Chapter 9 #2
Worry churned in her gut. “I just hope Opal’s in a safe place.”
When would her sister reach out? Would she reach out?
Or would Shadow get to her before they could find her?
She couldn’t go through the pain of losing her sister all over again.
Hopefully, whatever next move was decided on wouldn’t lead to Opal being the one to mourn.
* * *
When they arrived at the hotel, part of a popular national chain, they secured adjoining rooms on the fifth floor.
Even though the hotel normally didn’t allow animals, the manager made an exception because Haven and Rusk were working dogs.
Colt convinced Maren they needed to lie low for a bit, especially because he could tell she was shaken by the attack at the river.
She’d agreed on the condition they buy a laptop and use their police access codes to run background checks on the men they’d apprehended and anyone else connected to Shadow and Opal.
Thankfully, there was an electronics store not far from the hotel. He bought a laptop and burner phones.
For most of the evening, they tried working different angles to the case.
Maren put together a list of friends, associates and places she could remember Opal ever mentioning when they were still in touch with each other.
They hoped something would provide a clue as to where she could be. But so far, nothing surfaced.
They even reached back out to Dr. Newton at the Barren Valley Clinic to see if Anna Parker had ever returned. But according to the doctor and the receptionist, Fran, the woman going by that name had never come back.
It was a fruitless endeavor and didn’t make for a good night’s sleep. At least for Colt. He tossed and turned. As soon as daylight hit, he was up and ready to start their investigation again. His first order of business was to call his SAC, Leo Herman.
“Colt here.” He adjusted the phone and strode toward the hotel door. He wondered if Maren was up and dressed. He’d heard her moving around behind the closed door separating their rooms.
“Dawson, you had an exciting few days,” Leo said. “I’ve been in contact with Special Agent Dane. Unfortunately, the men you arrested yesterday made bail late last night.”
“What?” The hairs on Colt’s nape rose at the distressing news. “That fast?”
“A slick lawyer arrived just before midnight, posted their bail and whisked them away,” Leo’s voice held a note of contempt. “Emmett and I tried to delay but Judge O’Hara signed off.”
Colt gritted his teeth. The men were free. Colt only hoped they skipped town rather than facing Shadow and telling him they’d failed at their mission. Not willing to raise his suspicions that there was someone dirty within the DEA, Colt signed off.
There was a knock at the adjoining door.
He opened it to find Maren dressed in black slacks, a cream-colored blouse, and a gray jacket, all of which hid the Kevlar vest beneath.
She’d pulled her long, honey brown hair back into a low pony at her nape.
Beside her, Haven sat, her dark eyes steady.
Both looked ready to get to work. “Any word on Opal?”
Colt shook his head. He disliked seeing the look of disappointment in her eyes. He told her about the two men making bail.
“Ugh,” she said. The one word held a world of frustration and anger. “We should call Emmett.”
She used the burner phone and dialed the task force leader’s number. Putting the call on speaker, Maren expressed her upset that the two assailants had been released.
Emmett confirmed the information given by Leo.
“Any chance the judge is dirty?” Colt asked.
“Anything is possible,” Emmett replied. “I’ll have our tech do a deep dive into his finances.”
“Vinnie Homer?” Maren asked.
“US Marshals have him,” Emmett said. “The marshals have been instructed to contact you should Opal respond to Vinnie’s message.”
The wait was excruciating. He could only imagine how Maren was feeling.
“I could use both of you to provide support for Eli,” Emmett told them. “We have another lead on the doctor Maren was tracking.”
Checking his frustration, Colt said, “Give us the details.”
Colt could see the conflicted emotions raging across Maren’s face as they hung up from the call with Emmett. Colt understood the struggle; she wanted to pursue finding her sister but she also had a duty to the task force.
“Look, if our two cases are connected as we suspect, then focusing on the doctor right now just might lead us to Opal and Mia.”
She heaved a sharp-sounding breath. “You’re right.” She rubbed her hands together. “Let’s go get a dirty doctor.”
As they headed out, he couldn’t deny how much he liked her zeal.
Who was he kidding? He liked her and could easily find himself longing for more than a professional relationship.
The thought sent a fracture of worry through him.
Becoming attached was the last thing he needed or wanted.
His heart wasn’t ready to take the risk.
But hunting down Shadow and the doctor who might be involved in the disappearance of Mia Andrews was more than enough danger for them all.