25. Angel #2
Owen goes over to the computer and hits a few keys to bring the screen to life because we have news of our own to share with Daisy. “Did you get a name or see a picture?”
Daisy pinches the bridge of her nose in frustration.
“Yes to the name; no to the picture. All the photos of their son were in the house. And when they go to the campsite every year, they don’t take their phones because they don’t want to be disturbed while they spend time reminiscing about Emily.
It wouldn’t have mattered anyway; there weren’t pictures on their phones because they were dumb phones.
The basic and cheap kind that can’t store photos. ”
“How did you find the Blooms, Daisy?” Vinny asks.
“I’m wondering how they took the news of their home being destroyed?” Jaxon asks. “I can’t imagine that went over well.”
Faith hands Daisy a mug of cocoa. “And where’s Bennett?”
Wincing as the heat from the beverage hits the tender, raw skin on her cheek, Daisy sets down the mug.
“I already knew the name of the campground from when Owen researched Emily’s death.
But it was Special Agent Dunlap who took me to their location and delivered the news.
When he was canvassing the neighborhood to see if anyone saw anything, one of the neighbors told him, ‘The Blooms were lucky that they weren’t home,’ and then mentioned where they go every year.
It’s a good thing he was with me because I sincerely doubt the Blooms would have talked to me otherwise. ”
Daisy shifts in her chair, trying to get comfortable as she continues to answer questions.
“As for Bennett, he’s recuperating in the hospital with a mild concussion and a renal contusion that required surgery to stop the internal bleeding.
He should be fine, but the doctors wanted to keep him for observation.
It should be a few weeks before he’s moving around normally. ”
“At least we don’t have to deal with him,” Owen sneers.
“Bennett saved my life by risking his! Whatever this grudge you have with the CIA, it needs to stop being targeted at the individual level. Even the FBI is far from perfect, an agency you still work for. So please, for my sake, Angel’s, and Vinny’s too, stop it!
I owe Bennett a debt; one which I will not repay by listening to you chastise him. ”
The room goes silent as we wait for Owen to fire back a smart-alecky comment.
Instead, he looks at Vinny, then at me. “Daisy’s right, and I’m sorry.
While I still believe the CIA barrel has more rotten apples than good ones, I shouldn’t assume that you all are morally corrupt.
You and Vinny have proven otherwise, which proves my sister’s point.
” Then he looks at Daisy. “As far as Bennett is concerned, I’ll stop treating him like the scourge of the earth, but the jury’s still out on whether his moral compass points north.
He gets a free pass this one time, but only because he saved your life. ”
Daisy walks over and wraps her arms around her brother’s neck to hug him. “Thank you. We have enough trouble on our plate without adding to it.”
Owen opens a file, and several pictures pop up on the screen.
“Speaking of trouble, I was running a special search over the past week. Roger mentioned that the CIA took over when he and Director Finnegan were working another case where Eva Vidal’s DNA was found at the scene.
It matched Maarika Kivem?e, who was the mistress of Andrus Saaren?lv, an Estonian diplomat who was rising in power as leader of the Renewal Front. It got me thinking.”
Daisy snorts. “That’s dangerous territory.”
“Ha. Ha. I took the pictures of the first few girls who went missing and used a program that ages them. Not only that, since they were taken specifically for their features, I had the program account for minor cosmetic changes that would fool a surveillance camera without generating a completely new face.”
“Like cheek implants and Botoxed lips?” Daisy asks.
“Yep. I also accounted for rhinoplasty, chin implants, and even eyelid surgery. There were thousands of combinations. Last night, when everyone was sleeping, I got a hit. Nuri Han.”
Owen pulls up the original photo of Nuri Han and then the one that got a hit. “The program has it at a 63% match.”
“That’s better than zero,” Daisy says excitedly.
She starts reading the information. “Her name is now Lee Kiyung-mi, and she’s married to Lee Min-jun and has been for 12 years.
Lee Min-jun is one of the ministers in the State Council of South Korea, appointed by the President.
They have three children together: two boys, Ji-ho and Ha-joon, and a daughter, Haeun, ages ten, eight, and five respectively. ”
Vinny asks Owen to pull up the file on Lee Min-jun. “Where did he and his wife meet?”
“She was sold to him,” I say, stating what I think is an obvious answer. “Why does it matter?”
Owen corrects me. “Actually, they met at a gala in D.C. 13 years ago when Min-jun was a newly-elected National Assembly Member to the Legislative Branch of the South Korean government. Kiyung-mi was a server at the dinner and spilled a pitcher of water on him. It was love at first sight. Daisy, I can’t be sure that Nuri and Kiyung-mi are the same person. ”
“You wouldn’t have brought it up if you didn’t think it was true,” I tell him. “We all agree; the similarities are enough to warrant further investigation.”
Daisy asks him to bring up a family photo of the Lees. When he does, her eyebrows knit. “They look happy. Nothing in her posture or demeanor would indicate she’s under duress.”
Roger leans against the wall, sipping his much-needed coffee after Owen shared what he found with us this morning. “Show Daisy the others.”
Next, there’s a picture of Christina Gallo at 15 years old.
Then there’s a picture of Giana Greco. Owen tells her, “It’s a 74% match.
She’s married to Lorenzo Greco, who started his political career in the early 2000s as an elected representative in the Italian Chamber of Deputies.
Since then, he’s become a major political player in their Senate.
He’s made a few enemies in his rise to power, but mostly, he’s kept his nose clean. ”
Before Daisy can ask, Owen pulls up a family photo. Once again, the couple looks happy.
“Are you noticing a pattern?” Vinny asks Daisy.
“All the girls are living a dream life,” she says. “Rags to riches and kismet love. I don’t buy it. Smiles can be faked.”
I gently touch Daisy’s elbow when she gets a look that shows her mind is going somewhere other than here; to a place where she doesn’t need to dwell. “Stay with me, Daisy. There’s more.”
Roger says, “Once we knew what to look for, the hits kept coming. For the past few hours, we’ve found a pattern that the girls are connected either by marriage, romantic relationships, or working closely with major political and military figures across the globe.
If it’s human trafficking, it’s not the kind where the women are subjugated.
Honestly, I don’t think it’s trafficking at all. ”
Vinny grunts. “We expanded our search to include the other girls that Bennett showed us who weren’t abducted from the national parks. Pull up the last one, Owen.”
When he does, every molecule in my body moves at hyper-speed as betrayal sets in. This morning, while waiting for Daisy to arrive, it was more shock than anything.
Staring back at us are two pictures: one of a 14-year-old girl taken the same year as Daisy from a religious cult in Wyoming, and the other one Vinny and I know well enough. Abigail Calvert, who is now Chelsea Ludlow; the wife of our current CIA Director.
Once Daisy is made aware, she asks no one in particular, “How could he do such a thing?”
Vinny answers. “I don’t think he knows, Daisy. I was at the same convention where they met. Chelsea was an officer in the CIA until Ludlow assumed the role of Director. Then she resigned. I assure you, Director Ludlow did not mail-order his bride, and she’s very supportive of his career.”
“Then… what… how… I don’t understand.”
“Neither do we,” Roger says. “Director Finnegan is taking several agents with him to speak to Ludlow directly. Dominion may be taking these girls and grooming them, introducing them to young men who are primed to be in positions of power later in life. What better way to get intel or blackmail than to have someone trusted on the inside?”
Daisy squares her shoulders and looks at the clock on the wall. It’s a little before noon, and check-in at the campground is at 2:00 p.m.
“Well, I’m not going to let another girl be taken so that Dominion can rule the world from the shadows. Enough is enough.”