Page 14 of Night Hawk
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.”
