Page 28 of Night Hawk
“I do, but no thanks to you calling in the feds before me.”
“Sorry. It’s my fault.” Toni smiled at Trent, and the sheriff’s tight expression relaxed a notch. “I work violent crimes for the Bureau, and I thought they were best able to handle the investigation.”
“It’s done.” He clenched his jaw and released it. “We reached a compromise. I’m taking lead on the murder, and your team is working the trafficking angle.”
Clay hadn’t heard this, but it made sense as the high school was in Trent’s jurisdiction. As such, the entire investigation fell under his command, but the FBI didn’t usually handle murders unless it was a serial killer. “You’re still using Dr. Dunbar at Veritas for that, right?”
“She’s finished recovering the body, so it only makes sense to have her analyze the bones.” He locked onto Clay’s gaze. “But I’ve reminded her of her contractual terms with the county not to disclose information to anyone but me.”
Clay clasped his hands under the table. “She reminded me of that as well.”
“Good. Then we’re all on the same page.”
“Has anything happened at the high school prior to this?”
“The usual issues with kids partying in the summer, but nothing in the last few months.”
“Because we were both summoned to the school,” Clay said, “we believe this is related to a human trafficking investigation we worked as a task force.”
“Tell me about that.”
Clay gave Trent the details on Hibbard. “Toni’s father was killed in an op that went sideways. We were trying to bring in Olin Kraus, Hibbard’s lieutenant, when Mr. Long arrived and inserted himself in the op by knocking on the suspect’s door. An unknown subject opened fire from a hidden location. Took Mr. Long and Kraus out. Long was a retired DEA agent, turned PI, and was in town visiting Toni.”
Trent raised an eyebrow and looked at Toni.
She shifted under the study. “I have no idea why he showed up or how he even knew where I was. Or maybe it was just a weird coincidence. One thing I do know is that my dad didn’t usually take vacations. Even when he retired from the DEA and went to work for his friend, Dad gave a new meaning to the word workaholic. I was typically the one who went to see him, so it looks like he had another reason to be in town.”
“Could it be work related, but he didn’t let his supervisor in on it?” Trent asked.
“I don’t think so,” Toni said. “I went to see Vance Danby after Dad died. Vance owns Danby Investigations in Virginia, where my dad worked after he retired. Vance said Dad’s caseload included three pending divorces and one cheating husband. Nothing like this and no connection to Kraus. I boxed up my dad’s personal things from his office, and I’ve been through it all a million times. Found nothing to help.”
Clay didn’t know how she could talk so matter-of-factly about her father’s death, but she was the ultimate professional, and she’d probably compartmentalized the loss like she’d done with her mother’s accident.
“Did your father know about your investigation?” Trent asked.
“I’d said I was part of a task force focused on human trafficking but never gave him details.”
Trent rested his hands on the table. “Not knowing what he was up to must be driving you crazy.”
“You have no idea,” she said, and for the first time in this interview, her tone confirmed that she was troubled. “It’s like one of those cases that you can’t close, only worse. Much worse.”
Trent shifted his focus to Clay. “And how does my agency fit in with this investigation?”
“We believed Hibbard was solely working out of Portland, but evidence from the school suggests we might be wrong,” Clay said. “We hope you can tell us if you have issues in the area with human trafficking.”
Trent pressed his hands flat on the table. “We have a problem, that’s for sure. Nothing like Portland, but it goes on. In fact, a tri-county task force made a bust a few days ago. Guy named Jason Rader was using social media to groom underage girls. He pretended to be a tech millionaire. Promised the girls a great lifestyle with him at the beach.”
Trent paused for a moment. “He’s the typical offender. White male, in the twenty-five to forty-five age range. Has strong computer skills. Good looking guy, and even in his thirties, he managed to suck the girls in. Two older men working with him pimped the girls out, insulating him from arrest until one of his girls came forward to report him. Social media evidence corroborates her story, so the DA is willing to roll the dice in court to take that scumbag off the streets.”
Clay glanced at Toni. “Sounds like Hibbard. Except he has more than two people working with him.”
“Did you learn anything else about Rader?” Toni asked.
“He had a boatload of cash at the beach house he was renting and no legal employment.” Trent leaned back. “I have to say, it’s very satisfying to rid the streets of a guy like him. Now we need to be sure he pays for each girl he conned and goes away for a long time. Problem is, he retained a high-powered attorney. Could make things more difficult.”
“Any way we can talk to him?” Toni asked.
Trent frowned, and Clay waited for him to say no. “Visiting hours are open to anyone.”
