8. Daisy
Chapter eight
Daisy
Owen’s face stares back at me from Angel’s laptop while Scott stands behind him with his arms crossed. They’re both in northern California with the same scouting mission.
“As far as your potential threats go, I looked into Brad Callahan for you.”
“That was quick. I just called you 15 minutes ago as I was leaving the restaurant.” My brother works fast, but even I’m impressed.
“It wasn’t a deep dive, just a cursory search.
So far, his story checks out. He’s only been working for the park system for five years just like he told you.
When he’s not traveling, his home is a modest three-bedroom house in Virginia Beach, and he pays his taxes on time.
Actually, he pays them early. Before that, he worked as a corporate accountant for an international firm called Dominion Atrix Group, or DAG for short—making well into the six-figure range. ”
“Why would he give that up to work for $50,000 a year?” I ask no one in particular.
“Burnout. Travel. Freedom to see America on the government’s dime,” Angel replies. “There is something to be said about traveling the open road in an RV. If you think about it, it’s almost like a retirement job.”
“But he’s only 46 years old. That’s too early to retire,” I argue.
Scott leans closer to the screen until his face is right next to Owen’s. “It’s not really retirement if he’s still working. Look at me. I retired from the military at 38 years old. I invested wisely enough so that I don’t have to work. I do it because I love the job.”
“You also married a billionaire.” His wife, Grace, isn’t simply an investigative journalist. She had inherited her father’s tech company—a company she never wanted. Recently she sold that company to their childhood best friend.
Scott chuckles. “There is that. It just goes to show that doing what you love isn’t always about the money, Daisy.
Brad is single and doesn’t have any debt to his name.
His only credit card belongs to the NPS and is used for travel expenses.
For everything else, Brad pays in cash. While it’s unusual, it’s not a crime. ”
When there are two succinct raps on the door, everyone in the room goes silent—including Owen and Scott at the other end of the conversation. Angel tosses his takeout container into the trash. “Don’t worry. It’s Vinny.”
Once Vinny enters the tiny cabin, Angel grabs the two chairs from the dinette set and drags them over next to me.
He catches Vinny up on the conversation, forgetting that his partner could hear everything through his earpiece.
Even I had forgotten that Vinny was still actively listening in because he hadn’t spoken a word since telling Angel to quit voicing his commentary.
Getting us back on track, Angel scoots over so he can clearly see Owen and Scott on the tiny screen.
“If Brad has only been working for the park system for five years, he probably isn’t our guy.
But my gut says we shouldn’t dismiss him yet.
Can you place him at the last four or five abduction sites? ”
“I can certainly dig deeper if you don’t have the warm fuzzies about Brad.”
Angel leans back in his chair and crosses his arms. “Your sister just went on a date with him. I’ll leave it up to you how deep you feel like digging.”
It takes a great deal of restraint to refrain from rolling my eyes. Angel knows that it was a fishing expedition, not a date.
“Here’s the thing,” my brother warns. “I can find out what kind of shaving cream Brad Callahan buys or what kind of toilet paper he uses if that’s what you need from me.
However, it would be better if Angel used his credentials to run a search until FBI Director Finnegan gets the full cooperation of the CIA.
After the FBI arrested the former CIA Director, I don’t see that happening without stepping on a few toes. ”
My eyes dart to my side, where Angel sits with pursed lips. “Um. About that. Angel resigned. He’s here in a civilian capacity,” I tell Scott and Owen.
“I haven’t resigned,” Vinny interjects. “I still have a few months left until retirement. My credentials will still work. We’ll run the search from here, and if we find anything, I’ll let you know. I have to be careful, though. The CIA doesn’t spy on American citizens.”
At that, we all laugh—including Angel and Vinny.
“Sounds good,” Owen replies. “And Angel, just so you know, the FBI is always looking for good people. If you need a job, then I’ll put in a good word.”
“I’m going to take some time to figure out what I want to do when I grow up,” Angel quips. “But thank you for the offer, Owen. It’s nice to know I have options.”
After a quick goodbye, I shut down the video chat. “What’s the plan? We can’t hike hundreds of miles of trails in just a few days. October is just around the corner.”
Vinny sets the case he brought with him on the table, opening it up and removing a drone.
“This should reduce the time it takes to scour the area. If I were going to kidnap someone, I wouldn’t use the known trails that everyone hikes.
I’d stay as far away from them as possible; sticking to animal paths. We should be checking those instead.”
I remember my escape as though it were yesterday, and Vinny’s right.
There weren’t any hiking trails as far as I could tell.
“I think you’re on to something. When I escaped, I didn’t exit the cave system at the point of entry, and the ground was mostly covered in snow until I reached the lower elevations.
