True Deceit (Blindsided Book 1) (11 page)

“You’re far too soft you know,” Lexi chided. “If it was that important for them to see us, they should have just come down to the precinct. Why should we come running to them?”

“Have a heart Lexi, these aren’t criminals. I’m sure if we’d insisted then they would have, but we’ve got nothing urgent going on.”

He had tried to get Sarah to tell him what it was about over the phone but she refused, insisting that she needed to seem him in person as a matter of urgency.

The door opened as they walked up to the front of the house and he could see that Michael’s sister-in -aw was already there. “Mr Trent, this is Lexi Constantinou, my partner.”

“Hi, thank you for coming.” Mike shook both their hands before ushering them inside and leading them through to the kitchen.

“So how can we help you?” Elliot looked from Michael to Sarah. They seemed on edge, anxious but at the same time filled with a nervous energy.

This time it was Sarah who spoke. “We think my sister is still alive.”

He exchanged a look with Lexi. They’d both dealt with this kind of situation before. Loved ones not willing to accept that they’d lost someone dear to them. “I’m sorry, Miss−? I know it’s hard but it will get better with time,” he said gently.

“Oh for God’s sake,” she threw him a frustrated look. “I’m not losing my head through grief, we genuinely think she is alive. And we can show you why.”

Elliot searched her face. She obviously believed what she was saying and the least they could do was listen to her.

“Okay, I think you’d better start at the beginning.” He pulled out a chair and sat at the kitchen table, indicating to Lexi to do the same. “We’re listening.”

***

It was over an hour later by the time they’d finished and Elliot sat back in his chair, stunned.

“So can you help us?” Sarah asked.

“Hang on a minute, you two have had a few days to process this, we’ve just found out about it.” He turned to where Lexi sat, equally stunned. “Lexi?”

“Well I’ve heard about this sort of thing on the deep web but I’ve never seen it for myself. If what you’re saying is true, then this thing is huge. Way above my pay grade.”

“Look, I think what we need to do is go away and look into this. We’ll need to speak to our boss, see where we take it from here.” Elliot stood up. “Can we take your laptop?” He asked Sarah. “I’ve got no idea if we’d be able to find this again.”

“As long as I get it back.”

Elliot nodded. “You have my word.” Tucking the laptop under his arm he turned to leave. “We’ll be in touch. Soon.”

“So what do you think?” Elliott asked Lexi as soon as they got in the car. “Can she really still be alive?”

“I don’t know how, the dental records matched remember?”

“But what about the picture on the website?”

“That’s why I didn’t say anything in there. Because it seems that both things can’t be real and I don’t know what to believe.”

“What’s the tech department like down this neck of the woods? I’ve not had to use them yet.”

Lexi laughed as she pulled on her seatbelt. “Well, it’s not so much a department as one man and his computer. But Sid is okay, a bit of a strange one, but great at his job.”

“Okay well I think before we take this any higher we need to see if this is genuine. I don’t want to go to them with this only for someone to make me look like a muppet by telling me it’s a fake.”

Lexi checked her watch. “He won’t be there now, he works days, but we should be able to grab him first thing in the morning.”

“Looks like we’re done for the day then unless you’ve got anything else you need to do back at the farm?”

“Nope. I did all the paperwork on that gas station robbery that you keep nagging me about and all the other stuff can wait.”

“Fancy a beer then?” He hadn’t been able to shake yesterday’s phone call and he really didn’t want to be stuck at home with his own thoughts again that night.

“Yeah, sounds good. I’ll just make a call.”

Elliot tried not to listen to the conversation but it was impossible when you were sitting in a car with someone.

“Mom? Yeah, sorry I gotta work late. Mmmmm. Yeah, something came up. Oh really? Oh, I completely forgot. Tell him I’m sorry and we’ll do it another time. Yeah. Okay, bye Mom.” She grinned as she put the phone down.

“Why do I get the feeling that I’ve just been used? Again?”

“Because you have. Thanks to you I no longer have to go on another one of mom’s blind dates. I’ve been trying to think of a way of getting out of it all day.”

“Glad I can be of some help,” he said, trying to look hurt.

“Yeah, that look won’t work on me, mister. Now, you buying me that beer or what?”

