Page 15 of Night Hawk
She was right. Most trafficked victims were transported up and down the corridor, many of them participating in the West Coast Circuit, where there was a ton of money to be made. Originating in Canada, the highway ran through the state and all the way to Mexico. It was one of the reasons Portland was often named number one in the country for juvenile trafficking and why Hibbard worked out of there. The task force had never found any leads to indicate a significant problem in this area.
So, could this be a case of trafficking? Or was it more about prostitution?
“The coast is nearby,” he said as he continued to think this through. “Maybe we couldn’t pin anything on Hibbard because he set up shop here instead. Maybe he’s no longer running vehicles on I-5 but boats along the coast.”
“Maybe you should hold off discussing this until you see the other rooms,” Drake said from the doorway.
Rooms? Plural? Clay’s gut clenched. “There’s more?”
Drake gave a solemn nod.
“Lead the way.” His stomach churning, Clay followed Drake down the hallway and into another room. Toni’s footsteps sounded behind them. A four-poster queen-size bed with a gauzy lilac canopy and a shiny purple comforter and matching sheets took up half the room. Blackout drapes covered these windows too, but this room also held a sitting area, rug, and mirror tiles on the ceiling.
Clay’s heart sank. “Are there more of these rooms?”
Drake nodded. “Every classroom on this floor has a similar set up or is like the bunk bed sleeping quarters. One person per bunk bed means the place could house at least thirty-two people, and four rooms are tricked out like this one.”
This was just sick. Awful. Clay didn’t even want to think about it. His stomach churned until he feared he might hurl.
Toni didn’t seem to be faring any better. Her hands were fisted tightly by her side, her posture rigid.
She inhaled a long breath. “This investigation goes way beyond the local sheriff’s ability. Even if heistopnotch, he doesn’t have the staff to run an investigation of this magnitude.”
“Agreed,” Clay said. “He’d have to call in the state or Feds. Your squad would be the ones to work this. Call it in to them.”
She bit her lip.
He was confused. “You’re not glad to get your agency involved?”
“They’re the right people to handle the investigation, but with my father’s connection, my supervisor will ban me.”
Clay understood her hesitancy. When he was an agent, he would’ve wanted to keep charge of this investigation, but they had no choice.
He locked gazes with her. “No matter our personal preferences, there are thirty-two young girls who could be counting on us, and we have to do the right thing to save them.”
4
While Toni waited for her co-workers to arrive, she and Clay walked through the building to snap pictures and gather any information they could before they were both persona non grata. Her supervisor would send her packing. And quickly. Toni didn’t like it. Not one bit. But even worse, she feared when they interviewed the Byrd brothers, one of them would forget and spill her reaction to the rattlesnake. And theywouldbe interviewed. Each and every one of them. Her as well. Something she wasn’t looking forward to. Especially when she had to admit to her supervisor she’d continued touring the building after finding the body and discovering the bedrooms.
Clay turned to look at her on the stairwell landing at the second floor. “What put that look on your face?”
She shared her concerns. “I wonder who’ll interview me and what’ll happen when I admit I lingered here even after I knew it was a crime scene.”
“You think there’ll be backlash?” He leaned against the peeling wall. “Other than keeping you off the investigation.”
“My supervisor is pretty tough. So yeah, there could be a problem.”
“I’ll pray there isn’t.”
“Thank you.” She’d prayed with him a few times on the task force, and he obviously lived his faith and shared about it, but they’d never really discussed their beliefs.
She heard cars arriving and stepped to the window to look out. “They’re here.”
Clay joined her, and she caught a hint of his musky scent momentarily covering the building’s mildewy smell.
The FBI arrived in full force, cars, SUVs, and trucks crunching over the gravel lot. Agents. Evidence recovery squad. Supervisors all the way from supervisory special agents up to the big boss, the Special Agent in Charge of the Portland office.
“We should go meet them.” She turned to leave.