The only sign of life was an occasional deer track or paw prints where the foliage wasn’t too dense.
I assumed it was because I was miles from where he kept me, but what if that wasn’t the case? ”
“In your file, there was a map of the terrain and a satellite image of the location the FBI thought you were being held,” Angel says. “It would confirm Vinny’s theory. The same goes for the local investigations into the disappearances of the other girls.”
“I didn’t have access to the file once the CIA took over, and no one came knocking on my door with questions.
The only information I had was what Roger and now Director Finnegan shared with me.
They kept tabs on the kidnappings over the years even though they were no longer allowed to investigate.
It’s why I started tracking the abductions on my own. ”
“As far as the world believed, Sadie was dead. There would have been no reason to look for you. Even the CIA officer who was assigned to look into the string of related events only had access to the file the FBI gave him, which is the one where your frozen body was found.”
Angel walks over to his suitcase by the sofa and removes a file about a quarter of an inch thick. “Here’s everything we have on all the missing girls, thanks to you, Roger, and Grace.”
I move from my chair to the floor and spread out the pictures of Mammoth, the Grand Canyon, Redwood, Grand Teton, Petrified Forest, and Joshua Tree. Then I do the same with the rest until I’m surrounded by case files, most from local authorities who gave up the search much too soon.
“Each campground was large, yet only half full at the time of the kidnappings. That was still almost 100 families on the premises.” I run my finger along the paths that I took, hoping to be the one to find the victim before it was too late.
“I often arrived a day or two after the abduction, which is why I went in the opposite direction of the search party. No matter how many times I told the person in charge that the kidnapper would be in the last place they’d look—away from any kind of civilization—I was dismissed as some na?ve young woman who didn’t have a clue what I was talking about.
Of course, I couldn’t tell them that I knew from experience. Looking back, I should have.”
Angel rests his hand on my shoulder. “All that would have done was paint a target on your back, Daisy. You know for a fact that the man who abducted you waits at least a week before moving his prize. Had you said anything, then word would have gotten out that Sadie was still alive, making you nothing but a loose end. Don’t feel guilt over self-preservation.
You’re still here fighting the good fight. ”
Vinny adds his two cents. “Logically speaking, most kidnappers don’t stick around and risk getting caught, nor do they hole up in a place without running water, basic amenities, or in freezing temperatures.
If I were the one investigating, I likely would have dismissed your claim; following standard protocols such as establishing search grids and setting up roadblocks.
The easiest escape route is the one most often used. ”
“That’s exactly why he doesn’t use them,” I say as I look down at the files in front of me. “I’m not sure why the CIA took over and then did nothing. With their resources, this could have ended years ago. There has to be something I’m missing.”
Angel studies me for a moment, his forehead creasing. “That’s a good point.”
I gesture to the stack of reports Grace compiled over the years, which are almost as thick as mine that I have stored in a safe at my home.
“The CIA is in the business of collecting and analyzing information, not investigating domestic kidnapping charges. If the CIA believed this to be an international human trafficking ring, then shouldn’t that be in the file?
And why wouldn’t they work with the FBI to catch these guys instead of assuming control and keeping federal agents in the dark? ”
Angel and Vinny both look away, saying nothing.
“What aren’t you telling me?” I ask.
Vinny clears his throat. “Daisy, please take what I’m about to say with a dose of reality because it’s going to taste like swallowing a bitter pill.”
I turn my palm up, giving him the go-ahead.
“The CIA would have only taken over the case if there was an international link. This you already know. But here’s the kicker.
The chances are high that the person or people paying for the girls are already known at Langley.
Any further investigation by the FBI would only jeopardize any long-term operation currently in the works. ”
The lump in my throat feels more like a rock than a pill, but nothing Vinny says comes as a surprise.
“Then the likelihood that the CIA Director will cooperate with the FBI is slim to none. We need the FBI to hire the Southern Knights in an official capacity as a contractor to make any arrests. Otherwise, this guy will just continue to get away with it, and we’ll be the ones who end up in jail for obstruction of justice or some erroneous allegation. ”
Angel sits down next to me on the floor, close enough that our knees touch.
“Not all is lost, Daisy. The FBI only stood down as a courtesy. It’s not set in stone.
With the new Director of the CIA, William Ludlow, wanting to be more transparent and cooperative than his predecessors, there’s still hope.
Let’s continue to investigate until we’re told not to. ”
Vinny chuckles. “Angel, you’ve already been told not to. You risk imprisonment just by being here.”
Angel gives a careless lift of one shoulder. “Doing the right thing is worth it. And since we’re on the subject of doing the right thing, how about we get to work and catch this guy?”