Boy that girl could drink. He’d only planned on having a couple of beers but then a few of the uniform guys had arrived and drinking games had quickly followed. Lexi had put him to shame though, out drinking him easily. She laughed as she walked him to a cab and poured him in, giving the driver his address, and he knew that it was going to be a while before he was able to live that one down.

Getting to the office the next morning, every step sent jackhammers of pain shooting through his skull.

“How’s your head?” she smiled as he walked into the office after her for a change.

“Ugh.”

“Oh dear.” she reached into her desk drawer. “Here you go.” she handed him a couple of tablets that he quickly dry swallowed.

“I thought it was the Irish who were supposed to be able to drink like that,” he muttered as he gently lowered himself into his chair.

“The Greeks do a pretty good job, too.” She was smiling widely and showing no ill effects from the night before. “Did you remember to bring the laptop?”

“Yeah,” he pointed to the bag he’d put down by his desk. “You want to go now?”

“Might as well. Sid tends to get very focused and if we don’t catch him early he’ll get engrossed in something else.”

“Okay, let’s go.”

***

“Yeah, it’s the real deal all right. This is some sick shit.” Sid wasn’t what he’d been expecting at all. He’d envisioned a nerdy guy, all pale skin and glasses. In fact, he was blond, tanned and looked like he’d spent the morning surfing. Admittedly a difficult feat with the nearest sea shore several hundred miles away but still, that’s what he looked like.

“So can you tell us anything more about it? Like a name and address for the person running this site?”

Sid laughed at his clear ignorance. “No, it’s not as simple as that. Ever. I’ll look into it and see what I can find out but these guys are usually pretty slick.”

“Okay. Do you need us to leave you the laptop?”

“Nah, I’ve got everything I need. I’ll give you a call when I get something.”

“So, what now?” Lexi asked as they left Sid’s office and headed back downstairs to their own floor.

“I think we have to take it to the boss.”

“Agreed. It’ll have to be Jenkins, though, the Captain’s on vacation for a couple of weeks.”

Oh great.
He’d only met Jenkins a couple of times but he didn’t like the man. He was more politician than policeman and was just as slippery.

“Shit, I forgot. Okay, well, Jenkins it is then.”

Jenkins’ office was just down the corridor from the detectives’ room. The door was closed as usual.
Not a believer in an ‘open door’ policy,
Elliot thought as he raised his hand to knock. In all the time since he’d joined the unit he didn’t think he could ever remember seeing it open.

“Come,” a voice boomed, inviting them in.

“Boss,” Elliot said as he walked in, closely followed by Lexi.

“Ah, Mitchell, Constantinou,” Jenkins looked up briefly from the papers he was reading on his desk and waved at them both to sit. “Be with you in just a second.”

Elliot looked round the room as they waited. On one wall there were several picture frames featuring Jenkins shaking hands with various important and, in a couple, famous people. On the opposite wall were framed diplomas. No pictures of any family as far as he could see.

“So,” Jenkins looked up and slid his reading glasses off his nose. “What can I do for you both?”

Elliot looked at Lexi who nodded at him to take the lead. Starting from the beginning, Elliot explained everything they knew so far. Jenkins didn’t interrupt and just sat back, listening intently.

“And that’s where we are now?” he asked as Elliot finished speaking.

“Yes,” Elliot nodded. “As you can see, this could potentially be huge. We have no idea how many women could be held in captivity or by whom.”

Jenkins eyes lit up at the mention of the word ‘huge’ and Elliot could almost see him figuring out how this could advance his career.

“So, what do you propose?” he leaned forward, his elbows on his desk.

“We need to call in the FBI.”

Lexi was nodding her agreement.

He continued. “They have the resources to deal with this and the intelligence networks. We don’t. And, it involves at least two kidnappings that we’re aware of, so this is squarely in their jurisdiction.”

Jenkins was nodding. “Yes, but do we actually know that? We haven’t actually verified that any of this is true.”

Elliot couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “We’ve just seen Sid and he confirms that the website is real.”

“Yes, but that doesn’t actually mean anything does it? Anyone can put a website up.”

