“Which makes all of them accomplices to murder,” Jax concluded.
Claire started nodding as the pieces fell into place. She moved to a clean board and picked up a marker. “Local gangs only organize with leadership. I’ve met Brian, he’s not sharp. But he doesn’t talk like a thug and he doesn’t have an abundance of ink or piercings.”
“He’s not a bad-looking guy,” Jax pointed out.
“Let’s look at the money,” Neil said, taking the pen she wasn’t using out of her hand. “Marie is taken to Vegas and sold.” Neil wrote Brian’s name on the board, put a dollar sign next to it. “Mykonos has her for three years, makes an untold amount of money. By her descriptions, many of these events were high end. These men are expecting more than anything they can find on the street. Chances are they don’t even pay for the girls individually, more like a bonus for spending more than a hundred grand a day in a casino.”
“That’s how it sounded to me when Marie was talking,” Claire told him.
He wrote several dollar signs around Mykonos’s name. “He sends her to Ice. Ice gets paid.” More dollar signs next to his name.
Claire took the pen from Neil. “Three years ago, girls started to be selected, which is why Detective Warren sent in undercover cops. Now that we know what happens to those girls after they disappear, we know there’s serious money for the one who sells them.” She drew a big dollar sign. “It’s given to Brian, and the school connections, and the dirty cop, if there is one. So it has to be big money. And if I’m spending a lot of money, I want to get what I want. A busty blonde with blue eyes, or a fifteen-year-old that looks like their sister . . . or whatever perverse thing drives them.”
Claire studied the board, capped the pen, and put it down. “We need to find the want ads?”
“No, what we need to do is flush out these leads at the school,” Neil said. “And we have less than a week to do it. Now that we know this is over the state line, the commander in Seattle can only hold off on getting the feds involved a short time. He’s giving us that courtesy. Let’s not waste the time. I don’t want any person in this shit show getting away. We can’t depend on Brian pointing fingers or not ending up dead so he isn’t able.”
They all had their assignments for the next day.
Cooper needed to put a tracker on Tony’s car. Hopefully the guy cooperated and showed up for the shop day.
Claire needed to obtain the roster of tutors and find the connection to Bremerton, work Eastman and see if she could get anything else from him.
Jax needed face time with Russell. And get as much information about this party Ally went to.
And Manuel, who Claire was starting to think spoke only when spoken to, was on watch for any change in activity.
The rest of the team were doing all they could to infiltrate the mail store frequented by Brian and Gorge, and provide more visual and audio to the Milo residence.
Cooper pulled Claire into a quiet corner when it was time to leave.
“I would feel so much better if you and I could stay together when we’re not at school.” He kept a hand to the side of her neck as they talked. “Especially now that we know what we’re dealing with.”
“It’s the seventh-inning stretch.”
That took away his worried expression.
“I’m pretty good at taking care of myself. And Sasha . . . we all know she’s capable.”
“Call me when you get home.”
She tilted her lips to his and savored how they felt.
And when they couldn’t justify standing in the corner making out any longer, she broke away and said goodbye.
Back in her flight attendant uniform, Sasha drove them home.
They made three miles of complete silence.
And without prompts, Claire said, “It was incredible.”
Sasha’s eyes smiled though her lips didn’t. “The look on your face when you walked in the door told me the sex was good.”
A couple more miles passed by.
“This Mykonos and his family . . . this changes the case,” Sasha said.
“I know. I saw Marie.”
“Be careful.”
Claire felt the warmth of those two simple words. “I will.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Instead of waiting for Russell to approach her, Jax waited for him to park his car in the senior parking lot.
Manuel was watching from around the corner.
Russell pulled in and, like most of the students, sat in the parking lot and talked with his friends until the bell rang.
When it did, Jax approached him. “Hi, uhm . . . you’re Russell, right?”
He was all his profile said he was. Tall, at least six two, and thick. “Do I know you?”
Jax shook her head. “I was at your house party a couple of weeks ago. I met your uncle.”
Russell looked away from her face and down to her chest. “The blonde,” he muttered.
“I’m sorry?”
“Right.” He started walking again. “We don’t do that delivery thing here.”
She tried to act disappointed. “Oh.”
His eyes looked her up and down, before quickly looking away. “If you have Milo’s number, you should call him anyway.”
“I can do that.” The whole conversation felt strange. Like he didn’t want to be there.
Claire’s words from the briefing the day before about Mykonos ordering a busty blonde sounded in her head.
“Are we beating up the cars today, or working on them?” Cooper walked into the shop, happy to see Tony’s car up on one of the lifts.
“Loverboy made up with the girlfriend,” Tony said, looking over at Kyle.
“Elsie seems like a nice girl.” And she needs a date for prom.
Kyle and Tony were working on the rear brakes.
“I took her out on Sunday and we had a long talk.”
Cooper walked over, tried to appear interested in what they were doing. “So no more tutor from Bremerton?”
“Nope.” Kyle handed Tony a tool. “I told her I could help. But her mom doesn’t believe we can actually study when we’re together.”
“Elsie’s pretty hot,” Tony said.
Kyle kept working. “I know.”
“How is she going to pass algebra?” Tony pulled the question right out of Cooper’s head.
“Claire.”
“Do I know Claire?” Tony asked.
“She’s the new girl. She was with us at that party . . .” Kyle stopped talking, looked at Cooper. “Shit.”
“What?” Tony stopped what he was doing, looked between Kyle and Cooper.
“Claire’s on the track team.”
That seemed to spark Tony’s interest.
Cooper turned his head. “I heard nothing. Unless it’s before a track meet. No parties before the meets.”
Kyle smiled. “Thanks, Mr. Mitchel. I finally feel like I got my girlfriend back, I don’t want her to think I’m dissing her friends.”
“I’m glad it’s working out,” Cooper said. He looked at the job they were doing, looked at the time. “This looks like it’s going to take more time than we have this morning.”