on this floor has a similar set up or is like the bunk bed sleeping quarters. One person per bunk bed means the place could house at least thirty-two people, and four rooms are tricked out like this one.”

  This was just sick. Awful. Clay didn’t even want to think about it. His stomach churned until he feared he might hurl.

  Toni didn’t seem to be faring a
ny better. Her hands were fisted tightly by her side, her posture rigid.

  She inhaled a long breath. “This investigation goes way beyond the local sheriff’s ability. Even if he is topnotch, he doesn’t have the staff to run an investigation of this magnitude.”

  “Agreed,” Clay said. “He’d have to call in the state or Feds. Your squad would be the ones to work this. Call it in to them.”

  She bit her lip.

  He was confused. “You’re not glad to get your agency involved?”

  “They’re the right people to handle the investigation, but with my father’s connection, my supervisor will ban me.”

  Clay understood her hesitancy. When he was an agent, he would’ve wanted to keep charge of this investigation, but they had no choice.

  He locked gazes with her. “No matter our personal preferences, there are thirty-two young girls who could be counting on us, and we have to do the right thing to save them.”

  4

  While Toni waited for her co-workers to arrive, she and Clay walked through the building to snap pictures and gather any information they could before they were both persona non grata. Her supervisor would send her packing. And quickly. Toni didn’t like it. Not one bit. But even worse, she feared when they interviewed the Byrd brothers, one of them would forget and spill her reaction to the rattlesnake. And they would be interviewed. Each and every one of them. Her as well. Something she wasn’t looking forward to. Especially when she had to admit to her supervisor she’d continued touring the building after finding the body and discovering the bedrooms.

  Clay turned to look at her on the stairwell landing at the second floor. “What put that look on your face?”

  She shared her concerns. “I wonder who’ll interview me and what’ll happen when I admit I lingered here even after I knew it was a crime scene.”