“What?” Elliot was struggling to keep his voice calm. “What about all the women that were supposed to have been killed in these wrecks that are now on there?”

Jenkins held his hand up. “All of whom were positively identified by their dental records. Listen, I’m not saying that there isn’t anything going on here, but I think we need a bit more before we go running to the feds.”

“Sir, with respect, we need to move fast on this and we just don’t have the resources,” Lexi jumped in. “The FBI could be all over this and fast. To be honest, I don’t know where we’d start.”

“Well it seems to me that the first thing we do is confirm whether the women in those wrecks are who they’re supposed to be. If we’re doubting the dental records, then we’ll need to run DNA.”

“That’s going to take time, sir. If we’re talking checking all the victims we’re going to need to arrange to get bodies exhumed, permission for the exhumations, DNA samples from relatives …” he tailed off.

“I’m aware of that
detective
,” his tone was firm. “But that is what is going to be done before we take this any further. Understood?”

“Yes, sir.” Elliot turned and walked out of the office without another word. It was all he could do not to slam the door behind him.

“Prick!”

“Keep your voice down, at least until we’re out of earshot,” Lexi cautioned with a quick look back to see if he’d been overheard. “You don’t know him very well but I’m telling you, he doesn’t take disrespect well.”

“It’s true, though,” he muttered as they walked back into the detective’s room.

“I know it is,” she sighed as she sat down at her desk. “What do we do now?”

“We go and tell Michael and Sarah that it’s being looked in to. What else can we do?”

“Well, I might have an idea.”

“Go on.”

“My eldest brother, Alexander, he’s a hacker.”

Oh great.
He tried not to roll his eyes but Lexi could read his expression.

“Let me finish,” she snapped. “Alexander is great. He wanted to join the police tech department but he couldn’t, he has a bad knee from playing college football and couldn’t pass the physical. He’s really good, Elliot. He’s not into
bad
hacking. He does good stuff with his skills.”

“
Bad
hacking? You do know that it’s illegal in any form, right?”

“Yes of course I do and I’m only telling you this because I trust you to keep it to yourself.”

He could see that he’d upset her. “And you think he can help us?”

“It’s got to be worth a try. He can do things that Sid can’t.”

He held up his hand. “Stop there, I don’t think you need to tell me any more about that, I’ll just pretend I didn’t hear.”

“So what do you think?”

“I think it can’t hurt to speak to him.” he wasn’t going to just let those women rot because his boss wanted to look good by having his own department solve it without providing them with the resources to do it. “Can you set it up?”

She beamed. “Leave it with me.”

Lexi laughed as Mama Constantinou welcomed Elliot as if he were a long lost son, throwing her arms around him and giving him a big squeeze.

“Elliot! So good to see you again?” She held him at arm’s length and looked him over. “You eating? You look skinny.”

He laughed. “I’m eating. I promise.”

“Mom, put him down.”

“What? I can’t say hello to your friends?”

Lexi just smiled. It didn’t look like Elliot minded. “Is Alexander here yet?”

Her mom didn’t get a chance to answer as a squeal pierced the air and a blur of pink appeared and wrapped itself around her legs. “Hey pumpkin,” Lexi reached down and picked the little girl up. “How’s my favorite niece?”

“Auntie Lexi!” the girl wrapped her arms tightly around her neck.

“There you are monster,” Alexander appeared in the hallway. “Come here,” he grabbed the little girl and pried her fingers from around Lexi’s neck. “Let Aunty Lexi and her friend get inside.”

“Hi Elliot, good to see you again,” he held out his hand and they shook.

“Thanks for coming over at short notice, Alex.”

“No problem. I had to bring Trina though, it’s my weekend to have her.”

“You know I love to see her anytime.” She turned to Elliot to explain. “Alex is divorced.”

“She’s a beautiful girl, you’re a very lucky man.” Elliot smiled but there was something about it that seemed sad and she made a note to ask him about it later.

“Anyway, what did you need me for?”

“Mom, do you mind watching Trina for a bit? We need to talk in private.” Lexi knew that she wouldn’t mind in the slightest.

“Of course, off you go,” she waved them off and took Trina by the hand.

“We’ve got a case at work that we need your help with,” Lexi started.